Spence v Crawford will go down as one of boxing’s most anticipated fights throughout history. Whether it lives up to the hype will be seen tonight. Crawford comes into the fight scoring 10 consecutive TKO victories and is considered one of the best finishers in the sport. The 36-year-old phenom is known best for his speed and counter punching ability. Spence has knocked out 22 of his 28 opponents and is considered the most fundamentally sound fighter in the game.
A big question going into the fight is if Spence’s fundamentally sound pressure will overwhelm Crawford, who has been hurt early in a couple of his fights by other pressure fighters. Fundamentally sound refers to Spence always keeping his gloves up when he isn’t throwing, bringing his punches directly back to his chin. With his hands always at his chin, Crawford will be forced to land his best shots while Spence is punching, something Crawford is a master of.
Another thing Crawford does well, is give an orthodox and southpaw look. Even if Spence is successful against Crawford’s orthodox stance, he can switch to southpaw without skipping a beat. This is a very effective skill against a one-dimensional pressure fighter. I give Crawford the edge due to his ability to match Spence’s pressure, and counter more effectively. Bud is good at taking his time to pick apart his opponents’ offense and score effective counters. For Spence to win he will have to keep Crawford guessing for the majority of 12 rounds, which I have strong doubts he will be able to do. Will Crawford’s reflexes be enough for pressure he has never seen? Or Will Spence’s fundamentally sound pressure beat out a quick, effective Crawford? These are the questions millions of people have been waiting to find out the answers to for the last 5 years.
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