On paper, it was hyped as the fight of the century, a clash between two pound-for-pound stars, and about as 50/50 a matchup as you could ever find. In the ring, however, there was nothing competitive about Terence Crawford vs. Errol Spence Jr. (photo by Ryan Hafey)

Crawford was in no rush, he sat back and paid close attention to what Spence was attempting to do in the opening round. The former unified champ did what he always does, implementing immediate pressure. Crawford didn’t sweat it. He remained in a high guard, began studying Spence’s patterns, and in the second, made him pay.

Two hard shots upstairs sent the 33-year-old to the canvas. From there, it was essentially a mismatch. Crawford (40-0, 31 KOs) easily outboxed the pound-for-pound star and when the time was right, landed the sort of pernicious blows that left Spence stumbling across the ring.

Derrick James, Spence’s trainer, pushed every button available to him. From screaming out motivational speeches to handing out multiple game plans, James did all that he could. Nevertheless, Crawford was simply on another level. Having played with his food long enough, Crawford ended the night of his man in the ninth.

With fans in the T-Mobile Arena cheering Crawford’s undisputed accomplishment, Antonio Tarver shook his head incredulously. The former champ, however, refused to lambast Spence for his efforts. Instead, he began pointing a blaming finger in the direction of his head trainer.

“They crowning these guys Trainer of the Year,” said Tarver to Seconds Out. “Come on man, this man wasn’t prepared for no Terence Crawford. The trainer gotta take some flack for that. It’s his responsibility to have his fighter ready. No head movement, no feints, didn't have his hands up, feet everywhere. Where’s the lessons?”

Spence was flat-out off. Outside of a few flashes, he fought listlessly and timidly. His offense has always shined under the bright lights but his defense often allowed him to leave the ring without any cuts and bruises. This time around, Crawford found every hole imaginable, busted Spence up, and nearly shut both of his eyes by the time their contest ended. Left and right hooks were fed to the 33-year-old all night but it was the consistent jab of Crawford that did most of the damage.

No matter the round, it was as if Tarver was watching a perpetual loop. From his point of view, James had his man focusing too much on the offensive end.

“No defense, he couldn't get away from the jab. The jab was what beat him all night. You can’t always be offensive-minded in a fight.”