Terence Crawford: Late on Saturday night, as the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas was buzzing with excitement, a victorious figure came out of the locker room. It was Terence Crawford, the tough boxer who had just written his name into boxing history. The World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight title belt, which he had held since 2018, and the green World Boxing Council (WBC) belt, which he had just taken from the brave Errol Spence Jr., were both wrapped around his left wrist. The International Boxing Federation (IBF) and the World Boxing Association (WBA) gave Crawford the last two belts, which were ready to go with him to the press meeting after the fight.
After their big fight, Crawford and Spence, who were both champions in their own right, hugged each other in a show of sportsmanship that had never been seen before. Crawford had won the fight by technical knockout in the ninth round, leaving Spence with a face that was red and swollen but otherwise unharmed. The symbolic swap of belts, which is common but rarely seen in public, showed that both fighters agreed that they were champions, which built up the excitement before the fight.
But the truth was clear: only Crawford could now claim to be the undisputed welterweight king, a title that everyone wanted. With Saturday’s decisive win, in which Crawford landed twice as many punches as his brave opponent, he became the first welterweight to hold titles from all four of the major governing bodies. Crawford said with great happiness, “The whole world is talking about it, and we put on a great show.”
On paper, the odds seemed to be about even before the fight. Two winners who had never been knocked out before had a habit of dominating opponents in their previous fights. Still, people who knew Crawford well and were from Omaha noticed a new level of excitement during his training camp.
“He added to everything he doesmore swimming, more running, and a lot more recovery,” said Keyshawn Davis, a strong lightweight competitor who trained in Colorado Springs with Crawford. “I’ve never seen him put so much effort into a fight.”
From the first round on, it was clear that Crawford’s training had paid off. Spence, who is from Long Island in New York, won the first round with a strong right jab. But in Round 2, Crawford fought back with a lightning-fast right hand that knocked Spence out and set the tone for the rest of the fight.
Throughout the fight, Crawford’s power punches were more effective than Spence’s best efforts to turn the fight around. Crawford’s manager, Derrick James, asked for a change in strategy to help him beat Crawford. But Crawford kept hitting Spence hard, and in the ninth round, he knocked him out with blows that were so hard that the judge had to stop the fight.
Statistics showed that Crawford won by a huge margin, which seemed to rule out a rematch. However, the contract gave the loser the choice to force a rematch. Spence didn’t let the loss stop him from using this choice. He said, “We’ve got to do it again. I will feel much better.”
Still, Crawford would seem to have a lot of power in a possible rematch, since he is the undisputed main event and now has more control over contract talks.
With this huge win, Crawford wrote his name into boxing history again. He became the first man to hold all four major titles in two different weight classes, 140 pounds and now 147 pounds. Only Claressa Shields has done something like this among women.
As the dust settles from this great fight, Crawford thinks about what he wants to do next in the sport. At 35, he has been fighting since he was 7. He thinks, “In two months, I’ll be 36. Since I was seven years old, I’ve been fighting. I need to get my team together and talk about the future.”
Terence Crawford’s future is both bright and full of thought. He is the undisputed welterweight champion, has a strong reputation in boxing history, and is looking forward to future challenges.
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Our Reader’s Queries
How many times has Terence Crawford lost?
He engaged in 70 sanctioned amateur fights, suffering 12 defeats.
How many kids does Terence Crawford have?
Terence Crawford and Alindra Person share a family of six children, consisting of three sons and three daughters.
How old is Bud Crawford?
In the boxing world, “RTD” is short for “Referee Technical Decision.” The referee makes an RTD call when a fighter can’t safely keep going in the match. This could be because of injuries, tiredness, or if the fighter can’t defend themselves well.