Terrence Crawford Last Fight
While this might be the biggest win of Crawford's career, and his ninth straight stoppage, it's pretty telling that it came in his 38th career fight when he was a clear favorite over his good friend. The reality is that this win really would be career-defining for Crawford if the fight with Errol Spence never happens, because he could go down as a great boxer who never achieved elite status because he never put that undefeated record at risk in the way the true greats do.
He only increased his power as he climbed from 135 to 140 and now 147, scoring eight wins inside the distance in eight fights. And against his best opponent -- by far -- Crawford found another level, raising his game to match his foe.
Spence, a 32-year-old from Desoto, Texas, returned from surgery to repair a detached retina to score a 10th-round TKO of Yordenis Ugas in April to add the WBA belt to go along with his WBC and WBA titles. Spence (28-0, 22 KOs) was set to fight Manny Pacquiao in August 2021 but withdrew from the matchup because of the eye injury.
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Crawford went on to score a highlight-reel sixth-round KO of David Avanesyan in December in his native Omaha, Nebraska. Spence, from the Dallas-Fort Worth area, last fought in April 2022, scoring a 10th-round TKO victory over Yordenis Ugas in Arlington, Texas, to pick up a third welterweight title.
Undisputed Welterweight World Champion Terence "Bud" Crawford is not only the best fighter in the sport today, but perhaps the best of his generation, capturing the undisputed crown in two separate weight classes while accruing a Hall of Fame resume.
Fans interested in betting on boxing can add another layer to the viewing experience. According to the betting odds, the fight’s outcome is a near coin flip. The gambling odds are subject to change as the fight approaches and can vary based on betting site.
From a technical aspect, Crawford (41-0, 31 KOs) was tested more in this fight than any other since turning professional in 2008. However, the styles did not gel, there was some sporadic booing from the crowd, and clean effective punching came only in cameos.
While Crawford stalked inside, wearing a gray tracksuit that read "Even Big Fish Get Caught" on the back, the VIP reception unspooled inside a banquet room on the bottom floor of T-Mobile during the pay-per-view undercard. Star-studded doesn’t begin to cover it. They came, Tracy Morgan and Chance the Rapper and Andre 3000 and Chris Brown, along with Pacquiao and Mayweather and Ryan Clark and Stedman Graham and Damian Lillard. They came, like everyone else lucky enough to snag a ticket, for the show.
10:38 p.m.: "Like the great KG (Kevin Garnett) said, 'Anything is possible. Anything what is terence crawford record possiiiibbbbllllee!" Lopez says in glory. He acknowledges that a unification with Lomachenko will be next in 2020 and that's the firepower that Loma is going to have to deal with in the New Year. The 22-year-old from Brooklyn is easily one of the most electric fighters in boxing today. My goodness!
The opening bell sounded, gloriously, at 8:33 p.m. local time. The vast majority of the crowd had already sat down, not wanting to miss a second of the bout. That’s also rare, even for the big ones. Crawford wore black trunks with a fish net—a fish net!—stitched onto them. Spence donned black-and-white trunks, with a red belt line and various stripes.
Round 7: Overhand left by Cruz. There’s a good, stiff jab by Cabrera. They get phone booth close and Cruz lands a left. Cabrera with a combo, but Cruz answers with a cracking left hook. The circling and evading by Cabrera early has vanished and he’s using body movement a lot more, which has allowed Cruz to get in bigger shots. Like that right hand that glances in.
10:22 p.m.: Janibek Alimkhanuly didn't have much trouble turning back the challenge of Hassan N'Dam. He chopped him down over the course of eight rounds to earn the TKO stoppage. N'Dam's best years as a contender are clearly behind him, while Alimkhanuly remains one to watch in the middleweight division. As the rounds wore on, it became target practice for Alimkhanuly. N'Dam offered little resistance and was routinely clocked by power punches and a hard left hand. The mounting damage was too much for referee Kenny Bayless and the fight was called at the 2:40 mark of the eighth.
Round Nine: Spence is a beaten man. Crawford potshotting him. He's torturing Spence in there. Nasty work. Spence launches a 6 punch combination. Nothing. Crawford cracks Spence and has his feet unsteady. Here we go. Spence showing heart but there's nothing that Bud is worries about. Big combination! Left! Right! and it's OVER!!!!!!!!