Terence Crawford Dispatches Of David Avanesyan In Six
Fighting in front of an adoring hometown crowd of Omaha, Nebraska, Terence “Bud” Crawford (39-0, 30KO) put up the WBO welterweight title for the sixth time against David Avanesyan (29-4-1, 17KO) at the CHI Health Center. The defending champion is a three-division world champion and one of the elite fighters in the sport, but 2022 has been a disappointing year for the 35-year-old.
Many fans and pundits were anticipating a showdown against reigning unified 147-pound champion Errol Spence Jr. But after an agreement in principle, negotiations stalled, to the disappointment of many.
On a mission to win and silence some of his critics, he battled Avanesyan, a solid if not an elite world-title challenger. Ranked sixth by the WBO and seventh by the IBF, the 34-year-old from Tabynskoe, Russia has been ripping through the European welterweight fight circuit over the last few years. He came into this bout on a six-fight winning streak.
CRAWFORD WAS IN FOR A FIGHT EARLY
Bud came out gauging distance with the jab and went to the body early with the straight right hand. However, he was hit by a hard right hand and immediately went southpaw. Crawford controlled the aggressive Avanesyan with the jab. However, he kept getting hit with the occasional overhand right.
Avanesyan gave a good account of himself coming forward. His aggressive mindset made it an action-packed fight.
CRAWFORD SHIFTED LEVELS TO SCORE THE KNOCKOUT
Crawford shifted gears and fought in a phone booth finding a home for those uppercuts and brutal body shots. He mixed up the attack by pumping the jab before landing double hooks to the body and head of his opponent.
In round six, seeing his opponent was fading, Crawford went into beast mode. He attacked Avanesyan with uppercuts and debilitating body shots. He then exploded with a left and right hook combination that sent his opponent flat on his back motionless. The referee did not bother to make a ten count and waved off the fight calling in the doctor.
During the post-fight interview, Crawford did not call out rival Spence. However, he doubled down on remaining a free agent and claimed fighting on Black Prime was a one-fight deal.
By: Bo Bland
