Terence Crawford, the undefeated 26-year-old American, walked into the lion's den in Glasgow and earned a decisive victory on Saturday, ending the reign of WBO lightweight champion Ricky Burns by a unanimous decision (116-112, 117-111, 116-112).
Dealing with Burns, an immensely talented boxer, was plenty to deal with for Crawford; however, emerging victorious in such a hostile environment is a feat in its own.
Crawford was able to use his speed to his advantage early on in the fight, as both athletes were looking to find their ranges. Burns was able to land some early jabs to keep Crawford at a distance. At the end of the first, it looked as even as it could get.
The second round showed very little aggressiveness from Crawford. He seemed hesitant to make any sort of move—perhaps dealing with such an environment shook his nerves early.
In the fourth, Crawford rallied and got Burns in some trouble against the ropes. With Crawford finally turning up the pressure, Burns was forced to take a step back.
This continued into the fifth, as Crawford continued to show aggression and use his speed to dance around Burns, landing body shots then connecting just over the right eye of the champ, effectively cutting him.
Crawford continued to pour it on through the middle rounds of the fight. The crowd in Glasgow went from an uproar to silent, as they realized their champion's reign could be short-lived.
During this span, Crawford continued his dominance, as Burns just looked shaken and out of sorts. The fight was clearly heading in the direction of the challenger.
Heading into the championship rounds, all momentum was in Crawford's favor. Burns would need to get severely aggressive over the remainder of the fight to have any sort of chance.
However, there was absolutely zero offense from Burns heading into the final round. Perhaps he was winded—after all, he was coming back from a broken jaw and fighting a much faster boxer.
During the final round, it was easy to tell that Crawford wanted to put the final nail in the coffin. He absolutely laid into the champ, landing heavy shots in an attempt to keep the decision away from the judges.
After going to a judge's decision, what we all knew effectively became reality. Crawford became the new WBO lightweight champion.
After the fight, Burns had some kind words for his opponent, according to a tweet from Boxing News:
Bob Arum continued Crawford's praise, according to a tweet from Top Rank Boxing:
Finally, the new champ had his say:
Going forward, there are plenty of options for Crawford. Certainly, he will have plenty of opponents vying for his new title—most notably Raymundo Beltran, who was robbed of victory in Burns' last title defense. Another potential opponent is Yuriorkis Gamboa, one of the top fighters in his weight class.
However, if Crawford decided to accumulated titles and continue his hot streak, he could go after the IBF lightweight title that is currently held by Miguel Vazquez or the WBA lightweight title held by Richar Abril.
There's no telling exactly which route Crawford will take next. Although, one thing is for certain: He is in line for some well-deserved recognition after his great showing on Saturday.
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