By: Hans Themistode
After a long and wildly successful run in the super lightweight division, that was punctuated with an undisputed world title reign, there was nothing left for Terence Crawford to accomplish at 140 pounds. So, with the Omaha, Nebraska, native wiping out most of the top names, he opted to make the trek seven pounds north in 2018.
In his first official contest as a 147 pounder, Crawford thoroughly dissected former WBO welterweight champion, Jeff Horn, stopping him in the ninth round. From there, Crawford set his sights on facing some of the more established names at 147 pounds, including former unified champion Keith Thurman, former amateur rival Danny Garcia and more specifically, current IBF and WBC belt holder Errol Spence Jr.
Although Crawford is fully convinced that he was good enough to beat every top welterweight the moment he made his 147 pound debut, in essence, he believes he was attempting to do them a favor. In the early goings of his new welterweight venture, Crawford appeared to struggle against much stronger and bigger men. However, having spent four full years at 147 pounds, Crawford believes he’s now a full-fledged welterweight. Meaning, the rest of the division is now in a heap of trouble.
“They should of listen and fought me before I grew into the weight class,” said Crawford on his social media account. “Now it’s over with.”
Crawford, 34, placed his newfound strength on display in his most recent trip to the ring. In his lone appearance of 2021, Crawford took on easily the most difficult opponent of his career in former two-time welterweight champion Shawn Porter.
Through the first six rounds of their contest, both Porter and Crawford appeared to fight on even terms. But, as their showdown continued to move forward, Crawford took over down the stretch. In the tenth, in particular, the pound-for-pound star suddenly took his game to another level.
During the period, Crawford scored the first knockdown of the night. Although Porter was hoping for a reprieve of sorts, Crawford brazenly closed the show, flooring Porter moments later and forcing Kenny Porter, Shawn Porter’s father and trainer, to throw in the towel.
As Crawford’s 2022 calendar has to be revealed, the WBO belt holder is still hoping to land a showdown against Thurman, Spence Jr., or WBA titlist Yordenis Ugas. While it’s unclear who Crawford will face next, in his opinion, the rest of the division should feel contrite for not accepting his earlier callouts.
