Terence Crawford: record, next fight and profile →
The undisputed welterweight championship required concessions from both of its participants to become a reality. But perhaps one fighter deserves a bit more credit than the other. Newly crowned undisputed welterweight champion Terence Crawford stated in a recent interview that his ballyhooed fight with Errol Spence Jr. would not have happened if it were not for the latter’s initiative.
With more than half a year since the last update, there’s been plenty of room for changes in the BoxingScene Pound-for-Pound top ten. The biggest change is at the top and there is only one thing every voting staff member could agree on…
Anthony Joshua is confident that Errol Spence Jr. is a much better fighter than what he showed in the ring against Terence Crawford. Spence, of Desoto, Texas, suffered a colossal beatdown from Crawford last Saturday night at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Omaha, Nebraska’s Crawford dropped Spence three times before referee Harvey Dock waved off the bout in the ninth. Crawford, who turns 36 next month, is now the undisputed welterweight champion. It is the second time he has cleaned out a division, having done so previously in the 140-pound weight class.
The loud thumping you hear in the background is the sound of Jaron Ennis beating the drum asking for his shot at a world title - more specifically - Terence Crawford.
Terence Crawford didn’t simply make it to the top of virtually everyone’s pound-for-pound list by using just his physical traits alone. Of course, the speed, quickness, timing, and his overall boxing ability matters but it’s what’s in between Crawford’s ears that’s seemingly his best weapon.
Terence Crawford says he never carried any animus toward Errol Spence Jr. The top two welterweights in the world squared off last Saturday night at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas in a high-profile match to determine the undisputed champion in the division. In the end, Crawford came out on top, stopping Spence in the ninth round of a fight that was never really competitive. The win cemented Crawford, in the eyes of many, as the top fighter in the world.
Sometimes, it takes others longer to come to a certain realization. Immediately after closing the chapter on his rivalry with Sergey Kovalev, Andre Ward removed his gloves, carefully took off his hand wraps, and undid his boxing trunks for the last time on the professional level. There was still a boatload of money left to be made but in terms of proving himself, Ward had basically done it all.
Terence Crawford is soaking it all in. For years on end, the soon-to-be 36-year-old told all who would listen that he’s in a league of his own. Yet, with many viewing his resume as tenuous, the Omaha, Nebraska, native was questioned. This past Saturday night, he finally placed those questions to rest.
They came in all shapes and sizes with varying skill sets. Yet, they all had the same goal in mind, take down Floyd Mayweather. Zab Judah had always been known as a master boxer. In 2006, for at least the first two rounds, Mayweather was thrown off by his speed and combination punching. According to two of the three judges sitting ringside, Judah was the better man through two rounds. That all changed, of course, once Mayweather got it going. For the duration of their showdown, he out-quicked the trash-talking New Yorker and cruised to a unanimous decision victory.
Heading into their mega clash, the general consensus was that Terence Crawford might have the higher ring IQ but Errol Spence Jr. had the edge in terms of physical strength and power.