Jose Benavidez Jr said that he didn’t see anything special in Terence Crawford. He was made to eat those words.
In the lead-up to Saturday’s Top Rank on ESPN main event, Jose Benavidez Jr (27-1, 18 KOs) declared that he didn’t see anything special in WBO welterweight champion Terence Crawford (34-0, 25 KOs), and that all he does is “run and switch [stances].” On Friday, Benavidez shoved Crawford at the weigh-ins, and Crawford nearly socked him straight after. Benavidez added after that incident, “I hope he puts more power into that too because that’s a b-tch punch he threw.”
The end result for Benavidez was, as you might expect, not a good one.
After a competitive first few rounds, Crawford’s class and superior skill reigned supreme, and the question was whether or not the 13,000+ fans at the CHI Health Center in Omaha, Nebraska who turned up to see their hometown hero would get a KO or a decision. “Bud” closed the show with just 18 seconds left in the 12th and final round, flooring Benavidez with an enormous right uppercut, before finishing him against the ropes.
Watch the video below:
WHAT AN ENDING!
Here’s the moment Terence “Bud” Crawford removed all doubt. pic.twitter.com/qYalKYXEqq
— ESPN (@espn) October 14, 2018
Terence Crawford TKO12 Jose Benavidez #CrawfordBenavidez pic.twitter.com/aDqYKAijq7
— Write on the Button (@mikebaca2) October 14, 2018
Safe to say trying to trash-talk and disrespect “Bud” is a bad idea that leads to a lot of pain. Benavidez spent a good chunk of the fight no-selling punches Crawford was landing, but the paid the price at the very end.
It probably won’t be his next fight, but I imagine most boxing fans want to see Crawford against IBF champion Errol Spence Jr (24-0, 21 KOs) in 2019. It just has to happen. Politics often delays or derails big matchups, and in this case Crawford is with Top Rank (ESPN) and Spence is with PBC (FOX and Showtime). Find a way to make a compromise and let’s see these two in the ring.