Smith catches up with Crawford, stops him in the 9th

Antwone Smith scored a 9^th round stoppage over previously undefeated Henry Crawford on Showtime Friday night at the First Council Casino, Newkirk, Oklahoma.  Smith was only a slight favorite to win and I know many thought Crawford had a very good chance. I picked Smith, believing he’d he too busy and consistent for Crawford.

However, early in the fight it was easy to see why many liked Crawford to prevail. He has very quick hands and can throw punches in bunches. And in the first two rounds Smith, who isn’t slow, looked like he was mired in quicksand as Crawford let his speedy mitts go.

Although it was clear Smith was in the a guy with better hand speed  he didn’t seem overly troubled by that. Smith stayed within himself, adjusting to what he had in front of him by keeping a stout defense while attempting to keep the pressure on his speedball opponent.

Like in a horse race, when the front runner grabs an early lead, they very often don’t stay that way. Smith understood that Crawford would have his moments early on but he was able to bide his time and adjust for the long haul.  And by the 3^rd round Smith was able to land the jab and bang the body which set the early stages of walking Crawford down.

Crawford was game but just couldn’t do anything to give Smith pause not to go forward and get his pound of flesh. By the 5^th round Crawford was breathing heavily and the stoic and seemingly unaffected Smith was doing the better work.

Smith hit pay dirt in the 6^th when a right handled badly wobbled Crawford. Smith jumped on Crawford scoring a knockdown. Smith knew he had wounded pray in front of him  and  continued to pounce. Smith was wild with some shots but with a minute left in the round, Crawford was getting nailed with power shots and could barely stand up. Crawford wisely lost his gumshield which I think allowed him to recover a bit and get through the round as the ref had to stop the action while it was replaced

Crawford looked all done but surprisingly survived the 7^th and 8^th rounds and performed fairly well. He showed courage and determination but it wasn’t going to be enough. Smith was coming forward and was the stronger man.

And by the 9^th round Crawford seemed badly fatigued while Smith was in cruise control. Finally, late in the round as both were throwing right hands, Smith landed while Crawford missed his own. Crawford dropped slowly but hard to floor, draped over the lower rope. Crawford rose just as the round was ending but he was gone and smartly his trainer retired him in the corner before the 10^th round.

OBSERVATIONS ON SMITH

I’ve been watching him for several fights and can’t help being impressed by Smith in many ways.  He’s only 22 but he’s amassed excellent pro experience for his age and behaves like a veteran professional fighter in and out of the ring. By that I mean he seems to be clearly focused on the task at hand and doesn’t allow any distraction to come his way. Before the fight he has a placid, relaxed look about him. He doesn’t play to the camera or the crowd.

Smith is there to do just one thing and that’s box. And during the fight, Smith is very relaxed and makes adjustments on the fly. In his last fight a bad cut didn’t bother him and in this fight he had a very speedy guy in front of him that he had to figure out, which he did. And after Smith was awarded the stoppage, there wasn’t an excessive celebration. He acts like he’s been there before and seems to understand that the win is merely a step on the path he is on as a successful professional fighter, hence,  just another day at the office for Smith. I just happen to appreciate that type of humility when coupled with tough minded, consistent effort in the ring.

While Smith obviously has good natural ability and reflexes, he’s not someone that was gifted at birth with crushing power or blazing hand speed  But he does appear to be someone that works very hard on improving himself in the nuances of the sweet science as he is a much better technician than you might think judging by his forward moving style. He blocks and slips shots very well and fortunately appears to be a guy with a solid chin which is often important for fighters that don’t rely on pure natural ability.

And he is physically strong with a sturdy set of legs coupled with a deep reserve of stamina. It’s amazing to watch Smith work very hard in his fights and return to corner with his mouth closed while breathing in a relaxed manner through his nose. He comes back to the corner like he just jogged a quarter mile at 4 miles per hour.  And if you watched Crawford as he was heaving in his corner, you might think that just finished sprinting 400 meters in 50 seconds.

Many might not understand my praise for Smith because he’s not a speed demon or flamboyant  in the manner of a Floyd Mayweather nor is he a devastating KO artist. But sometimes guys not born with those obvious, conspicuous gifts are sometimes very special in the less celebrated aspects of the game and often times go on to have long, impressive careers. Some guys like that that come to mind are Marvin Hagler and Bernard Hopkins who were not naturally gifted athletically but turned into consummate professional fighters. Smith obviously has a way to go to reach the heights of those men but so far he does appear to be following their pattern.

WHERE DOES HE GO FROM HERE

I see Smith as a legitimate top 12 welterweight right now. And the division is replete with some young and interesting talent. Of course, we have the old and established guard of Floyd Mayweather, Shane Mosley, Antonio Margarito (If he returns to this division after his suspension) Miguel Cotto and now Manny Pacquiao. We have young champs like Isaac Hlatshwayo, and Andre Berto  along with former champs Luis Collazo, Carlos Quintana and Joshua Clottey. Vyacheslav Senchenko, Selcuk Aydin Saul Alvarez are solid foreign prospects and  we have competent gatekeepers like Alfonso Gomez, Jesus Soto Karass and Carlos Molina.

I wouldn’t mind seeing Smith in two or three more bouts before he challenged guys like Hlatshwayo and Berto. I do think in two or three years he’ll be ready for anyone in the division and don’t see anyone running over him. Smith is a guy most have barely heard of or took seriously only a couple of years ago but I think he has a chance to go much further than anyone could have imagined. And Smith, who is a throwback fighter, will continue to act like a consummate professional by staying busy and learning his craft. I don’t think he’d have it any other way.