Terence Crawford was wobbled to his core after taking a magnificent shot from a former world champion.
Throughout his career, ‘Bud’ has looked almost invincible, with very few fighters able to even land a glove on him, let alone hurt him.
However, on occasion, the superstar has been tagged. Egidijus Kavaliauskas put Crawford on the canvas with a powerful punch that wasn’t ruled a knockdown.
But the closest he ever came to being taken out was by a slick Cuban, who timed a tremendous blow.
WOW: ‘Excuses’… Terence Crawford explains why fight with Hall of Fame boxer did not happen
Terence Crawford was wobbled by Yuriorkis Gamboa
On June 28, 2014, Terence Crawford went head-to-head with Yuriorkis Gamboa in a defense of his WBO lightweight title at the CenturyLink Center in Omaha, Nebraska, USA.
While the American had blown through most of his other opponents with ease, ‘El Ciclon de Guantánamo’ provided a much tougher challenge.
The pair exchanged wildly, with Gamboa landing some crisp shots of his own. However, in the fifth round, Crawford, who boxed the fight in southpaw, dropped his rival with an excellent left hand.
In a testament to his fighting spirit, the warrior fought on, but found himself on the canvas once again in the eighth segment.
Going into the ninth, Crawford looked on course for a comfortable victory, when out of nowhere, Gamboa detonated a bomb that exploded on the icon’s face, rocking him to his core.
Knowing now was his chance, the underdog went all out for the stoppage, but the American survived the storm, before dropping Gamboa with another left hook.
Exhibiting so much bravery, the challenger got up once more, but when an uppercut put him back on the canvas, the referee had to jump in.
Fight like Terence Crawford… Former boxing star reveals how having a defibrillator in his chest made him switch his style
While naturally an orthodox fighter, Crawford often switches to lead with his left hand.
And after doctors discovered he had a heart problem, a former world title challenger has mimicked the four-weight world champion by switching southpaw.
The power puncher now thinks he’s better than ever before.