Terence Crawford breaks down Egidijus Kavaliauskas for TKO in 9

Expectations weren’t high for Egidijus Kavaliauskas against welterweight champion Terence Crawford, but he started strong but couldn’t last.

Boxing fans know who WBO welterweight champion Terence Crawford is. The same can’t be said for Egidijus Kavaliauskas. His long name and lack of notability made marketing him by his nickname “Mean Machine” a must. Despite his lack of accolades, Kavaliauskas gave Crawford a minor scare early in their Dec. 14 title bout.

The first round was a routine feel-out round. Crawford slightly surprised people by coming out as a southpaw. He’s naturally an orthodox boxer, but he routinely switches between stances throughout a fight. Crawford established the jab with his lead right hand, but not much landed between the two men.

In round 2, Kavaliauskas started to connect with his right hand. It proved to be his best weapon, and he made it count early in the fight.

Round 3 was the toughest of Crawford’s career. Kavaliauskas hung back and stayed patient. He made Crawford bring the fight to him as he effectively countered.  Crawford kept up his attack, but he was lazy with his defense. Kavaliauskas timed Crawford with a right counter to the head that hurt him.

Crawford’s knee went down to the canvas, but referee Ricky Gonzalez ruled it a push. Kavaliauskas and Crawford did briefly come together after Kavaliauskas’ big right hand, but the replay showed that it should have been ruled a knockdown. Kavaliauskas was energized, but Crawford was more angry than hurt, and easily made it to the end of the round.

According to the Sportsbook Review, betting brokerages had Kavaliauskas anywhere from an 8-1 to a 16-1 underdog, but he didn’t look like it through the first three rounds. Unfortunately, his strong performance woke Crawford up instead of doing any lasting damage.

Crawford regained control of the bout in rounds 4 and 5. He targeted Kavaliauskas’ body and went to the head when Kavaliauskas dropped his hands. They fought at close quarters, but Crawford’s hand speed started to break Kavaliauskas down.

By round 7, Kavaliauskas’ early success was nothing but a memory. They fought in a phonebooth, and Crawford had his way with Kavaliauskas. In the middle of the action, Crawford switched to an orthodox stance and floored Kavaliauskas with a right hand. Kavaliauskas made it to his feet and survived the round, but his confidence was depleted.

Crawford took round 8 off but stalked Kavaliauskas is round 9. Kavaliauskas was on his back foot, and Crawford hurt him with a left hook and followed it with a right uppercut that put Kavaliauskas down for the second time of the fight.

Kavaliauskas made it back to his feet, but Crawford jumped in with a lead right hook that sent Kavaliauskas down for a third and final time. Gonzalez stopped the fight, and Crawford successfully defended his title for the third time.

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Crawford is signed to Top Rank, but the other welterweight titleholders are affiliated with rival Premier Boxing Champions. Errol Spence Jr. has two belts, and Manny Pacquiao has the other. Crawford said after the fight that he’s willing to fight anyone.

“Y’all pick them, and I’ll fight them,” said Crawford.

He later added, “I want to fight all the top guys.”

Spence’s career is in limbo since miraculously surviving a high-speed car crash in October. Pacquiao defeated Keith Thurman in July, but his next move is unknown. Top Rank and PBC are competitors, but it’s time that Crawford got a chance at a unification bout.

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