Not long after being named ESPN's 2014 fighter of the year, unbeaten lightweight titlist Terence Crawford announced his intentions to campaign full time at 140 pounds.
After Saturday's unveiling against Thomas Dulorme in a vacant title bout at the University of Texas at Arlington, the entire junior welterweight division has been placed on notice.
Crawford (26-0, 18 KOs) set traps and patiently felt Dulorme out over the first five rounds before exploding in Round 6 to the tune of three knockdowns, giving referee Rafael Ramos no choice but to wave off the bout at 1:51.
The native of Omaha, Nebraska, was accurate and powerful once he let his hands go and admitted afterward that he lulled Dulorme (22-2, 14 KOs) to sleep in the early rounds.
"My coaches told me to do that. They told me when I go out there, don't give him it yet. Just touch him, touch him. Don't let him feel it yet," Crawford said. "Then, as you can see, in that sixth round, he told me to pick it up.
"That's what we practiced on, just touching him and making him feel like, 'Oh, this guy ain't got nothing.'"
Dulorme, 25, of Puerto Rico, was the aggressor early, yet wasn't able to land much of anything clean outside of body shots. Crawford was strong defensively and controlled distance extremely well.
Crawford, 27, looked increasingly confident in Round 5, smiling as he made Dulorme miss. That confidence was rewarded the following round when he staggered and dropped Dulorme with a clean combination upstairs in the opening minute.
Moments later, Crawford cornered Dulorme and landed a flurry of shots before flooring him a second time on a right hand. After Dulorme regained his feet again, Crawford used uppercuts and combinations to pin him against the ropes, forcing him to take a knee as Ramos jumped in.
"I had a hell of a performance," Crawford said. "I felt stronger, versatile. I felt like I could do whatever [I wanted]. As long as I train hard, I can do whatever."
