Bud Totally Dominates Spence for Undisputed Welterweight Title

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The world of boxing lives on superfights. The kind of fights that go beyond the sport itself. The last one of these fights in recent memory was probably the match between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. That fight took place eight years ago and the sport of boxing has been waiting for the next superfight. So after years and years of waiting, there was one fight that had the hype, the buildup, and what it would take to call it a super fight. Many will say this fight should have already happened but as they say, better late than never. That fight took place last night between the IBF, WBC, and WBA welterweight champion, Errol Spnce going against eh WBO welterweight champion in Terrence “Bud” Crawford.

Spence came into this fight as one of the best fighters in the world. His path to becoming a champion began when he took on IBF title holder Kell Brook in 2017. In September 2019, Crawford would beat Shawn Porter to take the WBC title, and then in April 2022, he would beat Yordenis Ugas by TKO to take the WBA belt.

For Bud, being a champion began in 2014 when he traveled to Glasgow, Scotland, and took the WBO lightweight title from Ricky Burns. In April 2018, he beat Thomas Dulrone by a sixth-round TKO to take the WBO light welterweight title. By the end of 2017, Bud was the first undisputed light welterweight champion since Kostya Tszyu in 2004. In June 2018, he would best Jeff Horn and start his championship reign in the welterweight division winning the WBO title with a ninth-round TKO.

Last night, the two warriors finally got it on in Las Vegas for the right to be called the undisputed welterweight champion of the world. What transpired was basically a one-sided affair dominated by Bud until the referee stopped the fight at 2:32 of round nine. Bud would get to a corner and climb the ropes symbolizing his ascension to the top of the welterweight division. He had so many mixed emotions and said. “Like I said before, I only dreamed of being a world champion,” said Crawford, ESPN’s No. 1 pound-for-pound boxer. “I’m an overachiever. Nobody believed in me when I was coming up, but I made everybody a believer.” He talked about how much his legacy needed Spence and vice-versa. How he couldn’t be here in this moment with Spence.

The fight would start off slow with both left-handers feeling each other out. By the end of the first round, you could have scored for either fighter. From there, it would be all Bud. In round two, Spence looked to get more aggressive. He was pushing Crawford around and began putting more pressure on Bud. In the meantime, Crawford was more than happy to let Spence do his thing and counter when he could. Then it happened. A solid left jab followed by a hard right from Crawford put Spence on the canvas. Until the knockdown, Spence appeared to be winning the round. He would never be the same again

Rounds three to six saw Spence continue to move forward no matter what Crawford threw at him. But little by little you could see Carwford taking control. His punches were harder, crisper, and did most of the damage. In round seven, a battered and bloodied Spence would be knocked down twice, and from there you could sense the end was near. Despite the punches he had taken, Spence continued moving forward as had most of the fight. He threw punches at Crawford hoping to land the one that would turn the fight around. What he got in return was a barrage of punches from Crawford that prompted the referee, Harvey Dock, to stop the fight. Spence would put up a bit of a protest, but admitted after the fight “He was the better man tonight. He was using his jab, and my timing was a little bit off. He was catching me in between shots. … I make no excuses.”

There is a rematch clause that Spence can trigger within 30 days of the fight. It states that the winner, Crawford, is able to choose the weight limit the rematch would be fought at. In this case, it would take place at 147 or 154. Spence said he hopes it will be at the 154-pound limit.

For Crawford, it was the fight that puts him among the best of the best in this boxing era. It was a career-defining fight that takes him to a level of greatness fighters dream of attaining. In the end, he said he had so many mixed emotions. That in the moment, he could cry.