Terence Crawford on Saturday at Madison Square Garden in New York left little doubt that he remains one of the best pound-for-pound fighters on the planet.
Crawford improved to 35-0 and scored his 26th knockout, as he tormented former world champion Amir Khan for five-plus rounds before prompting a stoppage in the sixth. “Bud” nearly had the Brit out in the first round, where he dropped him with a sizzling right-left combo to the head. However, he settled for a systematic beating before securing the win.
Crawford picked apart “King Khan” from inside and at a distance, busting up the Olympic gold medalist with nasty hooks to the body and thudding punches to the head. Khan never gave up trying to turn the fight in his favor, but the defending WBO welterweight champion wobbled him repeatedly, mostly with his vaunted right hook.
With the fight getting out hand in the sixth, the Omaha, Nebraska, native slammed a left uppercut into Khan’s nether region, which inevitably ended the fight. Khan (33-5, 20 KOs) grimaced in pain in his corner during his reprieve, and with the assistance from his corner, opted out of the fight. The decision awarded Crawford the TKO, which came 47 seconds into the frame and allowed him retain his title.