Terence “Bud” Crawford returned to his native Omaha and didn't disappoint, displacing David Avanesyan by six round knockout to retain his WBO Welterweight title. 2:14 of round six was the official time of the stoppage as Crawford (39-0, 29 KOs) was in his BLK Prime Pay-Per-View Debut and possible final fight in his hometown. This was the tenth straight knockout victory for Crawford.
The opening round had started with the typical slow start from Crawford, with Avanesyan (31-3, 28 KOs) looking to come press forward the action. Nothing substantial landed as Crawford kept Avanesyan at a distance by sticking his right jab out as a range finder. More of the same in the second, as Avanesyan was looking to slow Crawford down with shots to the body. As the third round closed, Crawford was trying to adjust to the forward movement of Avanesyan, who was able to land lunging in with his right.
Bud didn't come to play 🤯🤯#CrawfordAvanesyan
🎥: @IFLTV / Twitter pic.twitter.com/PsSZSU9pcK— PPV.COM (@ppv_com) December 11, 2022
The action picked up as Crawford started putting punches together as both fighters looked to fight in close, which woke up the crowd at the CHI Health Center in Omaha, Neb., as the fourth round ended. That continued as Avanesyan pressed forward, but Crawford was mixing up his shot selection. After a check on Crawford's glove, which showed they were ripped open, the fight continued. Crawford wouldn't need any new gear as a counter right hook on the button that floored him iced cold, and referee Sparkle Lee waived this fight over. It took a few minutes and a look over by ringside physicians, but Avanesyan was ok.
With the win, the conversation will return to a possible matchup with Errol Spence Jr. While that dead horse awaits to be resurrected, Crawford brought excitement to a fight card leading up to the headliner was a who's-who of showcase fights and tepid action.
The Undercard
Cris Cyborg (1-0) made her pro debut against Gabby Holloway (0-3), and the 37-year-old MMA legend got by the winless southpaw with a unanimous decision. The contest provided little in action until the third round when Cyborg could land a few shots charging into Holloway, who wasn't engaging. Holloway was knocked down in the third round by a combination closed by a left to the body. Cyborg could not close out the fight in the third, as Holloway could make it to the bell. Holloway looked to be in survival mode in the fourth, which made this bout go to the academic scorecards after four rounds. Those cards were 40-35, 39-36, and 40-34.
A successful US-debut for @criscyborg! 🇧🇷 welcome to boxing and congratulations, champ 👊🏽@BLKPRIMEBOXING | 𝐏𝐏𝐕 𝐀𝐂𝐂𝐄𝐒𝐒 ⏩ https://t.co/k1liw8tn8l
📸: @hoganphotos#blkprime #newera #neweraofboxing pic.twitter.com/qScbXZ6lQq
— BLK PRIME BOXING – A NEW ERA OF BOXING HAS BEGUN (@BLKPRIMEBOXING) December 11, 2022
Steve Nelson (18-0, 15 KOs) opened the show taking on James Ballard 10-5,3 KOs), and the ring entrances were longer than the bout, with Nelson winning by first-round stoppage. Ballard tripped coming through the ropes before the bell rang, and once it rang, it didn't get any better for him. Ballard had no balance for as long as the fight lasted. Nelson mercifully ended it with a flush overhand right to the head in the first round. This bout was Nelson's first in-ring action in 27 months, and the only takeaway from this one was that many wish it were against someone else.
“We've gone through all types of opponents, and he was the only guy who signed the contract,” Nelson said after the early stoppage.
Jeremiah Milton won against Dajuan Calloway in a tough learning fight with the heavyweight from Tulsa by a unanimous decision. The three judges all favored Milton (59-55 x 2 and 58-56) as he moved to 8-0. to close out this year with his fifth pro fight.
Calloway (5-2,5 KOs) started a lot more agile than his weigh-in weight of 387 lbs and used his jab and size to push Milton back. Calloway was also keeping his guard up and avoiding power shots. It made for a tactical affair, as Milton's offense only came when he landed combinations. It doubled as a boring one as Calloway carrying his size was not on the same level of conditioning, the downside of having an over 130 lb. weight advantage.
That changed when Milton caught Calloway along the ropes in the fourth round with a combination. Despite the lack of output, Calloway's defense and ability to counter kept him in the fight. Milton was sporting a busted mouth as the contest closed, likely due to the counter hooks from Calloway.
On paper, Featherweights Arnold Khegai and Eduardo Baez, the closest fight of the night, turned into the sloppiest, uneventful one, with Khegai winning by a split decision. The scorecards were more interesting than any action in the ring as one had it 95-94 Eduardo Baez but overruled by scores of 96-93 and 95-94 in favor of Arnold Khegai. Khegai (19-1-1,11 KOs)from the onset looked more active and effective than Baez (21-4,2,7 KOs), but the rounds blurred together, leading to why the cards were all over the place.
The 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐢𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐞 #ArnoldKhegai! 🇺🇦 #CrawfordAvanesyan@BLKPRIMEBOXING | 𝐏𝐏𝐕 𝐀𝐂𝐂𝐄𝐒𝐒 ⏩ https://t.co/k1liw8tn8l
📸: @hoganphotos#blkprime #newera #neweraofboxing pic.twitter.com/RdlXxrIxnG
— BLK PRIME BOXING – A NEW ERA OF BOXING HAS BEGUN (@BLKPRIMEBOXING) December 11, 2022
The referee had to warn incessantly about holding, and Khegai Stopswas warned for lowering his head coming in. Despite the warning, A sequence of rushing in, smothering punches, and holding until the referee broke it up was the holding pattern that proceeded for ten uneventful rounds.
It was clear that the only adjustment being made by both in the fight was the smothering of punches by both, and Baez couldn't get into any rhythm.Khegai looked to catch a break with these tactics until the ninth round, when he finally was deducted a point. Still, it seemed too little too late as Baez could not get enough separation or spacing to land any shots against the roughhousing of Khegai. The broadcast labeled it an “effort fight” as the bout reached the final round, signaling even they ran out of ways of saying the same thing repeatedly to describe what transpired.
