Terence Crawford is now one of the greatest boxers — he could well have beaten Floyd Mayweather.

Terrence Crawford is undefeated in 40 fights with 31 knockouts. Photo: Getty Images/Al Bello

Terence Crawford joined the greats of all time in the welterweight division with his fighting masterclass in Las Vegas against Errol Spence, whose preliminary bout was considered match of the year.

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In preparation, although Crawford was a marginal favorite, it was difficult to separate them. However, with this performance, Crawford becomes the new king of boxing pound for pound. No questions. So superior, so flawless, so commanding, so brilliant, that the cold-blooded operator from Omaha made his previously undefeated elite-level opponent look like a rookie.

It was a landmark fight for all 147-pound champions: both men not lost, both in their prime. As it turns out, this was not an exciting fight for the simple reason that Crawford completely figured out Spence, his great and painful jab, his precisely timed counterattacks, and his absolute mastery of the dance and ring.

There was no growling, no jeering from one man to another. It was as close to perfection as you could want from an elite boxer, Crawford is now the undisputed second weight class champion. It represents greatness. He can do it even in the third weight category, if the body and desire allow.

The manner in which this win puts Crawford at odds with some of the best the division has ever produced, the likes of Sugar Ray Robinson, considered by many to be the greatest pound-for-pound ring technician of all time, the likes of Sugar Ray Leonard, Floyd Mayweather Jr., Jose Napoles, and even old-timers like Kid Gavilan.

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I would go so far as to say that this Crawford, cold-blooded from first to last, could easily surpass Mayweather at welterweight. Crawford is so good and now he is undefeated in 40 fights with 31 knockouts.

Maintaining a left-handed stance from the start, like Spence, it took Crawford nine minutes to make short work of his opponent, even putting him on his side, off-balance in the second round. Spence looked embarrassed by this; however, Crawford's focused expression did not change. Spence may have won the first and third rounds, but everything else had huge paw prints from Crawford. Cold, calculating, he ruthlessly destroyed Spence, demonstrating the finest control and combat IQ, showing efficiency, high defense and no wasted blows.

It was mesmerizing, and Spence looked miserable. While his opponent was unraveling, Crawford dropped Spence twice in the seventh round, and although the three-belt defender was slowly beaten, he did not give up, continued to throw, but to no avail.

< img src="/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/48f2c19dbc962aca6820fdb4f6058802.jpg" />Terrence Crawford (left) outboxed his opponent extensively to cement his status as a great athlete. Photo: Getty Images/Al Bello

In ninth place, the referee mercifully saved Spence from further beating. The destruction was complete. And it was a rout.

They spoke quietly to each other, like the two protagonists, as respectfully as they had since the announcement of this fight.

Also, in Crawford — and in Spence — such levels of respect during the preparation, the fight itself and after it were pleasant. It was good for boxing and should restore faith that the very best can do the very best.

After that, Spence called for a rematch, but it was such a decisive victory, a showdown, that he is unlikely to have a desire to have a rematch again. Without detracting from Crawford's superiority at all, we may hear in the coming weeks that Spence was «tough in weight». Be that as it may, against the background of Crawford, a great fighter looked lethargic and very ordinary. But that's what brilliant fighters do.

Indeed, Crawford is such a genius that it would be unthinkable to get up to 154 pounds (super welterweight) and fight the undisputed champion Jermell Charlo there.

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Charlo, who has an autumn date with Saul Canelo Alvarez in a super middleweight fight could be Crawford's target. Indeed, and here I am in the world of fantasy fighting, if only the Mexican «Canelo», the biggest name in the sport in Ponda, was still in the middleweight division, perhaps the fight of the ages would be Crawford vs. Canelo dating back to 1987 when Sugar Ray Leonard moved up to middleweight to take on the late great «Wonderful» Marvin Hagler and defeat him at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas. We can only dream.

But that's exactly what Crawford did on a starry night in Sin City. He made fans purr and coo with a display of grandeur, time and class that has truly become rare, and reminded us that when craftsmanship is at its best, it is no longer a struggle but a physical form of art.