By Matt Lieberman: Shakur Stevenson predicts an 11th-round knockout victory tonight for Terence Crawford in his undisputed welterweight championship fight with Errol Spence Jr on Showtime PPV.
Although Shakur is a bit biased given that Crawford (39-0, 30 KOs) is his close friend, he’s still confident he’ll get the job done on IBF, WBA and WBC champ Spence (28-0, 22 KOs). ) tonight at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Live boxing action begins at 8:00 p.m. ET / 5:00 p.m. PT on Showtime PPV. The price for the Spence vs Crawford event is $84.99.
It’s hard to imagine Crawford knocking Spence out, because that would mean he would have to be in a one-on-one battle with him to have any chance of doing so.
Crawford isn’t going to knock Spence out with stings or throwing single punches from long range. Crawford topped Shawn Porter only because his dad pulled him out. He might not have gotten the knockout without it happening.
Terence stops Spence in 11th
“Crawford is ready. It doesn’t even need to go into anything else. He’s ready,” said Shakur Stevenson, a good friend of Terence Crawford, speaking to Fighthype about his belief that he will beat Errol Spence Jr. tonight.
“No, I don’t think it’s going to go the distance. Crawford by knockout. Eleven,” Shakur said when asked which round Crawford would knock out Spence.
Crawford himself said he just wanted to win. He’s not obsessed with the knockout as he obviously realizes how difficult it will be for him.
“He’s probably annoyed with all of you,” Shakur said of Crawford’s outburst during the final press conference last Thursday. “I’m not going to tell you specifically.
“People in the media talk badly about him and downplay every win he gets. So he’s probably fed up and wants to show you all tomorrow what he’s been working on.
“Take Spence’s best attribute away. His best attribute is his jab. If he takes his jab away, it’s going to be an easy night. I think he can take his jab away anyway, but honestly, when Bud goes left-handed, he can do the job. So I like that he’s left-handed,” Shakur said.
“Bud looks bigger; he looks ready. Errol Spence always looks bigger. We were expecting him to come into the fight looking bigger, so there are no surprises there, but Bud looks completely ready,” Stephen A. Smith told Showtime.
“For me, this is the highest profile fight since Mayweather-Pacquiao, and I think it’s worth it. I think this fight is going to be significantly better than the Mayweaather-Pacquiao fight ended up being.
“These guys can’t run. So they can box, they can move, they can sting. They are exceptionally defensive, but they will be there. I’m not saying it’s going to be an all-out brawl, but it’s going to be a fight. Make no mistake about it,” said Stephen A.
Crawford will try to get Errol out
“I’m Crawford by decision, and here’s why. I watch Crawford,” Smith said. “He can get conventional and he can get left-handed. I believe he can fight better from a distance. Not necessarily on the run, but backing off to some extent, picking one’s places.
“Errol Spence methodically cuts you off. I don’t see Terence Crawford as someone who’s going to be there to be shot down. He will be there to fight but not to be beaten down.
“He will take a step back and choose his moments, and he will fight from a distance. It has a slightly longer range and it brings power with it. I just think that nasty streak he has.
“Errol is looking to methodically break you down, but Terence comes and takes you out. I just think there’s a difference, and I think that’s the kind of thing that can make a difference in this fight,” Smith said.
