Terence ‘Bud’ Crawford (39-0, 30 KO’s) showcased why he is considered one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world after knocking the WBO’s ranked #6 Welterweight fighter David Avanesyan (29-4-1, 17 KO’s) out cold in the sixth round of the twelve-round championship bout. The match was held on Saturday December 10th, at the Chi Health Arena in Omaha, Nebraska – Crawford’s hometown. The scorecards of the bout painted Crawford to have already won each round prior to the knockout with all the judges’ scores of 50-45 clearly pinpointing that Crawford was comfortably winning.
Despite a slow start, Crawford seemed steadily in control of the match throughout the six rounds with his counterpunching abilities and his fluid defensive maneuvers. Avanesyan was a threat early with his overhand hooks while often looking to back the American fighter up. Crawford utilized his jab fairly early to keep Avanesyan at bay, but also made efficient use of his head & body movement or his gloves to evade and block Avanesyan’s attempts.
A couple rounds after the fight had started, Crawford seemed less eager to fight on the outside and he instead dared to meet Avanesyan inside the pocket where he went on to dominate the rest of the fight until the fateful knockout in the sixth round. Though Crawford mostly fought on the back foot, he was no less dangerous – even when pushed against the ropes – and he even seemed to win many of the exchanges between him and Avanesyan when they were up close. Around the fourth or fifth round, Avanesyan’s pressure lessened and Crawford switched to pressuring the Russian in turn, not hesitating in now turning the tables on Avanesyan who had seemed to be throwing the majority of punches.
Proving to be effective up close, Crawford relentless in the sixth round while continuing to make Avanesyan miss. His efforts were rewarded with a right hook that hit Avanesyan squarely on the jaw – after a previous hard-hitting left uppercut – and dropped him. The referee immediately called the fight off after it became clear that Avanesyan would not be able to get up. The victory was ruled as a knockout for Terence Crawford as a result.
Crawford retained his WBO Welterweight title for the sixth time following his win over David Avanesyan. While questions in the post-match press conference centered around Crawford’s gameplan and mentality during the fight, Errol Spence Jr. (28-0, 22 KO’s) – the other world champion in the division – was naturally mentioned during the conference.
Aside from wishing Spence well after the accident he suffered this past weekend, Crawford was not against a potential match-up with other top Welterweights.
“We gotta wait and see.” Crawford said in the press-conference. “We can’t overstep our boundaries. We don’t know what is next. We just gotta get back to the drawing board, my phone stays on, we’re ready for whoever.”
What did you think of Terence Crawford’s performance against David Avanesyan, and do you think a fight between Crawford and Spence will happen in the near future? Comment below and give us your thoughts.
