Crawford TKOs Gamboa to retain lightweight title

Omaha, NE (Sports Network) – Terence Crawford, fighting in front of his hometown fans in Omaha, maintained the WBO lightweight title with a sensational performance against Yuriorkis Gamboa on Saturday.

It was a battle of unbeatens at CenturyLink Center, which hosted the first title fight in Omaha since Joe Frazier defended his heavyweight title against Ron Stander in 1972. and Crawford delivered the goods.

Gamboa was seemingly ahead early, but Crawford’s sizeable height and reach advantage proved too much in the later stages.

Crawford (24-0), a natural righty, fought southpaw and buckled Gamboa with a right hook in the fifth round and followed it up with a left cross that sent the Cuban to the canvas.

A combination sent Gamboa (23-1) to a knee in the eighth, and despite an early hiccup in the ninth, Crawford floored his opponent twice in the final minute, with referee Genaro Rodriguez stopping it with eight seconds remaining.

Categorized in: Boxing