Terence Crawford secures undisputed welterweight title with dominant win over Errol Spence Jr.
LAS VEGAS — Terence Crawford put on the best performance of his career in his biggest fight, dominating Errol Spence Jr. from start to finish Saturday at T-Mobile Arena, claiming the undisputed welterweight championship.
Referee Harvey Dock mercifully pulled Crawford from Spence at 2:32 of the ninth round as Spence was reeling around the ring from Crawford’s fast, accurate blows. Crawford was teeing off when Dock stopped it. Crawford landed 185 of 369 total punches, dominating Spence in a way not seen in a major fight in years. Spence’s face was showing the wear of the beating from the third round on and it could have been stopped as early as the seventh.
In the process of scoring the ninth-round TKO and raising his record to 40-0 with his 31st KO, Crawford became the first male boxer to be undisputed in two weight classes, adding welterweight to the super lightweight undisputed title he previously owned.
Crawford dropped Spence in the second and twice in the seventh, and after a slow first-round, he throttled Spence and pummeled him with clean, hard shots.
Crawford added the IBF, WBA and WBC belts that Spence owned to the WBO title he brought into the fight.
Spence trainer Derrick James told Yahoo Sports before the fight that he felt the significance of the bout would raise the games of both men. Crawford raised it to remarkable heights.
