Terence Crawford is no stranger to finishing opponents, even competitors of the highest calibre.
In ‘Bud’s’ 41 professional wins, 31 have come by way of knockout. This includes Crawford stopping Dierry Jean, Errol Spence Jr. and Shawn Porter, among many others.
An undisputed champion in two weight divisions, Crawford can certainly be considered one of the best boxers on the planet today. However, he has shown his talents for over 10 years.
In 2017, Crawford was the headline act at Madison Square Garden, where he scored yet another stoppage.
Terence Crawford scored retirement victory over Felix Diaz
Fighting in a super lightweight title bout, Crawford would put his WBC and WBO titles on the line against Felix Diaz. The bout took place in New York on May 20th, 2017.
The fighter from the Dominican Republic went into the bout with a 19-1 record. His only career loss to that point had been against Lamont Peterson. It was also Diaz’s first world title opportunity.
However, it would be Crawford who would extend his winning record to 31-0. After having a dominant showing through 10 rounds, Diaz would not emerge for round 11.
Diaz’s corner stopped the bout between rounds, as Crawford once again retained his world titles.
Young Shakur Stevenson and Teofimo Lopez fought on the undercard of Crawford vs Diaz
Although Crawford was the clear star of the event in New York, Madison Square Garden would also play host to two future champions on the undercard.
Competing in his fifth professional fight was 19-year-old Teofimo Lopez. The current WBO World Welterweight champion faced Ronald Rivas (5-5-2) on Crawford’s undercard.
The then-future world champion was able to score a second-round knockout, as Lopez improved his record to 5-0. Now with a record of 22-1, Lopez’s only career loss came to George Kambosos Jr.
Making his second professional appearance was Olympic silver medalist Shakur Stevenson. Facing Carlos Gaston Suarez (6-3-2), Stevenson, 19, earned his second professional win, scoring a first-round knockout.
Stevenson is the current WBC World Lightweight title holder, as well as being a former champion at featherweight and super featherweight.