Category: Terence Crawford vs. Errol Spence Jr.

Terence Crawford vs. Errol Spence Jr. rematch? That’s a really bad idea

Terence Crawford vs. Errol Spence Jr. rematch? That’s a really bad idea after what we saw on Saturday night.

No rematch, please.

It doesn’t make sense for Errol Spence Jr., who was dropped three times, beaten up and finally knocked out in nine rounds by Terence Crawford on Saturday in Las Vegas. It doesn’t make sense for Crawford, the new undisputed 147-pound champion. And it doesn’t make sense for boxing.

Spence said he plans to exercise the rematch clause in the contract for the first fight but that could be the mistake of his career, a notion that I’m guessing he’ll accept when he has time to think about.

First, there’s no reason to believe the outcome would be different. Crawford outclassed Spence because he’s a much better fighter, arguably the best in the world. That isn’t going to change between now and a rematch.

What would Spence do differently? He fought aggressively and was beaten down by counterpunches. He could box more than he normally does but the moments he tried that didn’t work either.

The only scenario that might warrant a rematch would be if Spence had to drain himself to make weight or fought with a serious injury. He said before the fight that he planned to move up to 154 for his next bout.

However, Spence gave no indication that making 147 would constitute a significant handicap in the fight or that he was suffering from some other physical disorder. His problem in the ring was his opponent, not preexisting issues.

As Spence said in the ring afterward, “No excuses.”

Spence (28-1, 22 KOs) would be wise to take a step back, assess his devastating setback, learn from it, move up to 154 and then target anyone not named Terence Crawford. That’s how a fighter begins the rebuilding process after suffering a one-sided loss.

Imagine if Spence and Crawford agree to a second fight in December, Spence’s stated target month, and Crawford pummels Spence again. Spence might never be able to bounce back from that.

I’m not arguing that Spence should never seek a second fight with Spence. I AM arguing that it makes more sense to build toward that. Get some victories under your belt, establish some momentum and rebuild your confidence before tangling with the pound-for-pound king again.

Meanwhile, Crawford, obviously thinking in terms of business, indicated after the fight that he’s open to a rematch.

He believes fans would buy into a second fight, which means it would generate a lot of money for both men. And we now know that it would a low-risk, high-reward proposition for him. He’s 35. He would like to pad his bank account while he can. He can legitimately ask, “Why not?”

The problem, again, is that the first fight was conclusive. Crawford, primed like never before going into Saturday, couldn’t possibly be as motived for a second fight. And my guess is that fans won’t be motivated either. They want matchups that are perceived to be competitive, not mismatches.

Who could Crawford face in another lucrative fight?

Well, here’s one scenario. Junior middleweight champion Jermell Charlo said at ringside that he plans to move back down in weight after his September fight with 168-pound champion Canelo Alvarez, who most experts believe will emerge victorious.

A Crawford-Charlo fight for the latter’s undisputed 154-pound championship would be well received, in part because Crawford would be seeking to become an undisputed champion in a third division.

And there are other options that would earn him a healthy payday. Crawford vs. the talented Jaron Ennis would be a fascinating matchup for hardcore fans. Keith Thurman, Vergil Ortiz and Eimantas Stanionis would also make a compelling fights.

Bottom line: Crawford doesn’t need Spence any longer.

And, finally, a second Crawford-Spence fight would be a bad look for the sport. Fans would ask the same question I’m asking here: “Why?” They know that rematches are appropriate when the original fight is close, compelling or perhaps controversial. The beatdown on Saturday was none of the above.

Thus, it could be difficult for promoters to generate excitement (read: pay-per-view buys) for a second fight. I’m first and foremost a fan. And I certainly would have a hard time getting up for a rematch after what I witnessed on Saturday.

Crawford vs. Spence is finished business, at least for now. Let’s move on.

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Terence Crawford vs. Errol Spence Jr. rematch? That’s a really bad idea

Terence Crawford vs. Errol Spence Jr. rematch? That’s a really bad idea after what we saw on Saturday night.

No rematch, please.

It doesn’t make sense for Errol Spence Jr., who was dropped three times, beaten up and finally knocked out in nine rounds by Terence Crawford on Saturday in Las Vegas. It doesn’t make sense for Crawford, the new undisputed 147-pound champion. And it doesn’t make sense for boxing.

Spence said he plans to exercise the rematch clause in the contract for the first fight but that could be the mistake of his career, a notion that I’m guessing he’ll accept when he has time to think about.

First, there’s no reason to believe the outcome would be different. Crawford outclassed Spence because he’s a much better fighter, arguably the best in the world. That isn’t going to change between now and a rematch.

What would Spence do differently? He fought aggressively and was beaten down by counterpunches. He could box more than he normally does but the moments he tried that didn’t work either.

The only scenario that might warrant a rematch would be if Spence had to drain himself to make weight or fought with a serious injury. He said before the fight that he planned to move up to 154 for his next bout.

However, Spence gave no indication that making 147 would constitute a significant handicap in the fight or that he was suffering from some other physical disorder. His problem in the ring was his opponent, not preexisting issues.

As Spence said in the ring afterward, “No excuses.”

Spence (28-1, 22 KOs) would be wise to take a step back, assess his devastating setback, learn from it, move up to 154 and then target anyone not named Terence Crawford. That’s how a fighter begins the rebuilding process after suffering a one-sided loss.

Imagine if Spence and Crawford agree to a second fight in December, Spence’s stated target month, and Crawford pummels Spence again. Spence might never be able to bounce back from that.

I’m not arguing that Spence should never seek a second fight with Spence. I AM arguing that it makes more sense to build toward that. Get some victories under your belt, establish some momentum and rebuild your confidence before tangling with the pound-for-pound king again.

Meanwhile, Crawford, obviously thinking in terms of business, indicated after the fight that he’s open to a rematch.

He believes fans would buy into a second fight, which means it would generate a lot of money for both men. And we now know that it would a low-risk, high-reward proposition for him. He’s 35. He would like to pad his bank account while he can. He can legitimately ask, “Why not?”

The problem, again, is that the first fight was conclusive. Crawford, primed like never before going into Saturday, couldn’t possibly be as motived for a second fight. And my guess is that fans won’t be motivated either. They want matchups that are perceived to be competitive, not mismatches.

Who could Crawford face in another lucrative fight?

Well, here’s one scenario. Junior middleweight champion Jermell Charlo said at ringside that he plans to move back down in weight after his September fight with 168-pound champion Canelo Alvarez, who most experts believe will emerge victorious.

A Crawford-Charlo fight for the latter’s undisputed 154-pound championship would be well received, in part because Crawford would be seeking to become an undisputed champion in a third division.

And there are other options that would earn him a healthy payday. Crawford vs. the talented Jaron Ennis would be a fascinating matchup for hardcore fans. Keith Thurman, Vergil Ortiz and Eimantas Stanionis would also make a compelling fights.

Bottom line: Crawford doesn’t need Spence any longer.

And, finally, a second Crawford-Spence fight would be a bad look for the sport. Fans would ask the same question I’m asking here: “Why?” They know that rematches are appropriate when the original fight is close, compelling or perhaps controversial. The beatdown on Saturday was none of the above.

Thus, it could be difficult for promoters to generate excitement (read: pay-per-view buys) for a second fight. I’m first and foremost a fan. And I certainly would have a hard time getting up for a rematch after what I witnessed on Saturday.

Crawford vs. Spence is finished business, at least for now. Let’s move on.

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Photos: Terence Crawford’s historic beatdown of Errol Spence Jr.

Photos: Terence Crawford’s historic beatdown of Errol Spence Jr. on Saturday in Las Vegas.

Terence Crawford knocked out Errol Spence at 2:32 of the ninth round to become the first undisputed 147-pound championship in the four-belt era and first man to be “undisputed” in a second division Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Here are images from the fight. All photos by Al Bello of Getty Images.

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Watch it: Terence Crawford’s brutal knockout of Errol Spence Jr.

Watch it: Terence Crawford’s brutal knockout of Errol Spence Jr. on Saturday in Las Vegas.

Terence Crawford knocked out Errol Spence at 2:32 of the ninth round to become the first man to win the undisputed 147-pound championship in the four-belt era Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

He also became the first man to capture all four major titles in a second division

Crawford (40-0, 31 KOs) put Spence (28-1, 22 KOs) down three times in his dominating performance.

Check out the knockout in the video above.

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Watch it: Terence Crawford’s brutal knockout of Errol Spence Jr.

Watch it: Terence Crawford’s brutal knockout of Errol Spence Jr. on Saturday in Las Vegas.

Terence Crawford knocked out Errol Spence at 2:32 of the ninth round to become the first man to win the undisputed 147-pound championship in the four-belt era Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

He also became the first man to capture all four major titles in a second division

Crawford (40-0, 31 KOs) put Spence (28-1, 22 KOs) down three times in his dominating performance.

Check out the knockout in the video above.

[lawrence-related id=38307,38284,38280,38277]

Terence Crawford delivers sublime performance, overwhelms Errol Spence Jr.

Terence Crawford delivered a sublime performance Saturday in Las Vegas, dominating and knocking out Errol Spence Jr. in nine rounds.

No one is going to doubt Terence Crawford now.

Crawford turned in one of the greatest performances in recent years Saturday night at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, putting fellow pound-for-pounder Errol Spence Jr. down three times and taking him out in the ninth round of what turned out to be a mismatch.

In the process, he became the first undisputed welterweight champion in the four-belt era and also the first man to win all four major belts in a second division.

More important, he flawlessly annihilated one of the most heralded fighters of this generation, a feat that will be remembered longer than his collection of alphabet belts.

It was a perfect night for the pride of Omaha, Nebraska.

“Man, I’m so blessed,” Crawford said afterward. “I swear, I swear, like I said before, I always dreamed of being a world champion. I’m an overachiever. Nobody believed in me when I was coming up.

“I made everybody a believer.”

Indeed, he did. And it started in the second round.

That’s when, with about 20 seconds to go, Crawford (40-0, 31 KOs) put Spence (28-1, 22 KOs) down with a right jab that resembled a power punch. Spence got up and wasn’t hurt badly. However, Crawford was just getting started.

From then on, the winner was in complete control, landing that jab, brilliantly countering everything Spence tried to do and taking few shots himself.

As a result, like a great artist at work, he coldly, methodically picked his prey apart, landing almost at will much of the fight; bloodied his face; and broke down a man that most observers thought was Crawford’s equal going into Saturday night.

The fight was already slipping away from Spence in Round 7, in which Crawford put him down twice, first by a counter right about a minute into the round and then by a right hook in the final seconds. The end seemed near.

And it was. Crawford stung Spence about midway through Round 9 and then unloaded as vicious an assault as you’ll ever see in the ring. Spence somehow remained on his feet but he took terrible punishment, enough to convince referee Harvey Dock to end the slaughter.

The official time of the stoppage was 2:32 of the ninth.

Crawford added Spence’s three belts to his WBO title, making him the undisputed champion. He was asked afterward what that and becoming the first man to be “undisputed” in a second division means to him.

He responded by reminding everyone how difficult it was for him to lure the other top welterweights into the ring for so many years.

“It means everything,” he said, “because of who I took the belts from. They tried to black ball me. They kept me out. They talked bad about me. They said I wasn’t good enough, that I couldn’t beat the top welterweights.

“I kept my head to the sky, I kept praying to God that I’d get the opportunity show the world how great Terence Crawford is. And tonight I believe I showed how great I am.”

Spence, his face badly bruised, was as classy as he could be afterward.

“He was the better man tonight,” said Spence, who hadn’t fought in 15 months. “He was using his jab. And my timing was a little bit off and you know he was catching me in between shots.”

He was asked by the interviewer: “Was the timing off because of the layoff or was the timing off because he was so much better today?”

“He was just better tonight. I make no excuses,” Spence responded

The assumption going into the fight was that Crawford and Spence would have a rematch. That option doesn’t make sense now.

However, Spence made it clear that he will take advantage of the rematch clause in their contract to get another shot at his conqueror.

He said beforehand that he intended to move up to 154 after the fight, meaning a potential rematch might be at junior middleweight or perhaps at a catch weight.

“Hell yeah, we gotta do it again,” he said. “I’ll be a lot better. It’s going to be a lot closer. It’ll probably be in December. So, hell yeah, we gotta do it again.”

Crawford believes the fans would buy into a rematch in spite of the one-sided nature of the first fight.

“Of course, the public would buy it,” he said. “Look how many people came out to show me and Errol Spence support. … If the fight happens again, I’m pretty sure everybody would show up again and show us support.”

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Terence Crawford delivers sublime performance, overwhelms Errol Spence Jr.

Terence Crawford delivered a sublime performance Saturday in Las Vegas, dominating and knocking out Errol Spence Jr. in nine rounds.

No one is going to doubt Terence Crawford now.

Crawford turned in one of the greatest performances in recent years Saturday night at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, putting fellow pound-for-pounder Errol Spence Jr. down three times and taking him out in the ninth round of what turned out to be a mismatch.

In the process, he became the first undisputed welterweight champion in the four-belt era and also the first man to win all four major belts in a second division.

More important, he flawlessly annihilated one of the most heralded fighters of this generation, a feat that will be remembered longer than his collection of alphabet belts.

It was a perfect night for the pride of Omaha, Nebraska.

“Man, I’m so blessed,” Crawford said afterward. “I swear, I swear, like I said before, I always dreamed of being a world champion. I’m an overachiever. Nobody believed in me when I was coming up.

“I made everybody a believer.”

Indeed, he did. And it started in the second round.

That’s when, with about 20 seconds to go, Crawford (40-0, 31 KOs) put Spence (28-1, 22 KOs) down with a right jab that resembled a power punch. Spence got up and wasn’t hurt badly. However, Crawford was just getting started.

From then on, the winner was in complete control, landing that jab, brilliantly countering everything Spence tried to do and taking few shots himself.

As a result, like a great artist at work, he coldly, methodically picked his prey apart, landing almost at will much of the fight; bloodied his face; and broke down a man that most observers thought was Crawford’s equal going into Saturday night.

The fight was already slipping away from Spence in Round 7, in which Crawford put him down twice, first by a counter right about a minute into the round and then by a right hook in the final seconds. The end seemed near.

And it was. Crawford stung Spence about midway through Round 9 and then unloaded as vicious an assault as you’ll ever see in the ring. Spence somehow remained on his feet but he took terrible punishment, enough to convince referee Harvey Dock to end the slaughter.

The official time of the stoppage was 2:32 of the ninth.

Crawford added Spence’s three belts to his WBO title, making him the undisputed champion. He was asked afterward what that and becoming the first man to be “undisputed” in a second division means to him.

He responded by reminding everyone how difficult it was for him to lure the other top welterweights into the ring for so many years.

“It means everything,” he said, “because of who I took the belts from. They tried to black ball me. They kept me out. They talked bad about me. They said I wasn’t good enough, that I couldn’t beat the top welterweights.

“I kept my head to the sky, I kept praying to God that I’d get the opportunity show the world how great Terence Crawford is. And tonight I believe I showed how great I am.”

Spence, his face badly bruised, was as classy as he could be afterward.

“He was the better man tonight,” said Spence, who hadn’t fought in 15 months. “He was using his jab. And my timing was a little bit off and you know he was catching me in between shots.”

He was asked by the interviewer: “Was the timing off because of the layoff or was the timing off because he was so much better today?”

“He was just better tonight. I make no excuses,” Spence responded

The assumption going into the fight was that Crawford and Spence would have a rematch. That option doesn’t make sense now.

However, Spence made it clear that he will take advantage of the rematch clause in their contract to get another shot at his conqueror.

He said beforehand that he intended to move up to 154 after the fight, meaning a potential rematch might be at junior middleweight or perhaps at a catch weight.

“Hell yeah, we gotta do it again,” he said. “I’ll be a lot better. It’s going to be a lot closer. It’ll probably be in December. So, hell yeah, we gotta do it again.”

Crawford believes the fans would buy into a rematch in spite of the one-sided nature of the first fight.

“Of course, the public would buy it,” he said. “Look how many people came out to show me and Errol Spence support. … If the fight happens again, I’m pretty sure everybody would show up again and show us support.”

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Isaac Cruz survives pesky Giovanni Cabrera and suspect scorecards

Isaac Cruz survived a pesky Giovanni Cabrera and shaky scorecards to win a split decision Saturday in Las Vegas.

Isaac Cruz almost fell victim to a bad decision.

The 135-pound contender, who pushed Gervonta Davis to his limits a few years ago, seemed to control his fight against Giovanni Cabrera but had to settle for a split-decision victory on the Terence Crawford-Errol Spence Jr. card Saturday in Las Vegas.

Two judges had Cruz winning, 115-112 and 114-113. The third scored it for Cabrera, 114-113. Boxing Junkie scored it 116-111 for Cruz, nine rounds to three.

The slick Cabrera (21-1, 7 KOs) had some success keeping his strong, swarming opponent off of him in the first few rounds by sticking, moving and sometimes holding.

However, Cruz (25-2-1, 17 KOs) was able to close the distance by the third round and commence landing dozens of hard, eye-catching shots to both the body and head and taking little in return from the light-punching Cabrera.

Cabrera continued to pepper his shorter opponent with his jab and landed power shots here and there, enough evidently to win some rounds. He also proved to be resilient by taking everything a strong puncher threw at him.

However, Cruz won the fight because he landed many more power shots than Cabrera did.

Cruz lost a point in Round 8 for intentionally butting Cabrera. The result would’ve been a majority decision had he not been penalized.

He was baffled by the scoring.

“I don’t feel like he connected with any punches, but they are the judges, and they made the decision,” he said. “… I was superior tonight, but I do respect all of my opponents, and he was very good today.”

The 25-year-old Mexican is now 3-0 since he lost a close, but unanimous decision to Davis in December 2021, although Davis injured his hand early in the fight.

Cruz reiterated after his victory on Saturday that he wants a rematch with Davis.

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Isaac Cruz survives pesky Giovanni Cabrera and suspect scorecards

Isaac Cruz survived a pesky Giovanni Cabrera and shaky scorecards to win a split decision Saturday in Las Vegas.

Isaac Cruz almost fell victim to a bad decision.

The 135-pound contender, who pushed Gervonta Davis to his limits a few years ago, seemed to control his fight against Giovanni Cabrera but had to settle for a split-decision victory on the Terence Crawford-Errol Spence Jr. card Saturday in Las Vegas.

Two judges had Cruz winning, 115-112 and 114-113. The third scored it for Cabrera, 114-113. Boxing Junkie scored it 116-111 for Cruz, nine rounds to three.

The slick Cabrera (21-1, 7 KOs) had some success keeping his strong, swarming opponent off of him in the first few rounds by sticking, moving and sometimes holding.

However, Cruz (25-2-1, 17 KOs) was able to close the distance by the third round and commence landing dozens of hard, eye-catching shots to both the body and head and taking little in return from the light-punching Cabrera.

Cabrera continued to pepper his shorter opponent with his jab and landed power shots here and there, enough evidently to win some rounds. He also proved to be resilient by taking everything a strong puncher threw at him.

However, Cruz won the fight because he landed many more power shots than Cabrera did.

Cruz lost a point in Round 8 for intentionally butting Cabrera. The result would’ve been a majority decision had he not been penalized.

He was baffled by the scoring.

“I don’t feel like he connected with any punches, but they are the judges, and they made the decision,” he said. “… I was superior tonight, but I do respect all of my opponents, and he was very good today.”

The 25-year-old Mexican is now 3-0 since he lost a close, but unanimous decision to Davis in December 2021, although Davis injured his hand early in the fight.

Cruz reiterated after his victory on Saturday that he wants a rematch with Davis.

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Alexandro Santiago spoils Nonito Donaire’s bid to win title at 40

Nonito Donaire fell short of winning a world title at 40, losing a unanimous decision to Alexandro Santiago on Saturday in Las Vegas.

Nonito Donaire finally looked his age.

Alexandro Santiago outworked the 40-year-old former four-division beltholder to win a unanimous decision and the vacant WBC 118-pound title on the Terence Crawford-Errol Spence Jr. card Saturday in Las Vegas.

The official scores were 116-112, 116-112 and 115-113. Boxing Junkie also scored it 116-112 for Santiago, eight rounds to four.

Donaire (42-8, 28 KOs) was hoping to win his 10th major title and become the oldest current champion. However, he’s not what he was.

The Filipino-American was competitive but he was a step behind his Mexican opponent for most of the fight. The first several rounds were roughly even but Santiago began to dominate from around the fifth round on, fighting behind his jab and landing combinations consistently while taking little in return.

Santiago (28-3-5, 14 KOs) simply beat Donaire to the punch over and over again and outlanded him.

Donaire’s best moment came  in Round 3, when he rocked Santiago with his legendary left hook. However, Santiago also proved to be resilient: He survived that punch and was never seriously hurt afterward.

Thus, no one was surprised when it was announced that Santiago had become a world titleholder for the first time by a unanimous decision.

Donaire was coming off a second-round knockout loss against Naoya Inoue in June of last year, meaning he has now lost back-to-back fights for the first time in his decorated career.

He said afterward that he would consult with his team before deciding whether to fight again but he didn’t sound like a fighter who intends to quit.

“I love the sport so much,” he said. “I told my wife, who has the word (on whether he will fight again). We just have to go back to the locker room, talk about it and see where we go from there. There were just some times there where I didn’t pull the trigger. That was my biggest problem.

“I was trying to counter so much and put so much power into it. I tried to fight like a warrior, which was something we didn’t train.”

Meanwhile, Santiago, who turned pro at 16 years old, was emotional after finally claiming a major belt in his second title fight. He fought to a draw against then-115-pound champion Jerwin Ancajas in 2018.

“It is so hard to explain this moment right now,” Santiago said. “All the work we put in for just this moment. It’s great just to win this title.”