Terence Crawford VS Jose Benavidez Jr. Full Fight Highlights

OMAHA, Neb. -- As welterweight world titleholder Terence Crawford continued to take the trash talk, disdain and knockout threats from Jose Benavidez Jr., he had one constant response: Wait for the fight, and he would shut him up.

That's just what Crawford did -- and in style -- as he outclassed Benavidez before scoring a violent, 12th-round knockout to retain his 147-pound title for the first time before a raucous crowd of 13,323 on Saturday at the CHI Health Center in Crawford's hometown.

The crowd was the largest Crawford has drawn to date, and he gave the hometown fans a show.


After dominating virtually the entire fight against an opponent who simply would not -- or could not -- throw many punches, Crawford knocked Benavidez down with a thunderous right uppercut with about 45 seconds left in the fight. He battered him until referee Celestino Ruiz stepped in to wave off the fight at 2 minutes, 42 seconds as the crowd went wild.

"I did what I said I was going to do. That's all that needs to be said," said Crawford, who stuck to his pre-fight promise to not shake Benavidez's hand after the fight. "[The knockout] was coming. It was just a matter of time. He slowed down tremendously. He was tired, and once he slowed down, I seen I can catch him with [the uppercut]. It feels so good to shut somebody up who's been talking for so long. I'm at ease."