Terence Crawford retained his WBO welterweight title in what will be forever discussed as a farcical ending following a dominant performance against Briton Amir Khan.
Crawford felled Khan in the opening round, and then dominated with heavy shots and attacks, switching to the southpaw stance in the third round.
With Crawford winning every round and Khan marked up to face and body, the end looked near in every round.
But a low blow in the sixth round, which was clearly in the groin, gave Khan’s trainer Virgil Hunter the opportunity to step in and call off the contest.
Hunter told the ringside doctor to end the fight as Khan tried to recover but was clearly in discomfort.
“Khan told me he’d could not feel his legs so I did not want him to go on,” Hunter told The Daily Telegraph.
In the aftermath, Crawford and promoter Bob Arum called on boxing manager Al Haymon and the IBF welterweight Errol Spence for a unification.
It would represent an All-American mega-fight to compare with Thomas Hearns and Sugar Ray Leonard in the Eighties.
Crawford said after the fight: “The fight I want next is Errol Spence (IBF champion). Whenever he is ready, he can come and get it.
“I could tell I was breaking him (Khan) down. It was just a matter of time. I just took my time. I was disappointed the corner stopped the fight in that manner, but Virgil is a great coach, and he was looking out for his fighter. I know he didn’t want to go out like that.”
“Benavidez and Gamboa were 10 times faster than him,” said Top Rank chairman Bob Arum: “We want to fight Errol Spence. Everyone wants the fight. There is one guy stopping it, and that is Al Haymon.”
Arum was also disappointed with Khan’s pullout in the sixth round. “It was bullsh–. I’ve been promoting this sport for 55 years and Khan should have carried on. It was bullsh–“.
Khan said: “I don’t usually give up but I felt something in my legs and my stomach. I will, go back and assess my future with my family. I now know why he is the best fighter in the world.”