Crawford wins undisputed welterweight title with beatdown of Spence
THE GUARDIAN – Terence Crawford delivered a shocking beatdown of Errol Spence in their long-awaited unification bout on Saturday night, becoming the first undisputed welterweight champion in nearly four decades and staking a credible claim as the world’s best boxer regardless of weight.
Crawford dropped Spence in the second round and twice more in the seventh before referee Harvey Dock intervened at the 2:32 mark of round nine.
The matchup between undefeated American stars more than five years in the making was billed as the best fight that boxing could deliver. But after an opening round that unfolded on even terms, Crawford stamped his name into history with an extraordinary performance of power, precision and ring generalship that made an elite opponent look like a novice.
Crawford (40-0, 31 KOs) became the first fighter to hold all of the recognized world titles at welterweight since 1986, when Lloyd Honeyghan stopped Donald Curry at Caesars Atlantic City to capture the WBA, WBC and IBF titles in one of the great upsets in British boxing history.
“I only dreamed of being a world champion,” Crawford said. “I’m an overachiever. Nobody believed in me when I was coming up, but I made everybody a believer. I want to thank Spence and his team because without him none of this would have been possible.”