Michigan legends attend lopsided Crawford-Spence legacy fight in Las Vegas

LAS VEGAS – The State of Michigan was well represented during the lopsided boxing masterclass between Terence “Bud” Crawford and Errol “The Truth” Spence Jr. Inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Tommy Hearns, who was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2012 and the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame in 1997, was in attendance to watch Crawford brutally outbox Spence.

The fight resembled what Hearns did to comedian Martin Lawrence in 1994.

Other Michiganders in attendance were Floyd “Money” Mayweather, who drew jeers from the crowd, Royce Da 5′9, and Eminem, who drew the biggest crowd reaction of the night as he walked Bud to the ring rapping his inspirational song Lose Yourself from the 8 Mile film.

When asked how he got Eminem to walk him out, But said it was like throwing a rock into a haystack.

“It was like throwing a rock into a haystack, and he replied,” said Crawford. “I told him to pull up, and he was like, ‘I’m there. You’re one of my favorite fighters.’ That showed a lot of support for me, and that showed what level I’m at in the boxing world.”

Once all of the pleasantries were over, the brutality kicked in as Crawford beat the truth out of Spence.

Spence is the best pressure fighter in the world, but Crawford proved that he was the best boxer in the world as he floored the 33-year-old Texas native in the second round.

Crawford, a 35-year-old Nebraska native, sent Spence to the canvas for the third time in the fight with two knockdowns in the seventh round.

The lopsided onslaught was finally stopped by referee Harvey Dock, who, like all of us in the crowd and the millions watching worldwide, knew enough was enough.

Crawford scored a ninth-round technical knockout in the legacy-defying bout dethroning Spence of his WBC, WBF, and IBF titles to accompany his WBO belt in the 147-pound division.

In the victory, Bud was the only male to become a two-division undisputed champion in boxing history.

“I told everybody before that the winner out of this fight was going to be No. 1 pound for pound, hands down,” Crawford said. “Errol Spence was ranked No. 4 in the pound-for-pound, and you got Terence Crawford; I was ranked No. 1, so you got two fighters that were in the top five pound-for-pound ratings. How can it not be for the No. 1 pound for pound.”

The build-up for the fight was described as a legacy fight between two undefeated champions, as for the last 60 years, the four titles in the sport of boxing had been split.

But Saturday (July 29) night’s performance by Bud not only unified the titles but also put other boxers either in the 147-pound weight class or the 154-pound weight class on notice as he was here to stay for a very long time.

“This meant everything to me,” Crawford said. “I want to give honor to God for blessing me to be here to be able to perform in front of each and every one of y’all. I want to thank Errol Spence and his team for me and him coming together and getting this fight underway. This is a fight that everybody wanted to see. The whole world was talking about it, and we put on a great show.”

Crawford is 40-0 with 32 knockouts. His run in the 147-pound weight class is legendary, as he has won by knockout in every fight since joining the class.

There’s a scene in the film Belly where Shameek, played by Method Man, tells Big, played by Turin Turner, that he was the illest man in Nebraska. But, he, like the majority of us who watched the thorough beating of Spence, was wrong as Crawford is indeed the illest man in Nebraska.

What’s next for Crawford? Should he move up to 154 and challenge Jermell Charlo, or would you like him and Spence to have a rematch?