Terence Crawford Stops Amir Khan in 6, Retains WBO Title
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Terence Crawford Stops Amir Khan In 6, Retains WBO Title NEW YORK CITY — WBO world welterweight champion Terence “Bud” Crawford (35-0, 26KO) retained his title, scoring a strange and somewhat controversial 6th round TKO over former junior welterweight champ Amir Khan (33-5, 20KO) in the main of an ESPN PPV card in front of 14,091 paid fans at Madison Square Garden. The switch-hitting Crawford, 31, who is notorious for his slow starts, switched the script tonight and almost ended the fight in the first. In the final minute of the opening round, Omaha’s favorite son connected with a counter right over an extended Khan jab, then followed it with a left for good measure, sending Khan crumbling to the mat. The Brit was able to beat referee David Fields ten-count, but was quickly met with fury from Crawford. When the bell rang to end round one, Khan was so confused that he assumed a fighting posture for a few extra seconds. Khan did enough to get by in rounds two and three, and in the fourth saw minor success when engaging in exchanges with Crawford. Make no mistake though, time and again it was Crawford who landed the more significant blows. The end came suddenly and controversially in the sixth when Crawford dug a meaty left below the belt that immediately had Khan doubled over in pain. After taking about two of his allotted five minutes to recover, Khan informed his trainer, Virgil Hunter, that he was unable to continue and the ringside physician stepped up to stop the contest. Fields ruled the punch an “accidental low blow” and the official result was read, to a chorus of boos, as a TKO for Crawford with an official stoppage of :47 in the fifth round. Crawford has now stopped his last six opponents inside the distance. The last time he went to the scorecards was in July 2016 against Viktor Postol. The win also furthers Crawford case to surmount WBA/WBO world lightweight champion Vasiliy Lomachenko (13-1, 10KO) atop boxing’s pound-for-pound list. The win also furthers Crawford case for pound fWBA/WBO world lightweight champion Vasiliy Lomachenko (13-1, 10KO) atop boxing’s pound-for-pound list. Tonight marked Khan’s first fight back with Hunter after working with Joe Goossen for his last two contests, both of which were victories against lesser competition. The result tonight also marks Khan’s fourth stoppage loss in five career defeats. Khan’s other professional defeats have come courtesy of Saul “Canelo” Alvarez (51-1-2, 35KO), Danny Garcia (34-2, 20KO), Lamont Peterson (35-5-1, 17KO), and Breidis Prescott (31-16, 22KO). “I could tell I was breaking him down, it was just a matter of time,” Crawford said post-fight. “I just took my time. I was disappointed the corner stopped the fight in that manner, but Virgil is a great coach, and he was looking out for his fighter. I know he didn’t want to go out like that.” Crawford also dismissed the notion that Khan had fast hands. “Benavidez and Gamboa were 10 times faster than him,” he said bluntly. “The fight I want next is Errol Spence,” he continued. “Whenever he is ready, he can come and get it.” Top Rank chair Bob Arum echoed Crawford, “We want to fight Errol Spence,” he said. “Everyone wants the fight. There is one guy stopping it, and that is Al Haymon.” Due to the boxing political divide, a more likely Crawford opponent could be longtime Khan rival Kell Brook (38-2, 26KO) who was in attendance to “scout” Crawford. ALL ABOARD! Teofimo Lopez KOs Edis Tatli In 5 The 2018 consensus Prospect of the Year, Teofimo Lopez (13-0, 11KO) kept the Teofimo Express rolling, KOing Finnish veteran Edis Tatli (31-3, 10KO) with a body shot in the fifth round of their scheduled twelve round lightweight contest. The always-flashy Brooklyn-born Lopez, started slower than usual, taking time in the early goings to set traps he could utilize later in the bout. It wasn’t until the fourth round that Lopez, a former 2016 Honduran Olympian, began to impose his will on his 31 year-old counterpart. Midway through the fourth, Lopez caught Tatli, who was fighting in the US for the first time, with a short right hand that sent him off-balance. The 21 year-old kept the heat on, following up with a flurry of shots that culminated with Lopez landing a behind the back punch that earned him a warning from the referee. In the ensuing round, Lopez was intent on closing the show, and did so with a straight right to the Tatli’s right hip area that dropped him to a knee where he was counted out by the referee. The end of the fight came at the 1:32 mark of round 5, and a Lopez celebratory backflip shortly followed. Lopez has now stopped his last five opponents inside the distance, a streak that dates back to last May. With regards to the future, Lopez and his trainer/father, Teofimo Lopez Jr., have repeatedly called for a fight with WBO world lightweight champion Vasiliy Lomachenko (13-1, 10KO). Lomachenko, however, has made it clear he has little interest in a Lopez clash unless he’s bringing hardware to the table. That perhaps clears the way for Lopez to take on IBF world lightweight champion Richard Commey (28-2, 25KO). Commey was previously penciled in to face Lomachenko in a unification clash, but had to pull out due to a right hand injury. The result marked the first time in his 35-fight career that Tatli suffered defeat before the final bell. His other two losses came via the cards by way of split and majority decisions. “I knew I was going to get him with a body shot,” Lopez said. “I softened him up and finished him…I want a world title shot next…We promised to take over the show, and once again, I took it over.” “I’m ready for Richard Commey or the WBC title. As long as it’s for a title, I am ready to go. No one can take my power.” Speed Kills: Shakur Stevenson UDs Christopher Diaz Undefeated lightweight prospect Shakur Stevenson (11-0, 7KO) aced his toughest test yet, scoring a ten round unanimous decision over former world title challenger Christopher “Pitufo” Diaz (24-2, 16KO). After a brief feeling out period, the southpaw Stevenson began landing impactful shots in round two, using pawing jabs to set up straight left hands. In the third, Stevenson’s hand speed was on full display, as he peppered Diaz, 24, with combinations to head and body, darting in and out without being hit with any return fire. In round five, arguably Diaz’s best, the Puerto Rican started to muddy the waters, bringing the fight in-close, forcing the twenty-one year old Stevenson to fight in tight. The next round, however, Stevenson popped more jabs, reset the distance, and again found his mark with combinations. Stevenson, a former 2016 Olympic Silver Medalist, didn’t relent down the stretch, as he continued to mark up Diaz, using superior footwork and hand-speed to hit and not get hit. At the end of ten, all three judges scored it for Stevenson: 100-90, 99-91, and 99-92. In the lead up to tonight’s contest, Top Rank chair Bob Arum told various media outlets that his team, specifically matchmakers Brad Goodman and Bruce Trampler, repeatedly tried to talk the Stevenson camp out of taking a fight the Freddie Roach-trained Diaz. They insisted that they could produce a worthy challenger that posed less risk to their rising star. But the Stevenson camp remained stubborn, convinced the crafty southpaw could handle Diaz and take a giant leap towards earning a title shot, and they were right. Stevenson handled Diaz with ease. In fact, there was no moment during the thirty minute contest that Stevenson was ever in danger. Diaz’s only other defeat came in his lone title fight when he dropped a decision to Japan’s Masayuki Ito (25-1-1, 13KO) last June. “Listen, I want all the champions at 126 pounds,” Stevenson said afterward. “Josh Warrington is someone I want to fight. I am ready.” He continued, “I take nothing away from Christopher Diaz. He’s a great fighter, but I came in there to outbox him, and that’s exactly what I did.” Felix Verdejo Scores Wide UD Over Bryan Vasquez Felix “El Diamante” Verdejo (25-1, 16KO) scored a wide unanimous decision over two-time world title challenger Bryan “El Tiquito” Vasquez (37-4-0, 20KO) in a ten round lightweight contest that opened the PPV portion of tonight’s card at Madison Square Garden. In the early goings, Verdejo, 25, worked exclusively behind his jab, constantly snapping left hands in his Costa Rican counterpart’s direction. In the third, a Vasquez right opened a cut under Verdejo’s increasingly-puffy right eye that started streaming blood. Perhaps prompted by the cut, Verdejo turned up the aggression in the fourth and began to take full control of the fight. The one-time highly-touted Puerto Rican prospect started unleashing his right hand, finding success throwing one-twos and right crosses. Credit Vasquez though, who never once turned back. The 31 year-old was undeterred by Verdejo’s shots, and kept coming forward, trying desperately to land something of significance. That punch would never come, and in the end all three judges scored it widely for Verdejo: 97-93×2 and 98-92 for Verdejo.