Terence Crawford viciously beats and stops Jeff Horn in round 9
Terence Crawford made his entry into the welterweight division challenging Jeff Horn for his WBO title. He put the division on notice by brutally punishing Horn.
Terence Crawford relinquished all four of his super lightweight titles in order to begin his conquest of the welterweight division. His first obstacle was WBO champion Jeff Horn. Crawford looked dominant as a welterweight.
Horn came out as the aggressor in round one as Crawford was content counterpunching. Crawford fought as a southpaw and landed some nice lefts early. Horn briefly pinned Crawford against the ropes, but Crawford landed enough lefts to win the round.
Horn stalked Crawford in the second round, but he smothered most of his punches. Crawford stayed in his southpaw stance. His hands were faster than Horn’s and he was able to land on Horn’s body and move out of range.
Horn started to find a home for his right hand in the third round. Crawford boxed intelligently and countered with a powerful left. There was good back and forth action in this round. Crawford won the round in the last 30 seconds. He picked Horn apart with combinations. His hand speed caused Horn problems.
Horn looked fatigued in the fourth round. He chased Crawford around the ring, but couldn’t catch him. Crawford looked a bit like Floyd Mayweather, landing quick punches, then retreating out of range. It was a tactic that worked well for Crawford. He piled up the punches on Horn’s face and easily won the round.
Crawford landed several power punches to open the fifth. He stopped retreating and attacked Horn for the opening minute. His confidence was sky high as he moved the bigger Horn around the ring. Crawford repeatedly tagged Horn in the final minute. Horn was outclassed by Crawford in this round.
Horn tried to press Crawford in the sixth but he looked like he was in slow motion. Crawford’s activity dropped, but he still out-landed Horn. He was completely relaxed and in control of the fight. He cruised through the round.
Horn looked frustrated in round seven. He pinned Crawford against the ropes and ground the top of his head into Crawford’s face. Crawford took the first two minutes off, but he tattooed Horn with a powerful straight left. Horn attacked in the last minute but left himself open to a Crawford uppercut. This fight was snowballing out of control for Horn. He was completely out of the fight on the scorecards.
The eighth round looked a lot like the seventh. Not much happened in the first half, but Crawford percolated in the second half. He hurt Horn with a series of lefts and he nearly knocked him down with another as the bell rang. Horn looked out on his feet.
Crawford landed three lead hooks in a row to start the ninth. Horn fought on bravely but he continued to take punishment. His mouth was open and he was exhausted. Crawford floored Horn with a left hook. Horn got to his feet but he was in bad shape.
Crawford went in for the kill and threw lefts and rights with reckless abandon. The referee stopped the fight. Crawford was victorious.
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Crawford progressed to a new level tonight. He easily took Horn apart. Crawford’s trainer told FanSided this week that Crawford would be better as welterweight than a super lightweight and he was right. Crawford already looks to be the most talented fighter in the division. It will be interesting to see who he selects as his next opponent.