Terence Crawford and Errol Spence Jr. finally stepped into the ring to face each other on July 29, 2023. This was a highly anticipated fight that most called a 50-50 matchup; meaning they couldn't really pick a clear winner. Spence started the first round by unleashing his jab and trying to control the range and pace of the fight. He was the busier fighter, and I scored the first round 10-9 in favor of Spence. Crawford seemed to be processing range, movement, and timing among other things, so he was not as active as we would see him become in the later rounds.
Round two was a different story. "The takeover, the breaks over..." (Jay-Z, 2001). Fitting lyrics for the start of Crawford becoming more active and taking over the fight. He began to time Spence and frequently connect between several punches Spence attempted to land. Crawford was catching Spence off guard, and he dropped him with a sneaky, sharp right that was perfectly timed after a preceding left. It appeared that Crawford had processed what he needed to in order to begin writing history before our eyes. Spence would bounce back with an effective third round, but that would be the last of any shining moments for him...and even that round could be considered a swing-round on first watch in my opinion.
Image credit -https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Errol_Spence_Jr._vs_Terence_Crawford_poster_by_PBC_Promotions.jpg
CringeMaster113, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
Crawford's performance after the third round was pure dominance. It was like listening to a dope emcee drop a double entendre here and a triple entendre there; all while masterfully constructing a classic verse with clever wordplay. It was a one-sided contest, and I don't think anyone expected Crawford to control the scene the way he did...but he did. If there was any question as to who should be crowned the #1 pound-for-pound fighter going into the fight, there should be no question now. It is clearly Terence Crawford. Over the course of the fight, Crawford dropped Spence three times enroute to a 9th round TKO victory. To all those who doubted Crawford before, you can't knock his hustle now.
~DP of Nerdy Jerks