After a cautious first five rounds, fight fans in Arlington, Texas wouldn’t be blamed for predicting an uneventful chess-match to further unfold between Terence Crawford and Thomas Dulorme. But then it suddenly happened: a violent 6th round stoppage courtesy of a relentless barrage of punches from Crawford. The victory follows impressive performances against Yuriorkis Gamboa and Raymundo Beltran.
The end came at the 1:51 mark, at which point Crawford had clocked up two to three rounds on most observers’ scorecards. Also mirrored here at BoxingBase.com. The 27-year-old Crawford now further bulks his unbeaten pro resume to 26 wins, 18 knockouts, and picks up the vacant WBO Junior Welterweight strap. Dulorme, 25, falls to 22 wins, 2 losses, 14 knockouts.
Crawford vs Dulorme: The Fight
Not only is the Omaha-native Crawford tipped to be a future world-beater, he is quickly becoming known as one of the most patient boxers in the game – and one that doesn’t see that patience go to waste either. The guy also has very deceptive punching power, which can be easy to forget. Especially at the weekend when the lean 5′ 8″ fighter was in with a bulky 5′ 11″ opponent in Dulorme.
It’s true that for the first four rounds Dulorme was breaking even on the cards due to his busier attacks while Crawford somewhat casually found his range, occasionally grinned, and felt out with the jab. Was Crawford toying with his foe and summing up what he was capable of? Oh, it’s very likely. And that makes him one very dangerous, highly-confident fighter.
In fact, it wasn’t until the tail-end of the 5th that Crawford suddenly started going on the offensive and landed his first telling shots of the fight: two consecutive right-hands. They connected clean to the cranium of Dulorme, certainly getting his attention. Luckily for the Puerto Rican, the bell offered a way out of danger. He had maintained an impress work rate up to this point, but his eyes now spoke volumes of Crawford’s prowess.
Seconds after the bell rang to start the 6th, the fight was also seconds away from ending. Crawford landed a thunderous, lightning one-two combination that buckled the legs of Dulorme, sending him stumbling toward the ropes. Being the exceptional finisher Crawford is, he went to work on Dulorme with one outcome in mind.
He firstly chopped his man down with two hooks to score the first of three knockdowns. The brave Dulorme beat the count but was back on the canvas following a vicious assault of straights and chopping hooks. Following another meeting with the canvas, the referee didn’t care to see any further punishment and rightly halted the contest. (Crawford vs Dulorme Fight Highlights)
Crawford vs Dulorme Aftermath & Potential Future Matchups
It has to be said that Crawford is shaping up to be quite the complete fighter. One wonders if there is anyone out there currently who can topple this emerging star, certainly in the Junior Welterweight ranks. He would likely school Lucas Matthysse, even following the Argentine’s disciplined boxing display in his battle with Ruslan Provodnikov. Crawford would also likely find a way to outwork, think, and bang division-leader Danny Garcia.
If Crawford’s team is looking to set him up with a top 5 ranked fighter at 140, it’s more likely Lamont Peterson – who came close to upsetting Garcia recently – might receive the call before the aforementioned fighters. Garcia and Matthysse’s boxing ability male pale in comparison to Crawford’s, but they still bring great risk due to their dynamite power. For that reason, they are probably best left out of the picture for the time being. But anything can happen in boxing.
What did you think of Crawford’s performance at the weekend? Is he destined for greatness – or are we still to find out when he takes on a marquee name in the division? Let us know in the comments!
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