Terence Crawford KOs Kell Brook in 4 Rounds

It ended in a flash, and once again,
Terence “Bud” Crawford let his fists do the talking. Crawford
successfully defended his WBO welterweight world title with a fourth-round
TKO Saturday evening over former welterweight world champion Kell Brook.

Brook (39-3, 27 KOs) was leading on two of three judges’ cards entering the
fourth round, but it was Crawford (37-0, 28 KOs) who unleashed the boom. A
right jab forced Brook into the ropes for a knockdown. The end was near, as
Crawford unleashed a combination that prompted referee Tony Weeks to stop
the fight.

Crawford has now won eight straight fights by knockout dating back to July
2016.

“I already said who I want {next}. I want Pacquiao. I want to revisit that
fight,” Crawford said. “That was a fight that should’ve happened right now.
But being that the pandemic happened, and they weren’t going to allow fans
in the Middle East, they had to put a hold to that. Everything was 95
percent done. We had the venue. The money was almost there. It wasn’t quite
there. That was the only thing we were waiting on.

“Kell is a tremendous talent. He came and he tried to take my title. He was
in shape. He made the weight. There were no excuses to be put on the table.
He came off of three wins.”

Added Brook, “Never in my career, nobody has ever done that to me in
sparring or anything.

“It was one of them… I got caught with a shot I didn’t see. I’m gutted
because nobody could’ve gotten me in better condition. I was bang on the
limit. Maybe I could’ve been a bit more relaxed and loose and let the shots
go.”

Top Rank chairman Bob Arum said, “Terence Crawford showed, once again, why
he is the best welterweight in the world. It was a dominating performance
over a very good fighter in Kell Brook. Terence ranks up there with all the
great welterweights I’ve promoted.”

*Franco-Moloney 2 Ends in Controversy*

After a 26-minute replay review, controversy reigned supreme. WBA super
flyweight world champion Joshua Franco retained title via no decision over
Andrew Moloney. Franco dethroned Moloney back in June via unanimous
decision, and in the rematch, Moloney controlled the first two rounds
before the bout was stopped. The injury sustained by Franco in the first
round caused the fight to be halted following the conclusion of the second.

Moloney said, “They took this away from me. The injury was caused by a
punch. I can’t believe this.

“I was in control of the fight and on my way to a clear victory. I
deserved this win. I landed 50 punches on that eye. It was not even close.”

Added Arum, “This is an absolute disgrace. There was no headbutt. Andrew
Moloney should be the new champion.”

*In undercard bouts:*

*Bantamweight**: Joshua Greer Jr. (22-2-2, 12 KOs) Majority Draw 8
Rounds Edwin Rodriguez (11-5-2, 5 KOs). Scores: 77-75 Rodriguez and 76-76
2x. *Noted spoiler Rodriguez nearly pulled another upset, but Greer closed
the bout strong to salvage the draw. Rodriguez is 2-0-2 in his last four
fights, all of which came against undefeated fighters.

*Middleweight**: Tyler Howard (19-0, 11 KOs) UD 8 KeAndrae Leatherwood
(22-8-1, 13 KOs). Scores: 77-73, 77-74 and 76-74. *”Hercules” Howard
returned from a nearly 18-month layoff to pick up the most significant
victory of his career. In a closely contested bout, Howard dropped
Leatherwood in the closing stages of the eighth round to clinch the
decision.

*Featherweight**: Duke Ragan (3-0, 1 KO) UD 4 Sebastian Gutierrez (2-1-1).
Scores: 40-35 2x. *Ragan, a top prospect from Cincinnati, Ohio, cruised to
the win after knocking down Gutierrez in the second round.

*Bantamweight**: Vegas Larfield (2-0, 2 KOs) TKO 3 Juan Alberto Flores
(2-1-1), 1:07. *Larfield, who trained with Andrew Moloney to prepare
for this bout, made a memorable American debut, scoring two knockdowns in
the third round. Entering the third round, two judges had the fight even,
while the third had Flores ahead 20-18.

*Lightweight**: Raymond Muratalla (11-0, 9 KOs) TKO 3 Luis Porozo (15-5,
8 KOs), 2:40*. Muratalla upped his KO streak to six with a statement-making
performance over the former Ecuadorian Olympian. Muratalla, who is trained
by Robert Garcia, notched a pair of knockdowns in the third round.