Sensational Crawford

Terence Crawford carved his name into boxing immortality with a stunning performance against Errol Spence in Las Vegas.

Crawford is now quite literally in a league of his own, standing as the only man to have achieved undisputed status at TWO weight classes in the four-belt era.

He did tell us ‘there will be greatness’ on show, yet unfortunately the claptrap of many a modern boxer has made such a phrase feel slightly habitual.

Only this was Terence Crawford, so we really should’ve known.

The Omaha native has sat amongst the best in boxing’s P4P list since his light-welterweight days - a division in which he first fought in back in 2015.

It is a funny thing, the P4P list. Despite being purely fictitious, it is anything but inconsequential. Crawford, now for the first time, sits unquestionably atop the pile.

And, if he was to call time on his phenomenal 15-year career, there is no doubt that Saturday’s performance would sit as the career showpiece. That is how good it was.

It is for that reason exactly that I will not sit here and dissect the fight round-by-round. There is not a word I could type that does justice to the mastery of Terence ‘Bud’ Crawford.

He is boxing’s equivalent to a Swiss Army Knife.

Rarely has there been a switch-hitter who is genuinely as good an orthodox as they are southpaw. Crawford is that, which, as a natural orthodox, makes his southpaw antics against a natural southpaw in Spence utterly frightening.

As was his demonstration of self-command. In what was a bustling T-Mobile Arena, Crawford made the squared circle look like an oasis of serenity.

Even when he stepped up his assault to Spence, with the finish detectable, not once did he blow his top and chase his own work.

That allowed him to throw his power punches with control.

It was as close to excellence as you are ever likely to see in a fight of such enormity.

There are already murmurs surrounding the rematch, which is indisputably still a huge fight, despite the weekend’s one-sided nature.

However, whether Spence wants to run it back at 154lbs, 160lbs, or even if he wants to bring an assault rifle, it’s unlikely he will find a way around the Crawford conundrum.

But let’s not talk contracts, or money, or weights. Instead, in our sport that routinely moves too fast to admire its successes, sit back and do exactly that.

Oscar Bevis

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