Las Vegas Review-Journal (Sunday)
Undefeated Crawford wins fourth-round TKO
Victory is fifth straight in jump to welterweight
WBO welterweight champion Terence “Bud” Crawford insisted he was boxing’s best pound-for-pound fighter before his title fight against Kell Brook.
He stated his case again Saturday night on a Top Rank card at the MGM Grand’s Grand Ballroom.
Crawford stunned Brook with a short right hand early in the fourth round and followed with a devastating flurry, prompting referee Tony Weeks to stop the fight at the 1:14 mark, giving Crawford another victory by technical knockout. The 33-year-old from Omaha, Nebraska, has fought five times at welterweight and has won all five fights by knockout.
“I showed why I’m considered I’m the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in the world,” said Crawford, a former lightweight champion and undisputed junior welterweight champion. “Given my size, me moving up two weight classes from 135 and stopping every opponent I’ve stepped in the ring with at welterweight, that tells a lot.”
Crawford (37-0, 28 knockouts) began the fight in an orthodox stance, allowing the 34-year-old Brook (39-3, 27 KOs) to find a rhythm and establish his jab in the first two rounds. But Crawford switched to southpaw in the third round and established control, dictating the pace of the round and unveiling his array of powerful punches.
He caught Brook with the right hand in the fourth and pounced on him again after he endured the standing 10-count.
“Nobody has ever done that to me in sparring or anything,” said Brook, who hails from England. “I got caught with a shot I didn’t see. I’m gutted because nobody could’ve gotten me in better condition. I was bang on the limit. Maybe I could’ve been a bit more relaxed and loose and let the shots go.”
Crawford said he wants to box eight-division champion Manny Pacquiao, who last fought in July 2019, beating Keith Thurman by decision at the MGM Grand Garden.
“That’s a fight that should have happened right now,” Crawford said. “Everything was already 95 percent done. We had the venue. The money was almost there. … Manny is a true champion. He’s never shied away from any challenge anytime. That’s just him, being the great Manny Pacquiao that he is.”
Controversial co-feature
Junior bantamweight Andrew Moloney appeared to reclaim his WBA title from Joshua Franco in the co-feature.
Referee Russell Mora and the Nevada Athletic Commission decided differently.
The title fight was called a no contest after Mora ruled that an accidental headbutt closed Franco’s right eye, stopping the bout after two rounds at the urging of ring doctor Raimundo Leon. The NAC spent 26 minutes reviewing the footage and backed the decision, though replay did not show any head-butt to the right eye.
Top Rank chairman Bob Arum was visibly upset and berated the officials afterward, calling their decision “a disgrace.”
“I landed (several) jabs on that eye. That’s why it’s shut,” Moloney said. “I gave it everything, and they took it away from me.”
Moloney (21-1, 14 KOs) and Franco (171-2, eight KOs) traded oral jabs after the fight as Franco retreated to the locker room. Franco beat Moloney for the title in June. It would appear a third fight is in order.
“That’s what instant replay is for. I don’t know why they didn’t reverse that decision,” Moloney said. “I don’t know how he can carry that belt around and call himself a champion. I’m the real champion. Everyone can see that.”