NEW YORK (April 20, 2019) — In a disappointing night for fight fans, Terence Crawford (35-0, 26 KOs) defended his WBO Welterweight against Amir Khan (33-5, 20 KOs) via 6th round stoppage. The contest took place on April 20th, in New York City at Madison Square Garden.
The matchup pitted arguably the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world, against a skillful and dangerous opponent. Or at least, that was the thought coming in.
From the opening bell both Khan and Crawford were cautious. Khan was doing an excellent job of keeping his distance while landing a few shots of his own. With just a few seconds left in the round, Crawford timed his man perfectly with a right hand and followed up with a left. As a result, Khan hitting the deck. He managed to make it back to his feet but looked wobbly.
Round 2 saw Crawford become more aggressive. Khan tried to use his trademark speed but to no avail. The defending champion found plenty of openings in his opponent’s defense and used it to his advantage.
Although Khan did a good job of staying on his feet, he was beginning to get outclassed. He found short spells of success but they were few and far between.
The sixth period is where things got very confusing.
A close exchange between the two resulted in Crawford hitting his man low. As is often the case in boxing, the match is halted while the affected boxer gets a breather. That is exactly what happened. The only difference was Khan shook his head as if to say he could not continue.
A low blow by Crawford ends the fight. Crawford was boxing Khan up before the accidental strike. pic.twitter.com/tIy6tbWO9w
— Jonesy (@RoyJonesy) April 21, 2019
The crowd stood in disbelief. Crawford was awarded the victory by way of 6th-round stoppage as Khan was deemed unable to continue.
The manner in which Khan was defeated, left many to believe he quit. Those sentiments were echoed by Crawford.
“He was just looking for a way out,” said Crawford during the post-fight press conference. “I was disappointed. When he was talking to the ref, I just kept seeing him shake his head and saying no.”
It’s hard to understand what happened. Khan has never been known as a quitter, but judging from the replay it is hard to explain his actions. As he took the podium after the fight he gave his side of things.
“I didn’t quit—I got hit in the balls. I felt it in my stomach. My trainer Virgil Hunter decided to stop the fight and I respected his decision.”
Khan has lost fights before but this is undoubtedly a black eye on his career. With such a disappointing loss, the question begs to be asked: Is Amir Khan done with the sport of boxing?
“No, I feel like I have a lot more to give,” said Khan. “I have a lot left in the tank.”
Fans around the world may think otherwise. Before the stoppage occurred, Khan was getting thoroughly dominated. It seems as though he just might be at the end of the road of his career.
As for Crawford, there is only one name in the division that makes sense for him.
“I want Spence so I can prove I’m the best in the division.”
Crawford vs Spence has been marinating long enough—it’s time to make the fight happen.
