Moments ago at the CenturyLink Center in Omaha, Nebraska, WBO lightweight champion Terence Crawford kept his undefeated record intact, defeating challenger Ray Beltran via unanimous decision in front of his hometown fans. Crawford used his superior technical skills to control the pace of the fight behind his crisp jab and effective counterpunches. Although Beltran was able to land cleanly on occasion, it was few and far between.
By the middle rounds, Crawford had found his groove, switching between the orthodox and southpaw stance as he picked Beltran apart from the outside. When Beltran was able to find success with a right hand, he was met with 2 or 3 punches in return from Crawford. In the 8th round, it was Crawford who appeared to be looking for the knockout despite the fact that he was way up on the scorecards. Beltran came alive in the 9th, however, and was able to get some good work done, but by then, it was too little too late. Crawford cruised through the championship rounds with his faster hands and better combinations. In the end, the judges scored the bout 119-109, 119-109, and 120-108, all in favor of Terence Crawford.
Also on the card, IBF featherweight title Evgeny Gradovich kept his undefeated record intact as well when his clash with undefeated challenger Jayson Velez was scored a split draw. Although Velez was definitely in the fight to the end, Gradovich appeared to have swept the second half of the rounds, seemingly doing enough to win the fight. The judges, however, saw it differently, officially scoring the bout 117-111 (Gradovich), 115-113 (Velez), and 114-114.
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