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Despite all the talk about who Terence Crawford isn’t fighting while sitting on the wrong side of the boxing net and promotional division, the undefeated WBO welterweight champion does a great job of remembering just how great he is. every time he gets in the ring.
Crawford (37-0, 28 KOs) overcame a slow start by making the calculated adjustment to move southpaw. From there, he went on to dismantle former 147-pound champion Kell Brook on Saturday in a fourth-round TKO inside the MGM Grand Conference Center in Las Vegas.
Although Brook (39-3, 27 KOs) looked fantastic on the scale Friday in his first return to welterweight since losing his IBF title in 2017 and he looked sharp from the start behind his jab, Crawford’s precise counter and his unpleasant ability to finish off opponents when pain turned out to be the difference.
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“I was just trying to measure the distance and I was trying to find my rhythm between matching my distance,” Crawford said. “That’s why it was so competitive in the beginning, I couldn’t make my shots.”
Although Crawford flirted with going southpaw in each of the first two rounds, he clearly lost both by not returning enough. Usually a slow starter, Crawford got enough information he needed to make the key adjustment, which was moving left full time in Round 3 and effectively eliminating Brook’s jab that had been the foundation of his early success.
“I stepped forward a little bit and tried to throw a little more punches, but not too much,” Crawford said. “Then I caught him a couple of times.”
Crawford hurt Brook in Round 4 with a surprising right hand counterattack that was half hook and jab, knocking him off the ropes. Crawford followed up with a clean left hook before referee Tony Weeks stepped in to rule a knockdown and separate them.
After the restart, Crawford uncorked a three-shot combination that ended with two left hands, forcing Weeks to rescue Brook on his feet at 1:14.
“This is boxing. Obviously I was caught with a shot that I didn’t see and the referee rejected it,” Brook said. “That has not happened to me before. I always said that if I am going to lose, I will go with the shield. The referee saw that I could not continue and the fight was over. I do not like to lose due to an injury, I would rather go out with my shield and I did it tonight
“[Crawford] he has good distance and fast hands. He has a good eye for landing his shot. Never in my career has anyone done that to me, not even in sparring. They caught me with a shot that I didn’t see and the fight was over. No one could have put me in better condition. I felt great. “
CBS Sports was with you the whole way on Saturday, then. be sure to follow the live results and highlights below.
Crawford vs. Brook card, results
- Terence Crawford (c) def. Kell Brook by TKO in the fourth round
- Joshua Franco (c) vs. Andrew Moloney ruled out a decision due to an accidental header in Round 2
Crawford vs. Brook scorecard, live coverage
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