Terence Crawford dominates Errol Spence Jr in clash for undisputed
Plus, Cruz controls Cabrera, Beterbiev withdraws & new fights announced
In the build-up to the huge Errol Spence Jr-Terence Crawford showdown last Saturday evening, common opponent Shawn Porter stated that Spence is good at “fighting hurt”. ‘The Truth’ needed those powers in abundance as he soaked up round after round of punishment at the devastating fists of an opponent at his peak.
Post-fight conversations of how this current version of Crawford would’ve fared against the best versions of Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao are not so far-fetched. His dissection of Errol was simply that good.
Photo Credit: LA Times
After a cagey opener which Spence won on activity and forward momentum alone, Crawford dropped the three-belt king in the second round with a jab. Early doors, but the writing was already being spray painted on to the sparkly fresh walls of the T-Mobile Arena.
Even by round three -one of Errol’s better sessions as it turned out- he spent moments looking like he’d just staggered out of that devastating car crash in 2019. Crawford was firmly in the driving seat, primed to put together a spiteful combination and remove Spence from his misery at any juncture. Despite his best efforts to turn the tide with sluggish, poorly-timed ripostes, Spence’s efforts were in vain as the bout descended into a one-sided massacre.
Following a seventh round shellacking, Crawford went over to Spence and touched his gloves, almost like he felt sorry for his ailing adversary. There was no ill will after the fight as the pair exchanged pleasantries. Even before the fight, aside from the usual self-motivational spiel and grave insults fired out by any fiercely competitive champion, the knowing smiles and grinning nods of appreciation revealed two men who like each other.
For a boxer who started off his career at lightweight, Crawford looked like the puncher. Staying in the pocket for too long, repeatedly open to counter shots, Spence just looked vulnerable. The 33-year-old’s best work was supposed to come early on. His powerful jab and vaunted body attacks would set the pace and Crawford would need to put his foot down in the later rounds.
Perhaps even a late round rally like against Shawn Porter would be required; a championship round rollocking from the portly BoMac. Not at all. Only Bud’s conservative nature and possible compassion kept the façade going into the ninth round when referee Harvey Dock finally made the correct decision to terminate the contest.
Spence’s trainer Derrick James was either stunned or bizarrely oblivious to the fact that his man was getting beaten from pillar to post. Attempting to maintain a calm presence in the corner, James, who describes himself as a teacher rather than a boxing trainer, was handing out all the wrong lessons. Even the former 30-bout pro seemed shaken by the evening’s events. Why wasn’t Errol moving around Crawford? Why was his timing off so badly?
The glassy eyed loser merely stumbled around the ring, sliced and diced by Crawford’s mercilessly accurate punches. Eyes swelling, nose bleeding, trying to bully the Nebraskan. Pushing, clawing, doing anything to encourage self-motivation and turn the powerful tide. At every turn, Crawford was just too fast.
Spence stepped back repeatedly in straight lines as the absent voice of Timothy Bradley echoed in the background for Errol to “keep his head off the line!”. The doctor entered the ring before the fifth round in an abnormally early gesture of concern. The fight went on for another four rounds. Even that was too long.
Spence mumbled later about triggering the rematch clause, most likely at 154. Can he do things differently, or even a little better? Absolutely. Not enough to win though. The result will be the same. His conqueror is now an undisputed king at two separate weight classes. Drawing the line on a fantastic week for boxing that first saw Naoya Inoue deliver a stunning display of sweet science over Stephen Fulton in Japan.
While they won’t be hurting financially, Spence’s spanking topped a rough week for the PBC…
Two of their premium operators (both grossly inactive it must be said) tried to shake off the stifling dust against two of the finest that boxing has to offer. Crawford vs. Spence will probably happen again. Spence will want the chance to right those wrongs and Crawford will happily and contractually rake in another pile of Al Haymon's cash to beat up the Showtime asset for a second time.
Spence really needs to retire. His mental capacity is at stake. Every jab hit him in the face. Whenever he swayed underneath, Terence was waiting with a swiping hook. Most concerning, there was a lack of punch resistance. This fight should’ve been finished earlier and the second installment shouldn’t start at all.
The Spence of old has gone, while the present Crawford has never been better. Where he moves next is anybody’s guess. Talented and fit enough to destroy anyone at 147 and maybe even 154, if Crawford walked away today, avoiding the lingering death march of Roy Jones’ parody of a late career, his legacy is right up there with the very best.
CRUZ CONTROLS CABRERA AND TELLEZ TONKS GARCIA
Not the most scintillating undercard ever put on by the PBC which was unsurprising given the must-see nature of the main event. The chief support saw Isaac Cruz defeat Giovanni Cabrera over 12 rounds of intriguing, yet not overly exciting, rounds of action. Tall, rangy, difficult to work out, Cabrera’s upright stance and persistent holding made life difficult for Cruz who later quipped, “I thought it was my birthday, he was hugging me that much!”
Trained by Freddie Roach, Cabrera suffered his first loss after 21 straight wins. The paltry seven stoppages in the KO column tells a story of how Cabrera struggles to garner respect from opponents. Neglecting his own jab in the most part, opting for winging hooks, Cruz is not easily deterred and keeps on rumbling forward until the conclusion.
Podcast discussion: The lads broke down the entire Spence-Crawford card
Nonito Donaire’s long standing career may finally be drawing to a close after he was beaten by Alexandro Santiago for the vacant WBC bantamweight title. The sprightly Mexican finally caught a break in his career while the ‘Filipino Flash’ must reassess his future plans.
Cuba’s Yoenis Tellez scored a statement victory by stopping durable Sergio Garcia in the third round. The tough Spaniard had previously gone the distance with Sebastian Fundora and Tony Harrison.
NUTHOUSE NOTES
Artur Beterbiev has withdrawn from his August 19 date against Callum Smith, citing a bone infection in the jaw as the reason. While I don’t doubt the injury is genuine, given his age, style and punishing training regime, Beterbiev’s boxing days are seriously numbered.
Another pullout is the last thing he needs as we hope for that Dmitry Bivol fight sooner rather than later. Imagine if Callum Smith is the man to step forward (once the fight is rescheduled) and picks off his tired old 38-year-old frame? I could see that happening.
Artur Beterbiev with belts - Photo Credit: Bad Left Hook
Conor Benn has apparently, potentially, allegedly, proactively been declared unsanctioned, and certainly cleared to consider a fight in the future, after the latest piece of this never-ending PED saga. Who even knows where the truth lies with this one? Drug testing procedures are supposed to be clear cut, but when there’s money involved and high profile legal bodies doing their thing, the truth becomes as transparent as cloudy lemonade.
Matchroom Boxing confirmed some new fights this week including the rematch between Chantelle Cameron and Katie Taylor in Dublin on November 25. Fresh from his revenge win over common opponent Mauricio Lara, Nottingham’s Leigh Wood defends his WBA featherweight crown against Josh Warrington on October 7 in Sheffield. The action in both the ring and the stands is likely to be carnage.
Boxxer are providing a slightly more civilised affair on October 21 when Dan Azeez faces Joshua Buatsi. It’s a good matchup but an odd move as Buatsi’s meandering career appears to have ditched any pretensions of world level and returned to the domestic circuit.
Thanks for reading! Drop a little heart or even a comment if you get a minute. I’d love to hear your thoughts. Speak to you all next week…
About Steve: Experienced boxing writer, author of 8 books and podcaster of over 400 eps. 20 years in the sport. Covered hundreds of shows for newspapers and Boxing News magazine. Chief video script writer for Motivedia channel and BN+. For enquiries: stevenwellings1982@gmail.com.
‘The action in both the ring and the stands is likely to be carnage’ 😂 - Beautiful stuff Steve
Looks like we both got egg on our face Steve! I didn’t expect Crawford to win in such dominant fashion. But credit where credit, Bud is just a phenomenal, elite fighter. So in your opinion, Spence is finished? As a selfish boxing fan, I would like to see him have a go at 154 but probably not against Crawford again.