Terence Crawford had the boxing world talking with his dominant victory over Errol Spence Jr. over the weekend.
Crawford made the previously undefeated Spence look ordinary for eight rounds on Saturday, before earning a ninth-round TKO and cementing himself as one of the best boxers of his generation.
But while the stunning one-sidedness of the fight got everyone talking in the aftermath, it was actually Crawford who got the first word in following the fight. Boxing reporter Michael Benson posted on X (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday a transcription of what Crawford said to his opponent immediately after the fight ended, and the words show a huge amount of respect from the victor towards the former unified champion.
"If it wasn't for you, this would never have happened," Crawford said to Spence, according to Benson. "So I appreciate you. You're a helluva fighter, you already know that. I appreciate this opportunity."
Crawford's post-fight words to Spence are consistent with the lead-up to the bout, in which a lot of the usual pre-fight bravado was absent between the combatants. As Spence wrote in a social media post the night before stepping into the ring, the fight was simply about "two men daring to be great."
Crawford clearly shared that sentiment.