LAS VEGAS – Sa kanilang naunang press conference noong Huwebes ay sinabi ni American Terence Crawford kay Australian Jeff Horn na hindi siya si Manny Pacquiao.
Binugbog ni Crawford (33-0-0, 24 KOs) si Horn (18-1-1, 12 KOs) patungo sa kanyang ninth-round TKO victory kahapon sa MGM Grand Garden Arena.
Inagaw ni Crawford ang suot na World Boxing Organization welterweight crown ni Horn na kanyang hinubad kay Pacquiao noong Hulyo ng 2017 sa Brisbane, Australia.
Itinigil ni referee Robert Byrd ang laban sa 2:33 minuto sa ninth round kung saan nirapido nang husto ng 30-anyos na si Crawford ang 30-anyos ding si Horn.
“Like I said before, I was the stronger guy,” wika ni Crawford, naikonekta ang 48 percent ng kanyang power shots, ayon sa CompuBox, kay Horn. “He did everything we expected him to do. He came in there with the intentions of roughing me up and getting aggressive. But the thing he didn’t understand was how strong I was. I think they underestimated me a little bit.”
Nauna nang pinabagsak ni Crawford si Horn sa round nine mula sa kanyang overhead left hand.
Ngunit tumayo at lumaban pa rin si Horn bago siya sinagip ni Byrd mula sa anumang pambubugbog ni Crawford.
“I’m stronger than him. I just had to get in the ring and prove it. You saw what I did in there. Now I want all the champions at welterweight,” ani Crawford.
Umakyat si Crawford sa 147 pounds para sa kanyang welterweight debut at hamunin si Horn.
Isang araw bago ang naturang laban ay nagkaproblema sa timbang si Horn na may bigat na 148 pounds sa una niyang pagtimbang sa weigh-in noong Biyernes.
“He was strong,” wika ni Horn sa bagong WBO king na si Crawford. “He was fine. He didn’t seem like a smaller guy, that’s for sure. We weighed the same thing.”