Spence came out in round three determined to turn the tide after the knockdown, throwing big shots, including a left hook that landed cleanly early. However, Crawford was able to withstand the attack and showed his precision by landing a clean counter right that again staggered Spence.

Crawford routinely rattled Spence with power shots and counters as the crowd roared at deafening levels throughout the fight. It only got worse as the rounds wore on for Spence. He tried to settle into his gameplan of applying pressure but Crawford was having none of it.

"Israil was a tough competitor," acknowledged Crawford during his post-fight interview with DAZN. "He’s real strong, he’s durable, and he takes a lot of good shots. He had fast feet and good rhythm upstairs. He was looking to counter me just like I was looking to counter him. He was very disciplined, and he fought a good fight."

11:03 p.m. ET: I don't know how, but this fight has managed to end up as a split decision for Cruz. One judge managed to give the fight to Cabrera with a 114-113 score. Thank goodness for the other two judges who had it 114-113 and 115-112. It would have been a travesty if the scorecards were for Cabrera. Hopefully, this is not a bad omen heading into the main event.

Round 9: Crawford needed that one. That game plan for that round was simple for Crawford -- counter, rip and move. Crawford did a much better job of throwing straight punches and even though he wasn't terribly active, Crawford landed plenty of clean punches. 10-9 Crawford, 86-85 Porter.

Round 3: Donaire advances, but Santiago pops him with a quick straight left. Lead overhand right for Santiago. He backs Donaire up and puts on the pressure. Donaire blasts him with a right hand and there’s a cut on Santiago’s face as he’s staggered. Santiago back on the offense with a lead uppercut. Donaire just misses with a left uppercut. Right hand catches Santiago. Counter left scores for Donaire. Big round for the former champion.

Hearn said he thinks Cruz will be ready to fight for a world title by the end of the year. "They’re willing to face anybody," Hearn said of Cruz and his team. "We have a real test in Moran, and Andy Cruz will be ready to fight for a championship this year."

The warrior gene runs through the blood of Terence Crawford. His grandfather, father and uncle had all trained at the C.W. Boxing Club in Omaha, Nebraska. The gym’s owner, Carl Washington, was also Crawford’s neighbor. Washington approached a then seven-year-old Terence about doing the same as a means of keeping the youngster out of trouble.

"I'm naturally right-handed. I had about 70 amateur fights – it was probably like, 60 wins, 10 losses," said Crawford, who owns amateur victories over future champions Mikey Garcia and Danny Garcia. "I remember all of those fights against Danny Garcia, Mikey Garcia, Diego Magdaleno. I still watch them from time to time. It wasn't a hard fight with Mikey – Danny Garcia was a harder fight for me."

If part of Bud felt lucky to be alive, another part demanded vengeance. Soon enough, he learned the shooter's identity. But the attempt on his life bothered him less than hearing that the guy bragged about it in jail. The guy had lots of kids. And if Bud found him, they'd all be daddyless.

"I don’t worry ’bout nothin’ when it comes to fighting. Because I done been in the ring wit’ it all, I done seen it all. I done experienced it all. So, I know how to make the proper adjustments. If something is rough or going against what I want it to, I just make it to where I’m comfortable. I know what is terence crawford boxing record to do in the ring. I know how to capitalize on things. I know how to take things away. Me having that experience in the ring …"

Round 6: This is a wildly entertaining chess match right now. Cruz’s corner is imploring him to not get desperate. Valenzuela gets back to pawing out his jab. Cruz connects with a right. Valenzuela circles and jabs. Cruz storms forward with a flurry but can’t land clean. Swooping check hook by Valenzuela. He’s starting to use Cruz’s pressure against him here. Big uppercut by Valenzuela, but Cruz answers with a right hand. How on earth did he recover from that so quickly? Now Valenzuela is the one marching forward — and just as I write that, Cruz storms forward with a looping combination. MMA Fighting scores it 10-9 Valenzuela. (57-57 overall.)

Crawford’s debut was a 26-second stoppage in March 2008 over Brian Cummings, who entered the ring at 2-0 (2 KOs). He ended that year with a second-round TKO of Michael Williams in November, rising to 5-0 (3 KOs).

Hello and welcome to Las Vegas for tonight’s long-awaited showdown between Errol Spence Jr and Terence Crawford. We’re ringside at the T-Mobile Arena for a mouth-watering matchup of undefeated American stars more than five years in the making. Crawford (39-0, 30 KOs) has campaigned in the same weight class as Spence since 2018, when he moved up to capture the WBO’s version of the welterweight title and rumblings of a fight began in earnest. By then Spence (28-0, 22 KOs) was already the IBF’s champion at 147lbs and has since added the WBC and WBA belts.