Crawford Wins Undisputed Over Spence as Cruz & Santiago Win
With the entire boxing world watching, Terence “Bud” Crawford (40-0, 31KO) became the undisputed welterweight champion by stopping Errol “The Truth” Spence Jr (28-1, 22KO).
In a fight that boxing fans had waited years to see, Bud turned in a legacy performance after dominating The Truth in a manner boxing fans will be talking about throughout the weekend.
Crawford’s jabs hit like power shot, and it was money the entire fight. In addition, his counterpunching, aggression, and ring IQ were the reasons behind Spence tasting the canvas in rounds two and seven en route to a ninth-round stoppage.
The Nebraskan looked unstoppable and has earned the right to be called the sport’s number one pound for pound fighter. More importantly, it is safe to say Crawford will be a first ballot Hall of Fame Inductee with a performance of this magnitude.
ISAAC CRUZ PICKS UP A NARROW VICTORY OVER GIOVANNI CABRERA
In a fight booked to hype-up fans for the undisputed welterweight showdown, lightweight Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz (25-2-1, 17KO) pulled off a close split decision victory over Giovanni Cabrera (21-1, 7KO).
At the beginning of the contest, Cabrera’s hand speed and reach were a problem for Pitbull. His jab and movement were sharp for the first three rounds, as Cabrera fought like a left-handed version of Ryan Garcia.
Cruz came alive and was landing bombs, taking advantage of his opponent’s lack of head movement. He started applying pressure, and it became the type of fight the Mexicans loved to fight. Moreover, Pitbull heavily tested Cabrera’s chin by landing numerous left and right hooks.
In the eighth round, Cruz got deducted a point for intentional headbutting. But it was rinse and repeat as Cruz marched forward, throwing bombs with every punch until the final bell.
The judges turned in scorecards reading 114-113 Cabrera with the other two scoring 114-113 and 115-112 in favor of Cruz.
This should have been a unanimous decision for Cruz, who is being geared up for a possible rematch for multi-divisional champion Gervonta Davis.
ALEXANDRO SANTIAGO OVERTAKES NONITO DONAIRE FOR THE WBC CROWN
In a battle for the vacant WBC bantamweight title, Alexandro Santiago (28-3-5, 14KO) seized the moment against Nonito “The Filipino Flash” Donaire (42-8, 28KO)
This fight was a shootout from the start of the bell as both men decided to test each other’s will early. The more experienced Donaire boxed well behind the jab and did a good job of countering with his patent left hook.
After getting rocked in the third round, Santiago started going to work with sharp combination punches and body shots that had the multi-divisional champion retreating to the ropes. Moreover, he found a home for the jab and uppercuts, which caused more problems for The Filipino Flash.
Santiago’s pressure, combination punching, and body shots were too much for Donaire, who started wilting down the stretch. The judges scored it 115-113, 116-112, and 116-112 for Santiago. 3Kings Boxing scored it 117-111 for the Mexican fighter.
It is time for Donaire to consider retirement as he is beginning to take too much punishment.
