"This is it?" - Terence Crawford shares reaction to feeling Errol Spence Jr.'s power punches in the opening rounds
Terence Crawford proved to be far too much for Errol Spence Jr. to handle in their welterweight superfight on Saturday.
Heading into the bout, many expected to see a close fight, but the opposite proved to be true from the opening bell. Crawford found his groove early on, whereas 'The Truth' appeared to struggle with his opponent's timing.
'Bud' and Spence Jr. both entered the fight undefeated, with records of 39-0 (30 KOs) and 28-0 (22 KOs) respectively. Given the impressive number of knockouts on both records, one would expect that Terence Crawford and Errol Spence Jr. had a healthy respect for one another's power.
But following his victory, 'Bud' claimed that he was surprised by the lack of power coming his direction. He told Stephen A. Smith:
"After the second round, when I hurt him, I felt as if he couldn't handle my power like I could handle his. I remember him throwing an overhand looping left, and he caught me right on the button, I think it was the first or the second round, and I was just like, 'This is it? Okay. This is gonna be a long night for him.'"
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Terence Crawford is the first male boxer to become a two-division undisputed champion, as well as the first-ever undisputed welterweight champion of the four-belt era.
Terence Crawford can take a "breath of fresh air" following win over Errol Spence Jr.
Terence Crawford vs. Errol Spence Jr. was one of the most-anticipated boxing matches of the past 30 years. With both history and undefeated records on the line, the pair of welterweight greats went toe-to-toe to determine the undisputed world champion.
In the eyes of some, the fight between Crawford and Spence Jr. was a long time coming. Following the bout, 'Bud' explained the relief that he felt by finally getting the matchup with 'The Truth' organized.
Terence Crawford detailed how Errol Spence Jr.'s name would follow him around in his daily life, and 'Bud' appeared hopeful it would end. He said in his post-event interview:
"This is a fight that's been talked about for many years. This is a fight that, when I walk in the store, my kids watching YouTube, everybody asks me, 'When you fighting Spence? When you fighting Spence?' 'Dad, this dude said you're scared of Spence.' So, me always having to hear this guy's name, it's like a breath of fresh air that I get to breathe because we finally done it."
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