WBO: Crawford crushes Kavaliauskas in ninth round

Terence Crawford survived some early jitters to retain his WBO welterweight title with a ninth round knockout of former Olympian Egidijus Kavaliauskas Madison Square Garden.

Crawford, who improved to 36-0 with 27 knockouts, survived a scare in the third round before finding his rhythm in the fifth, knocking the Lithuanian down once in the seventh, and then twice in the final round.

In a tougher than expected tussle, Crawford finished the heavy underdog challenger off with a right hook to the left ear

at 44 seconds into the ninth.

"When I let my hands go that's when I started landing more favourable shots," the American said. "After I dropped him with my uppercut I was like, I am going to face his jab, and come out with my right hook.

Kavaliauskas barely survived the end of the eighth round and Crawford wasted no time going to work in the ninth.

He landed a barrage of punches to start the round, beginning with a left hook followed by a right that sent Kavaliauskas staggering back towards the ropes.

Crawford then moved in for the finish and connected with a right hook that floored Kavaliauskas (21-1-1, 17 KOs) for the third and final time as the referee stopped the bout.

Kavaliauskas, who competed in the 2008 and 2012 Olympics, appeared to score the first knockdown of the fight in the third round. But the referee ruled that Crawford slipped. Regardless Crawford was in a load of trouble after absorbing an overhand right on the chin.

Crawford collected his thoughts and survived the round, but it wasn't until the fifth that he really started to look like his old self.

Crawford's early troubles aside, he did a superb job of figuring out a tough opponent who came into the bout in excellent shape.