By Vince D’Writer: In his debut as a welterweight in June 2018, he won the WBO 147-pound title, and five years later, on Saturday night July 29th Terence “Bud” Crawford stopped his rival Errol Spence Jr (28-1, 22 KOs) in the 9th round, and he is now the first undisputed welterweight champion in the four-belt era.
The intrigue for this matchup developed in November 2018 when the two star boxers traded words backstage at the Maurice Hooker vs Alex Saucedo event. The process took five years, but on Saturday night Spence and Crawford finally faced each other at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
In the first round of the highly anticipated welterweight championship bout, Crawford who is a switch hitter, started the match in the southpaw stance. Spence was very active in the opening round as he utilized the jab and followed it up with the left to the body.
Spence continued to work the jab in the second round and he was also able to land a couple of combinations. Crawford landed a combination of his own, and when Spence reached in, Crawford landed a power jab that sent Spence down to the canvas for the first time in his career.
The action in the third round was back and forth as both boxers were able to land solid shots. Terence Crawford had a big fourth round as his hand speed and accuracy made Spence look very uncomfortable.
Once again Spence tried to close the distance in the fifth round, but Crawford continued to land sharp counter shots each time his opponent attempted to press forward. Errol Spence had success landing shots to Crawford’s body in round 6, but once again he was unable to get out of the line of fire when Crawford threw his counter shots.
Spence picked up his aggression in the 7th round, but he paid the price when Crawford landed a counter uppercut that sent Spence down to the canvas for the second time in the fight. He was able to get up, but in the closing seconds of round 7, Crawford landed a right hand that sent Spence down to the canvas for a third time.
Everything was working for Crawford as he was dominating the fight with the power jab, precise timing, and accurate counter shots. Spence was having a rough night due to the fact that Crawford took away his jab, his timing was off, and as the fight progressed Crawford forced him to fight off the backfoot.
In the 9th round it became target practice, as Crawford was landing at will. After witnessing a bruised and battered Errol Spence absorb multiple shots, the referee Harvey Dock decided to step in and put a halt to the contest.
With the win, Terence Crawford (40-0, 31 KOs) became the first male boxer to win the undisputed crown in two different weight classes. Crawford’s dominant performance earned him the undisputed welterweight championship, and it also guarantees him the number one spot on the pound-for-pound list.
Both Terence Crawford and Errol Spence should be commended as they stepped up to participate in a high risk, high reward type of bout. In the end Terence Crawford came out victorious, and he’s the new undisputed welterweight champion for now, but we may see a part 2 if Spence decides to activate the rematch clause.
During the post-fight press conference Terence Crawford addressed the doubters and he asked that the media give him his props. After the flawless performance he delivered on the night of July 29th, boxing fans, the media, and boxing pundits have no choice but to acknowledge the fact that Terence “Bud” Crawford is the current king of the ring.
