Terence Crawford has produced some great finishes throughout his career.
‘Bud’ has been one of the best America has produced over the past decade, and he wants to cement his place in history with a victory over Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez in their Netflix super-fight.
Crawford’s record currently stands at 41-0 with 31 of his wins coming by way of knockout, and he will want to add another to that list on 13 September.
But before he jumps up two weight classes and eyes a spot as an all-time great, it is time to look back at the finishes that have led him to this opportunity of a lifetime.
Here, we rank his ten best knockouts.
10. Andre Gorges
The 16th professional fight of a young Terence Crawford ended sickeningly when he faced Canadian Andre Gorges in Las Vegas.
After four rounds of his usual dominance, the Omaha fighter pressured his man towards the ropes and, as he turned to the side, unloaded a huge overhand left to send Gorges face-first on the canvas.
While this was just the beginning for the American, his opponent would only fight once more in 2014 before retiring from the sport.
9. Thomas Dulorme
His first fight and title opportunity at super lightweight was a success for the now pound-for-pound great as he finished off Thomas Dulorme in the sixth round of their vacant WBO championship fight.
The Puerto Rican was overmatched in this contest as Crawford impressed fans with a dismantling of Dulorme.
It all came undone for the B-side in the sixth round when a quick one-two sent him to the ropes before a short combination sent him down for the first time.
A second knockdown occurred from the unloading of left hooks before an unanswered storm of punches sent him to one knee as the referee waved the fight off to declare Crawford world champion.
8. Egidijus Kavaliauskas
Egidijus Kavaliauskas, better known to fans as ‘Mean Machine’, was a tough fight for the star, but he dealt with the puzzle in style to retain his WBO welterweight crown in 2019.
A Madison Square Garden showcase was almost disrupted by Kavaliauskas, who caught the champion in a close-quarters exchange in the sixth round, but Crawford weathered the storm and floored his opponent with a left hand over his jab.
This exchange would spell the end for any success of the Lithuanian who was caught with a fierce uppercut in the ninth before rising to his feet to be met with a right hook to end the fight.
The win gave the American the honour of being the first man to beat ‘Mean Machine’.
7. Yuriorkis Gamboa
Another undefeated record was snatched away this time from Yuriorkis Gamboa in 2014, when he was unsuccessful in his world lightweight title shot against the American.
Gamboa had been successful as an IBF featherweight champion before this contest, but when he stepped in the ring with Crawford, the levels were very clear.
Already dropped in the fifth and eighth, respectively, he succumbed to the power of ‘Bud’ when a left hand dropped an already stunned Cuban before the right uppercut finished the fight soon after.
The victory that evening was even more special as it was the homecoming defence for the Omaha boxer.
6. David Avanesyan
As an Errol Spence Jr undisputed fight still loomed large for Crawford, he had one more defence of his WBO welterweight title at the end of 2022 against David Avanesyan.
The Russian was well known in the UK for his European title win against Josh Kelly, but struggled to get the better of ‘Bud’, who ended the fight in truly brutal style.
Following five rounds, where the champion had the better of Avanesyan, a quick combination, which was punctuated by a well-placed left hook, left the challenger flat out on his back in the sixth.
It was the perfect taster for what was to come in his future fight with Spence Jr.
5. Shawn Porter
While not his most spectacular-looking finish, his 2021 win over Shawn Porter showed his special quality to turn up the intensity when called upon.
Before the beginning of the tenth round of his fifth title defence, his corner told him he was down on the scorecards, which kicked Crawford into another gear.
He scored his first knockdown when he unloaded a short, sharp left hand to send Porter on his back and followed later in the round with a combination to compel his opponent’s corner to stop the fight.
A big test of his title credentials passed with flying colours, and it signalled the end of Porter’s career in the sport.
4. Jose Benavidez Jr
Back in his home of Omaha in 2018, another defence of his world welterweight belt ended with a vicious knockout of Jose Benavidez Jr in the final round of the contest.
It was the standard Crawford domination for the whole fight, where he used his natural size and ability to outwork his opponent for 12 rounds.
He put an exclamation mark on his victory when he threw a right uppercut from nowhere to knock his rival out.
Benavidez Jr did not find much success following his loss, as ‘Bud’ went on to beat Amir Khan in his next bout.
3. Kell Brook
Crawford had one fight during the pandemic, where he fought in The Bubble at the MGM Grand in 2020 against Kell Brook.
The British fighter had been campaigning at super welterweight before going back down to his natural weight class to face the undefeated welterweight champion.
A routine victory was solidified earlier than anticipated in the fourth round.
The Omaha boxer unloaded a short right hook, which stumbled Brook into the ropes, and after the referee allowed the bout to continue, a quick barrage meant the official had to wave it off.
2. Julius Indongo
What better way to win your first undisputed championship than by knocking out your opponent in the third round? That was what Crawford did when he faced Julius Indongo for the super lightweight titles in 2017.
The undefeated Namibian picked up the IBF title from former ‘Bud’ opponent Ricky Burns before receiving the opportunity to face the American four months later for the undisputed crown.
Unfortunately for the undefeated fighter, it was not meant to be as he was taken apart in three rounds with supreme bodywork.
A combination of punches had set him down in the third, but it was the thudding right hand to the body that stunningly ended things and bestowed the undisputed titles on Crawford.
1. Errol Spence Jr
A list of knockouts and performances from Terence Crawford would not be complete without his greatest victory to date against Errol Spence Jr in 2023.
The pair had been going back and forth for years on who was the best welterweight of the modern era, and they finally met to settle the score in the most anticipated fight of that year in Las Vegas.
Spence had all but one of the belts, with the WBO belt the only one left to complete his set, but it was ‘Bud’ who completed the feat in the most dominant style.
There was trouble early for the ‘Big Fish’ when he was floored by a snappy right hand in the second round to put him on the back foot.
Two separate counter right hands floored Spence Jr in the seventh round before the Texan was stopped from taking any more of a big combination in the ninth to crown Crawford the best welterweight of his generation.