Terence Crawford has been announced as the winner of a unified combat sports ESPY award over Justin Gaethje, in a category that brought top names from boxing and MMA under one banner.
The 2026 combat sports field included Terence Crawford, Claressa Shields, Gabriela Fundora, and Justin Gaethje. ESPN previously had separate fighting categories for the ESPY awards, but combat sports athletes are now grouped into a single category.
Crawford, who moved up in weight to defeat Canelo Alvarez last fall before retiring undefeated at 42-0 with 31 knockouts, celebrated the achievement, saying, "Retired but still in my winning season," and, "Three-time undisputed and three-time ESPY Award winner. Blessing on blessings." He is described as a three-time undisputed and three-time ESPY Award winner.
Gaethje entered the conversation with strong momentum. He was listed as a -600 betting favorite against +250 for Terence Crawford following consecutive wins over Paddy Pimblett and Ilia Topuria. Ali Abdelaziz reacted on social media, stating, "It’s crazy how Crawford wins ESPY’s over Justin Gaethje is mind blowing," and adding, "Justin won two fights in six months where in both fights he was an underdog and the last fight he was a 7-to-1 underdog."
At the 2024 ESPY ceremony, Crawford captured his second of three ESPY awards, while Sean O’Malley was named "Best UFC Fighter" over Alex Pereira as ESPN’s combat sports award structure continued to evolve.
