Career
As of October 2015, he is ranked by The Ring as the world"s seventh-best fighter, pound for pound. Nicknamed "Bud", Crawford is known as a fast, hard-hitting and highly technical fighter, and is recognized for his unique ability to comfortably switch hit from orthodox to southpaw. 2006 National North American Palladium Ltd Championships, 132 lbs – gold medalist
2006 Blue & Gold National Championships, 132 lbs – gold medalist
2007 United States. Pan American Games Box-Offs, 132 lbs – gold medalist
Debut and development
Crawford made his professional debut on March 14, 2008, knocking out Brian Cummings in Round 1.
Filling in for an injured fighter and accepting the bout on less than a month"s notice, Crawford nevertheless outboxed the hard hitting Colombian and secured a unanimous decision victory.
Crawford vs Alejandro Sanabria
Held in the American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas, United States of America, the fight served as an eliminator for the WBO world lightweight title. In the 6th round, Crawford landed a devastating left hook, sending Sanabria to the canvas.
Though Sanabria was able to return to his feet within the count, the fight was waved off by referee Laurence Cole, giving Crawford a TKO victory. Five months after besting previously undefeated Russian fighter Andrey Klimov in another elimination bout, Crawford traveled to Scotland to take on Ricky Burns for the WBO lightweight title.
Crawford versus Gamboa
Fighting for the first time as a professional in his hometown of Omaha, Nebraska, Crawford made his first title defense against undefeated Cuban fighter Yuriorkis Gamboa.
Crawford stated after the fight "I was warming up, getting used to his style in the first couple of rounds. I just wanted to test him out, I felt like I could make an adjustment with my jab, because he"s always dropping his left hand. I thought I could get him with my jab in the southpaw stance."
Crawford versus
Beltran
After the fight, Crawford announced his intentions to leave the lightweight division (with a weight limit of 135 pounds) to fight as a junior welterweight (with a 140 pound limit).
Crawford versus Dulorme
Crawford made his debut at junior welterweight on April 18, 2015 at the College Park Center in Arlington, Texas against Thomas Dulorme, with the vacant WBO junior welterweight title on the line. The fight was stopped after Dulorme was knocked down three times in the 6th round, granting Crawford a TKO victory.