TERENCE Crawford finally proved his welterweight supremacy with a demolition job over long-time rival Errol Spence Jr on Saturday night.
The superstar pair put five long years of speculation to rest for an undisputed super-fight in Las Vegas.
And what was billed a 50/50 blockbuster for the ages proved to instead be a one-sided battering.
Following three savage knockdowns, experienced referee Harvey Dock stopped the fight while Spence was still standing.
It gave Crawford bragging rights at last and cemented his place in history as the first man to become a two-weight undisputed champ.
He said: “I’m so blessed. Like I said before, I only dreamed of being a world champion, I’m an overachiever.
“No one believed in me when I was coming up but I made everyone a believer.
“I want to thank Spence, his team like I told them without him none of this would be possible, right here tonight.”
Spence, a notoriously fast starter, began the fight well by managing to back Crawford up with his jab, which set up body shots.
But the bout turned on its head in round two after Spence was dropped for the first time in his career.
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As the Texan leaned in for a combination, Crawford returned fire with a left hand and the subsequent right jab caused the knockdown.
From then on, the unification became one-way traffic as the man nicknamed “Bud” put on a counter-punching masterclass.
Spence did his best to take the fight to Crawford, closing the distance and hammering in body blows.
But the three-division champion was too defensively sound and too sharp on the offence.
Spence found himself on the deck once more in the seventh when a perfectly-timed uppercut left him on the seat of his pants.
Crawford – considered one of boxing’s best finishers – followed it up with an onslaught and a right hook again caused another knockdown.
Spence looked shaken to his boots but he survived to make it into the eighth, where the pace of the contest momentarily slowed down.
But by the ninth, Crawford’s predatory instincts took over again and he poured on the pressure.
Spence was made to swing and miss as he walked into counters.
And when Crawford had the unified champ on the ropes and on the end of a vicious attack, Dock had rightfully seen enough.
Despite the dominant nature of the victory, there could still be another chapter in the rivalry in the shape of a sequel.
Spence has the right to invoke a rematch, something both men opened the door to.
Crawford, 35, said: “Look how many people came out and showed me and Errol Spence support.
“Like I said, if the fight happens again, I’m pretty sure everyone will come out and show support once again for the both of us.”
Spence, 33, added: “We gotta do it again. I’ll be a lot better, it’s going to be a lot closer, probably be in December or the end of the year.
“Hell yeah we gotta do it again.”
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Spence – beaten for the first time in his career – added that he hopes for the rematch to take place at the 154lb light-middleweight limit.
But as the winner, Crawford has final say on what weight a potential rematch takes place at.
Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk
