WBO World Welterweight Champion Terence Crawford (39-0) delivered a sixth-round TKO of the overmatched David Avenesyan (29-4-1).
Fighting in his hometown of Omaha, Nebraska, Crawford, considered one of the two best welterweights in the world, easily dismantled Avanesyan, finishing him off with a powerful left uppercut that knocked him out for good.
Avanesyan caused problems early on, landing his right hand on the slow-starting Crawford. But once the three-division world champion got rolling, the fight was as good as over.
“My coach told me to keep picking my punches, and keep being smart with my punch placement,” Crawford said. “I broke him down and took him out with a punch I’ve been working on extensively in the gym. Once he landed on the canvas, I knew all my hard work and preparation paid off.”
The fight was widely panned and viewed as a disappointment as Crawford, who had spent months negotiating a potential superfight against unbeaten unified welterweight champion Errol Spence Jr., inexplicably pulled out of the negotiations to fight the unheralded Avanesyan.
Spence Jr. could next face former unified Keith Thurman in another major fight. If victorious, Spence says he plans to revisit talks with Crawford in the hopes of making their bout at some point in 2023.
Fans have been clamoring to see the 35-year-old Crawford face one of the top welterweights, something he hasn’t done since moving up to the division. A fight versus Spence is arguably the best matchup in the sport.
In the co-main event, superstar Cris Cyborg (2-0) defeated Gabrielle Holloway (0-2) by unanimous decision in a four-round bout. The fight was a closely contested battle, with both fighters putting on an impressive showing of skill and determination. A vicious left hook to the body sent Holloway to the deck in round three. Holloway recovered and made it to the final bell. Cyborg triumphed and remains undefeated in the boxing ranks.
“I’m so happy to have come out on top,” Cyborg said after the fight. “Gabrielle is a tough opponent, and I knew it wouldn’t be easy, but I trained hard and gave it my all. I’m just grateful to have come away with the victory.”
