A Virtuoso Performance
An edited version of this article was published on TheFightCity.com on July 29th, 2023: https://www.thefightcity.com/spence-vs-crawford-virtuoso-performance-boxing/
When the chips are down, great fighters step up and do great things. In the biggest fight of his life, in front of an electrified crowd at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Terence Crawford showed up and produced a masterclass performance that will define his legacy. On paper, the Spence-Crawford superfight looked like a 50/50 contest. But in the event, Crawford proved to be a level above, completely dominating his rival and winning by ninth-round stoppage, to become the undisputed welterweight champion.
Welter Wars: 30 Years of 147lb Super-Fights
This article was published on TheFightCity.com on July 29th, 2023: https://www.thefightcity.com/welter-wars-thirty-years-of-superfights-boxing/
As the hype dials up for the mouth-watering Spence vs. Crawford clash for undisputed welterweight supremacy, it’s impossible not to draw comparisons with classics of years past. The 147lb division has always been a hotbed of elite talent, with old-time legends like Ted “Kid” Lewis and Jack Britton, golden era greats like “Sugar” Ray Robinson and Kid Gavilan, and modern era kings Roberto Duran, “Sugar” Ray Leonard, and Tommy “The Hitman” Hearns all leaving their mark on the division’s storied history. The tradition has continued in more recent times, with many of boxing’s top pound-for-pound showdowns taking place at welterweight. Tracing the story of the division over the last 30 years, here’s some of the biggest superfights that paved the way to Spence-Crawford.
Spence vs Crawford: The “IT” Factor
This article was published on TheFightCity.com on July 27th, 2023: https://www.thefightcity.com/finally-spence-vs-crawford-preview-boxing/
It’s taken almost five years, but the superfight we’ve been yearning for is finally here. Saturday sees two of boxing’s finest practitioners square off in a showdown that will crown an undisputed, undefeated welterweight champion. Errol “The Truth” Spence, 28-0 with 22 KOs, brings the IBF, WBC and WBA belts to the table, while Terence “Bud” Crawford, 39-0 with 30 KOs and already a former undisputed champ at 140lbs, brings the WBO strap. The best fighting the best; all the belts on the line. It really doesn’t get any better than this.
The New Sugar Man Arrives: Shane Mosley W12 Oscar De La Hoya
An edited version of this article was originally published on TheFightCity.com on June 17th, 2020: https://www.thefightcity.com/june-17-de-la-hoya-vs-mosley-los-angeles-boxing/
It was the summer of 2000. Still drunk on the optimism of the New Millennium, the world was a happier, less volatile place. The social media giants that dominate our lives today did not even exist. The tragedy of 9/11 and the “War on Terror” that lay in its wake had yet to unfold. Bill Clinton was presiding over his eighth and final year in the White House, while a Donald Trump presidency was still just a joke in The Simpsons. Read more
Time for a Welterweight Renaissance
An edited version of this article was originally published on TheFightCity.com on April 29th, 2019: https://www.thefightcity.com/boxing-welterweights-division-crawford-spence/
We all have a favourite set of boxers. The ones that helped forge our love for the sport way back when; the ones we still keep on old, worn-out VHS tapes and faded, nostalgic magazines, stuffed away in the loft somewhere. Wind the clock back a couple of decades to the mid-to-late 90s, and you’ll find my own favourite era. It’s fair to say the 90s are not generally considered an historical golden age for boxing, at least not in comparison to when the Four Kings were doing battle the previous decade, or when the mesmerizing career of Muhammad Ali was unfolding in the 60s and 70s. And yet, with the benefit of 20 years of hindsight, it looks pretty damn good from where I’m standing today. Read more
Matt O'Brien
Boxing Philosophy 