One of boxing’s biggest events has come and gone, and Terence Crawford walked out of Las Vegas with all the gold.
“Bud” beat Errol Spence Jr. at the T-Mobile Arena to become the undisputed welterweight champion. Spence had never been down as a professional and was dropped three times. The fight ended in the ninth when the referee called off the action, giving Crawford his eleventh-straight win via stoppage. The Nebraska native joined Claressa Shields as boxing's only double undisputed champions.
Fans, celebrities, promoters, and media were shocked at what happened in Las Vegas. The event featured an A-list crowd similar to, if not greater than Gervonta Davis vs. Ryan Garcia.
MORE: Does Crawford or Inoue top updated P4P rankings?
For a fight that was years in the making, did it live up to the hype?
And what about a return fight? A battered Spence said that he would activate his rematch clause, but hinted that he'd be moving up to super welterweight. Do we want to see a rematch, given how dominant Crawford was? For the safety of Spence, should he just move on?
Crawford could face Spence again. Another logical step would be for him to face Jermell Charlo, who holds the majority of the world titles at 154 pounds. But with Charlo scheduled to face Canelo Alvarez at super middleweight, should "Bud" take on fast-rising star Jaron "Boots" Ennis?
Speaking of Crawford, he jumped to the top spot of The Sporting News’ pound-for-pound list, overtaking Naoya Inoue, who beat Stephen Fulton a few days before. Is that the right call based on opposition and performance?
Meanwhile, where does Crawford, 35, rank as an all-time welterweight and an all-time great? What does this version of Crawford do against Floyd Mayweather? Did Andreas give Tom the $100 he owed him?
On this episode of Fightin’ Words, The Sporting News' Andreas Hale, Karisa Maxwell, and Tom Gray review the fight, the bet, and more!
MORE:
- What's next for undisputed champ Terence Crawford?
- Crawford joins list of undisputed boxing champions
- The background behind the Crawford-Eminem ring walk
- Is Crawford the G.O.A.T. at 147 lbs?
- Jake Paul calls for 185-lb division in boxing