By Keith Idec
LAS VEGAS – Errol Spence Jr. wasn’t the least bit surprised Terence Crawford beat up Amir Khan.
Spence expected Crawford to dominate Khan because he feels it was a mismatch. The unbeaten IBF welterweight champion was surprised Khan didn’t try to continue after Crawford hit him with what was ruled an unintentional low blow during the sixth round Saturday night at Madison Square Garden in New York.
England’s Khan (33-5, 20 KOs) declined to continue after Crawford’s accidental foul. The 31-year-old Crawford (35-0, 26 KOs), of Omaha, Nebraska, was declared the winner by technical knockout 47 seconds into the sixth round of their ESPN Pay-Per-View main event.
The 29-year-old Spence (25-0, 21 KOs), of DeSoto Texas, discussed the Crawford-Khan outcome with BoxingScene.com on Friday afternoon, following a weigh-in for the Robert Easter Jr.-Rances Barthelemy bout Saturday night at The Cosmopolitan (Showtime; 10 p.m. ET/PT).
“I think he quit,” Spence said of Khan. “I felt like he could’ve came out [of his corner after the foul]. He should’ve went out on his shield as a boxer on pay-per-view, when people are paying their hard-earned money. You’re supposed to go out like a champion, instead of basically just quitting. I feel like if I can stand up and I can be coherent and talk to my corner and talk to the ref, I feel I can get back out there. He was actually able to walk to the corner. So if he was able to walk to the corner, he was able to get back out there and fight.”
Crawford floored Khan in the first round. Khan overcame that setback and got back into their scheduled 12-rounder during the second round.
The WBO welterweight champion, the opponent boxing fans most want Spence to fight, was way ahead of Khan on all three scorecards when their fight was stopped (50-44, 49-45, 49-45).
Khan, 32, lost by knockout for the fourth time in his 14-year pro career.
“It was expected,” Spence said. “I think Khan’s past his prime. Crawford did what he was supposed to do. He did a good job of what he was supposed to do, which was getting him out of there.”
2023-10-23 03:55:08
