Crawford knocks out Avanesyan in 6th round, keeps WBO title

By ERIC OLSON

OMAHA, Neb. — Unbeaten world champion Terence Crawford knocked out David Avanesyan in the sixth round Saturday night to retain his WBO welterweight belt.

Crawford, fighting for the first time in more than a year, had the sixth-ranked challenger wobbling with a flurry of blows before landing a right cross to the chin that put Avanesyan to the canvas 2 minutes, 14 seconds into the round.

“I was touching him to the body, and I was seeing that had an effect,” Crawford said. “He had a high guard, and I picked up the pace. There were punches in bunches, I saw an opening and took it and the rest is history.”

Crawford was fighting in his hometown for the sixth time as a professional and first time since 2018, and cheers of “Craw-ford! Craw-ford!” started before introductions.

The pay-per-view bout was made after negotiations for an undisputed welterweight championship fight between Crawford and Errol Spence Jr. broke down in October.

Crawford didn’t call out Spence directly, saying he would consider anyone who wants to fight, preferrably in the spring.

“We don’t know what is next,” Crawford said. “We’ve got to go back to the drawing board and be ready for whoever.”

Brian McIntyre, Crawford’s trainer, said his fighter would be open to moving up from 147 pounds to 154.

“I don’t think anyone at 54 or 47 can beat him,” McIntyre said. “The only question is, ‘Who is willing to fight him?’”

The 35-year-old Crawford (39-0, 30 KOs) showed no signs of rust in his first fight since he stopped Shawn Porter in the 10th round on Nov. 20, 2021.

Avanesyan (29-4-1), who previously fought in March and won by technical knocked over Oskari Metz, stood in there with Crawford for the first five rounds.

Crawford came out in an orthodox stance, but switched to southpaw midway through the first round and fought that way for the duration.

Crawford used an effective jab to neutralize Avanesyan, but the Russian never backed off. Crawford shook him up with a combination to the head and body in the fourth, landed a couple solid body shots in the fifth and then took full control in the sixth.

Crawford landed three straight uppercuts to the chin, wobbled him with a couple shots to the body and then landed the decisive blow that put down Avanesyan.