Achieving title success at lightweight and then light welterweight during his initial rise, Terence Crawford cemented his status as one of the sport’s best in another division move.
Riding a stunning spree ahead of his move to the welterweight limit proper, Terence Crawford had established himself as a shrewd puncher, with massive knockout power in both hands.
And fresh from a thunderous finish over the unbeaten Julius Indongo to clinch the undisputed light welterweight crown, Crawford had become the first fighter since Kostya Tszyu to win undisputed gold in the latter’s 2003 victory.
Making a welterweight move proper, Crawford managed to exact revenge for Manny Pacquiao — a foe he was once mooted to fight.
Terence Crawford folded Jeff Horn for triple crown win
Making his welterweight limit debut against former Australian school teacher Jeff Horn, Crawford put his 32-fight undefeated run in boxing on the line.
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Set to defend his WBO welterweight crown for the first time, Horn had just landed a controversial win over the above-mentioned Pacquiao, before defending his belt against British challenger Gary Corcoran in another big win on home soil.
However, when pitted against Omaha finisher, Crawford, Horn came unstuck in unsettling fashion.
Issued a standing eight-count by referee Robert Byrd, Horn had been folded at the midsection by Crawford in the tenth round.
But pushing the pace with less than a minute left in the round, Crawford would force a stoppage after a series of hooks and a well-placed uppercut.
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With his win, Crawford had become a triple crown victor — landing world championships in three separate weight divisions.
Terence Crawford ran through two British stars
Eventually scooping undisputed welterweight champion status, during his run to that dream fight, Crawford was pitted with two standout British challengers.
Stopping veteran former world champion Amir Khan — a common foe of incoming opponent Canelo Alvarez — Crawford wrecked the Bolton native with a controversial body shot in a 2019 knockout.
And in his fourth defense of the WBO crown, Crawford was once more matched up with another English star, this time in the form of Sheffield veteran Kell Brook.
Within just four rounds, Crawford had melted Brook with a bruising knockout win — in what came as the Yorkshire native’s final world championship challenge before his retirement.