Terence Crawford vs Raymundo Beltran

A commanding jab and accurate counterpunching carried Terence Crawford to a unanimous decision over Raymundo Beltran in what the champion announced would be his final appearance at lightweight. Before 11,127 spectators at the CenturyLink Center in Omaha on November 29, 2014, Crawford retained his WBO championship and secured the vacant Ring magazine title. Judges Adalaide Byrd and Cesar Ramos each scored 119-109, while Bill Lerch awarded Crawford every round for 120-108. The result completed a year in which the Omaha boxer had taken the championship from Ricky Burns in Scotland and stopped Yuriorkis Gamboa in his first defence.

Beltran had a substantial claim to the opportunity. His previous championship challenge, against Burns in Glasgow in September 2013, had ended in a disputed draw, leaving him to pursue another chance at the belt. He arrived in Omaha as the mandatory challenger against an unbeaten champion fighting before an enthusiastic home following. Chants of Crawford’s name began before the opening bell and returned whenever he put his punches together. Warren Buffett was among those at ringside for the Top Rank promotion, televised by HBO. Crawford, 27, was making his second defence; Beltran was attempting to force a contest at close quarters against a quicker opponent who could box effectively from either stance.

The opening round was cautious, with both men examining distance and looking for the other’s first commitment. Crawford’s quicker hands were already apparent, and he found an opportunity for a straight right counter. He began the second as a southpaw, establishing the right jab that would become his principal means of control. Beltran had to cross that lead hand before he could bring his own heavier punches into play. Crawford varied his stance and delivered counters from outside the challenger’s comfortable range. Beltran did connect with a hard right in the third, but Crawford answered with a combination and resumed his work rather than allowing the exchange to become a sustained inside battle.

By the fourth, swelling was developing around Beltran’s eye. Crawford continued to jab, move and make the Mexican begin his attacks again. Through the fifth and sixth, the champion’s advantage rested as much on denying opportunities as on creating them. Beltran followed, but could seldom set himself close enough to deliver several effective punches together. Crawford’s footwork and upper body movement made the challenger miss, and the return punches generally arrived before Beltran could recover his position. The champion did not need to force a high-risk exchange when his lead hand was scoring so regularly and keeping the fight at a manageable distance.

Beltran increased his efforts in the seventh and landed straight rights, drawing a response from the crowd. Crawford nevertheless answered with the quicker, more accurate combinations. In the eighth, his straight left from the southpaw stance snapped the challenger’s head back. Beltran found a good left hook in the ninth and continued looking for a way to alter the contest, but could not build on his successes. Crawford took the punches without losing command and repeatedly returned Beltran to the defensive. By the closing stages of the tenth and eleventh, the Mexican was being driven into a corner and obliged to concentrate on avoiding the champion’s combinations.

Crawford pressed for a stoppage in the final round, encouraged by the support around him. Beltran, despite the punishment and swelling, continued to answer with hooks and prevented the champion from finishing the contest inside the distance. There were no knockdowns. The recorded punch figures confirmed the scale of Crawford’s superiority: he landed 243 of 639 punches, against Beltran’s 96 of 366. The difference in the jab was particularly pronounced, Crawford connecting with 150 of 436 and Beltran with 23 of 162. The challenger had remained determined throughout, but his aggression had produced too few sustained attacks to threaten the decision.

Crawford improved to 25 wins, no losses and 17 knockouts. Beltran’s record became 29 wins, 7 losses, 1 draw and 17 knockouts. Afterwards, the champion confirmed his intention to move to the 140-pound division, explaining that he had competed at lightweight since his teens. Beltran acknowledged the difficulties Crawford’s timing and counters had presented. His second championship attempt had brought a clear defeat rather than the disputed outcome of his meeting with Burns. Crawford left the division with his title intact, having controlled a strong, experienced challenger through distance, speed and consistent scoring.

I thought this confirmed Crawford’s quality after beating Burns and stopping Gamboa. His southpaw jab kept interrupting Beltran’s advance, and his movement forced the challenger to reset before attacking again. Beltran deserved another chance after the disputed Burns draw and landed some decent shots, but couldn’t build on them. Crawford could put combinations together; Beltran relied on isolated successes. The wide decision was right. I preferred Crawford’s patient control to his late pursuit of a stoppage. He’d already beaten a tough opponent by controlling the distance and choosing his moments.