His skills were undeniable. His punching power on the other hand? That was the biggest question mark that surrounded Terence Crawford’s decision to move up in weight in 2018.
Yet, despite lacing up his gloves and facing larger men on a nightly basis, Crawford had little to no trouble dealing with the size advantages of his opponents. With seven welterweight fights under his belt, Crawford (39-0, 30 KOs) has stopped everyone he’s faced since making the move. Still, his 100% knockout percentage at 147 pounds doesn't inflict even the slightest bit of fear in the heart of Errol Spence Jr.
On July 29th, at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, the two will finally square off with all of the welterweight marbles on the line. Presently, Crawford has opened up as the betting favorite.
Ultimately, Spence acknowledges that Crawford has an eclectic set of skills that he hasn't quite seen in the ring. Nevertheless, he isn’t sweating Crawford’s power. Even after watching the Omaha, Nebraska, native absolutely annihilate David Avanesyan in his most recent outing, Spence (28-0, 22 KOs) comes to one succinct conclusion, Crawford's level of opposition isn't up to par.
As Spence takes the time to sift through Crawford’s resume, he becomes less and less impressed with what he sees. Whether it’s the likes of Jeff Horn, Jose Benavidez Jr., or Egidijus Kavaliauskas - Spence yawns apathetically. Even some of Crawford’s signature wins in the welterweight division, according to Spence, come with a gigantic asterisk.
Against Shawn Porter, Kell Brook, and Amir Khan, Spence claims that those former champions were tattered and broken prior to Crawford finishing them off. Although Spence still admits that defeating Crawford will be a mind-numbing task, in terms of his power, Spence isn't worried about having his lights turned out at any point during their showdown.
“A little bit," said Spence to BoxingScene.com when asked if Crawford's power is being overblown. He stopped everybody but I’m not those people that he stopped. I feel like I’m way better caliber than the guys that he fought.”
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