The 35-year-old is prepared to rematch at a higher weight (Picture: Getty Images)
Terence Crawford has hit out at the media for doubting him after demolishing Errol Spence Jr on Saturday night in Las Vegas to become the four-belt era’s first undisputed welterweight champion.
The 35-year-old put on a brutal and one-sided masterclass in one of boxing’s most eagerly anticipated contests in years, dropping Spence three times before the bout was ended in the ninth round.
Victory sees Crawford become the first man to claim undisputed status in two different weight classes and he hit out at his doubters and critics afterwards.
Speaking at his post-fight press conference, Crawford said: ‘Well I’ve been telling each and every one of y’all for years. A lot of y’all over here looking sad.
‘Elie [Seckbach – an American boxing reporter] you looking like a r****ded a** dude over there because you were going against me, you know what I mean.
‘But, all in all, I get to say I told y’all. I’ve been asking for these fights for years and y’all been saying, “He’s too small, he’s gonna get this, he’s gonna get broken”. And each and every time I stepped up, I proved y’all wrong. Each time.
‘So write some great stories about Terence Crawford, don’t hate on him, don’t say anything negative, just give me my props.’
Crawford totally dominated Spence in a brutal performance (Picture: EPA)
He added: ‘For all you guys that said I was too small, I was actually too strong. Now they get to witness greatness. It’s the Terence Crawford era.’
Last Tuesday, Naoya Inoue gave a devastating performance of his own to stop Stephen Fulton in Tokyo and claim the number one pound-for-pound title, but Crawford believes he has already reclaimed that status.
Asked if he believes he is the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world, Crawford replied: ‘Without a doubt. Like I told everyone before, the winner out of this fight was going to be number one pound-for-pound hands down.
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‘You’ve got Errol Spence who was ranked number four in the pound-for-pound rankings, and you’ve got Terence Crawford, I was ranked number one. So you’ve got two fighters in the top five pound-for-pound ratings, how can it not be number one pound-for-pound?’
After the fight, Spence said he would be keen for any potential rematch to be at super-welterweight (154lbs) and Crawford is happy to oblige.
‘It definitely doesn’t have to be at 147lbs,’ said the unified champ when informed of Spence’s comments. ‘Like I’ve said, I’m in the hurt business, 47 was kind of hard for me too. I was already talking about moving up in weight and challenging [Jermell] Charlo, so 54 wouldn’t be out of reach of anything.’
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‘Don’t hate on me, don’t say anything negative, just give me my props.’
