Boxing Challenge: Crawford KO's Kavaliauskas

The Saturday night card from Top Rank on ESPN gave viewers all that they could expect from the card from Madison Square Garden as arguably the world's best fighter received a test for a few rounds and a prospect turned into a champion with the type of explosive performance that made fans look anxiously forward to a future fight against a superstar.

Terence Crawford survived a few uneasy moments in the early rounds before knocking out Egid Kavaliauskas in the ninth round.
Kavaliauskas landed some big punches on Crawford in the second and third rounds before Crawford settled into his normal groove and began land more often.
Crawford knocked Kavaliauskas down late in the seventh and appeared to be biding his time through the eighth before two knockdowns ended the fight in the ninth from the best finisher in boxing.
I had Crawford well ahead despite taking more punches than he is accustomed to by a score of 78-71.
I'm not sure what fighter will face Crawford next with the PBC still having the best depth in the division, but Crawford does have hope in the future with strong junior welterweights such as Jose Ramirez, Regis Prograis, and Josh Taylor possibly moving up in late 2020 or early 2021.

Teofimo Lopez established himself as a champion and possible star with a two-round destruction of Richard Commey that won the IBF lightweight title for Lopez and the chance for two more titles against Vasyl Lomachenko in the spring.
I thought Commey won the first round and might have been winning the second before both fighters cocked right hands.
It was Lopez landing first with a devastating shot that Commey showed a great chin and heart by even rising from a shot that against many would have ended the fight.
However, at that stage, heart and chin weren't going to be enough to survive and as Lopez landed combinations that trapped a groggy Commey against the ropes, referee David Fields was forced to stop the fight.
I would favor Vasyl Lomachenko against his fight against Lopez, but Lopez has the power and speed to trouble Lomachenko and with the puncher's chance of pulling the huge upset.

In the ESPN opener, featherweight Michael Conlan dominated Vladimir Nikitin and won a ten-round decision in a rematch of their Olympic match that ended with Nikitin winning a controversial decision.
Their professional battle wasn't close (98-92 on my card) as Conlan patiently boxed on the outside and picked apart the attacking Nikitin in a bout that lacked excitement other than a seventh-round that featured a few exchanges.
Conlan will face Shakur Stevenson sometime next year as he has risen to the top contender's position in the WBO without facing a top fifteen fighter.

Friday night in the main event from Golden Boy on DAZN, another talented future star looked very sharp as welterweight Vergil Ortiz stopped veteran Brad Solomon in five rounds.
The crafty Solomon did his best to keep Ortiz off him and simply lacked the strength to do so against the power of Ortiz.
Ortiz scored a flash knockdown in the fourth round but dominated the fifth with Solomon being forced to his knees twice before the fight was called off.
Ortiz looks to be a match for even the best welterweights in the game, but like Terence Crawford appears to be trapped in a spot where he is going to have problems finding big fights due to his promoter.
Ortiz does hold one of those minor WBA belts, so perhaps Alexander Besputin, who holds another one of those, of Top Rank, could be a match or even Terence Crawford in what would be a high-risk high reward for both men.

In the boxing challenge, Ramon Malpica outscored me seven to five in the boxing challenge with the difference being the win from Teofimo Lopez and an extra point from Vergil Ortiz
I lead the challenge 302-265