Heading into their mega clash, the general consensus was that Terence Crawford might have the higher ring IQ but Errol Spence Jr. had the edge in terms of physical strength and power. (photo by Ryan Hafey)
Early on, Spence did his best to assert himself. He pushed the pace in the opening round and attempted to prove to Crawford (40-0, 31 KOs) that he was in for a long night. His game plan, however, fell by the wayside, practically from the beginning.
Instead of remaining on the outside and attempting to outbox the bigger man, Crawford stepped directly to Spence. At times, the Omaha, Nebraska, native physically pushed the former unified champ across the ring. In terms of the power department, Spence was confident that he had the upper hand. But, following three knockdowns, including two in the seventh, that may have not been the case.
Currently, Spence (28-1, 22 KOs) is doing his best to figure out what went wrong. Having shared the ring with some of the welterweight division’s strongest and hardest-hitting fighters, Spence believes that Crawford, while he may not look physically imposing, packs a punch.
“I got a feel for his power probably like the first or second round,” said a despondent Spence. “He’s a strong dude.”
The taste of defeat is a new feeling for Spence. Throughout his near decade-long career, he’s dominated the competition. Now, he’s trying to wrap his head around his lopsided defeat.
Shocking power and strength aside, it wasn’t Crawford’s punching power that caught him off guard. Although Crawford’s heavy shots played a clear factor, facing an opponent with pernicious power isn’t new to the Dallas native. More than anything, Spence saw Crawford’s blows coming, he simply couldn’t get out of the way.
“Everybody at the top level has some type of power but I think because my timing was off, he was catching me in between shots.”