Terence Crawford, “the Pride of Omaha” won a 12-round unanimous decision over Ray Beltran of Mexico Saturday, November 29, at the CenturyLink Center in Omaha, NE. Crawford proved to simply be too much for Beltran, despite a game effort from the Mexican challenger, and much to the delight of the hometown fans who packed the arena.
Crawford was quicker, more powerful and more versatile, and anytime that he did get tagged, he fought back harder and landed his own telling shots — something which has become a trademark for Crawford.
With the win, Crawford is crowned as our Lightweight Champion. Unfortunately for everyone, it seems as if that title will quickly become vacant once again, as he has stated his intentions of moving up to 140 lbs in his next fight.
IBF Featherweight titlist Evgeny Gradovich and Jayson Velez fight to a draw in the co-featured bout of the evening. It had appeared to most observers that Gradovich did more than enough to win the fight.
However, Velez at times landed the cleaner and more powerful single shots, in comparison to Gradovich’s work rate, aggression and continued efforts. The draw is definitely a surprise verdict though, but Gradovich gets to retain his titles and move onwards with his unbeaten ledger, if not unblemished ledger, intact.
Be sure to check back with us over the next few days when we’ll have more on the Crawford vs. Beltran results, including our rankings updates and other coverage.
