Photos: Crawford Drops, Batters Kavaliauskas For Stoppage

Madison Square Garden, New York City - WBO welterweight champion Terence Crawford (36-0, 27 KOs) retained his title after dropping unbeaten mandatory challenger Egidijus Kavaliauskas (21-1-1, 17 KOs) three times before the bout was waved off in the ninth round. (photos by Mikey Williams)

Crawford came out with a sharp jab to control the pace and distance from the first round. The second was as close as the first, with a technical boxing match playing out.

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In the third, Kavaliauskas appeared to stun Crawford as he came in. Crawford went down and the referee waved it off as a slip. The challenger stayed patient and landed a combination when they traded. Crawford came out working the jab in the fourth, throwing combinations and pushing back the challenger. Crawford continued the same strategy in the fifth.

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Kavaliauskas made it close in the sixth, with Crawford still holding the edge. They were trading punches at close range in the seventh. As they were trading hard shots in the seventh, Crawford dropped him with a hook. He was unable to finish as the round ended.

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Crawford controlled most of the eight round with his boxing and punching. During the ninth, a series of punches gave Crawford a second knockdown, and then he dropped his quickly a third time for the stoppage.

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