Boxing fans witnessed an absolute spectacle as Errol Spence Jr. and Terence Crawford put on a show for the undisputed welterweight title. Probably the entire world hoped for a competitive affair, but as it turned out, it was a mere exhibition of Crawford’s extensive skillset that proved to be too much for Errol Spence Jr.
Terence Crawford defeated Errol Spence Jr. via stoppage in the ninth round to become the undisputed welterweight champion of the world. In the process, he also became the first boxer to become a two-time undisputed champion, having held the junior welterweight title.
Terence Crawford dropped Errol Spence Jr. thrice during the fight
Terence Crawford put on a masterclass that saw him slowly decimate Errol Spence Jr. to eventually pick up the ninth-round stoppage win. With his performance, Crawford has proven that he might arguably be the greatest pound-for-pound boxer in the world today.
📋 Terence Crawford at age 35:
👑 WBO Light
👑 Ring Light
👑 WBA Super-Light
👑 WBC Super-Light
👑 IBF Super-Light
👑 WBO Super-Light
👑 Ring Super-Light
👑 WBA Welter
👑 WBC Welter
👑 IBF Welter
👑 WBO Welter
👑 Ring Welter pic.twitter.com/3NUtGgYx3c— Michael Benson (@MichaelBensonn) July 30, 2023
Crawford dropped Spence Jr. in the second round and hurt him on several occasions in the following rounds. In the seventh is where Crawford had the most success, earning two knockdowns to conclusively close the show in the ninth round.
Terence Crawford reacts after beating Errol Spence Jr. to become the undisputed champion
Immediately after the fight, Crawford thanked Errol Spence Jr. for making the fight happen. On a historic night inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, two of the greatest welterweight boxers of all time shared the boxing ring in a fight that comes once in a decade.
“If it weren’t for you, it would have never happened,” Crawford said in the post-fight interaction with Errol Spence Jr.
THE POUND-FOR-POUND UNDISPUTED KING 👑@terencecrawford stops Spence in round 9 to etch his name in history ⭐#SpenceCrawford pic.twitter.com/ShT4tQpFoE
— SHOWTIME Boxing (@ShowtimeBoxing) July 30, 2023
Both the boxers, despite the high stakes, kept a calm demeanor throughout the lead-up to the fight and expressed mutual respect for each other.
In just his second appearance since parting ways with Top Rank, Crawford not only put his name in the history books with the win over Errol Spence Jr. but also earned the highest purse of his career, with several reports claiming his paycheck to be in excess of $20 million. This does not include the share from the PPV revenue, which many believe could hit the million mark.