By Francisco Salazar

There was nothing wrong with trash-talking your opponent. There is a problem though if you can't back it up.

Hank Lundy talked the talk in the build-up to his Saturday clash against Terence Crawford, but could not back it up when it counted most: inside the ring.

After a slow start, Crawford broke the game Lundy down, stopping him in the fifth round before a raucous crowd inside The Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City, N.Y.

Crawford, who successfully defended his WBO junior welterweight world title, is quickly asserting himself as the top 140-pound fighter in boxing today. With power in each hand and a stellar skill-set, the Omaha, Neb. fighter has now stopped four of his last five opponents.

Lundy (26-6-1, 13 KOs) has lost three of his last four bouts.

While Crawford has shown his mean-streak inside the ring, boxing fans were taken aback at what happened at Thursday's press conference. During the customary face-off, words were exchanged that was punctuated by Crawford shoving Lundy.

Some wondered whether Lundy got in Crawford's head, which would give him an advantage against the unbeaten fighter going into Saturday's fight.

While Lundy was able to get the better of his opponent in the opening round, Crawford swung momentum his way in the second. He began timing Lundy with left hands to the head, especially when he switched into a southpaw stance.

Lundy also countered by fighting from a southpaw stance, but was not able to equal the success he had in the opening round.

Crawford stepped on the gas as the bout progressed, but it was in the fifth round when he did his best work. Into the scone half of the round, Crawford hurt Lundy with a left hand to the head. Moments later, Crawford landed a left, which eventually dropped Lundy to the canvas.

Lundy stood up, but it was only a matter of time before Crawford, a devastating finisher, landed a barrage of punches that promoted referee Steve Willis to stop the fight at 2:09.

"I said before the fight that he was going to respect me," said Crawford, who improved to 28-0, 20 KOs. "At the end of the fight, he told me I fought a good fight. For that, I respect him."

Crawford landed 89 of 247 punches (36 percent), while Lundy connected on 47 of 211 punches (22 percent).

If Crawford was still smarting that he was not selected to be Manny Pacquiao's opponent on April 9, he sure was not dwelling on it. Then again, a fight against the Filipino fighter could be something Top Rank, who promotes both, could look at later this year or in 2017.

In the short term, Crawford looks like he has a fight lined up in June or July. Names that have floated around on social media were Russian brawler Ruslan Provodnikov and WBC junior welterweight world titleholder Viktor Postol.

The likelihood of a fight between Crawford and Postol happening is slim. Promoter Bob Arum is planning to stage a Viktor Postol fight on April 30, so it would be interesting to see when and if a fight between Crawford and Postol would occur.

Crawford is making a strong case for being the best fighter at 140 pounds. While Postol and Adrien Broner have world title belts at 140 pounds, it is Crawford that has scored impressive win after impressive win. Boxing politics (Top Rank vs. Premier Boxing Champions) may prevent Crawford from fighting Broner anytime soon, but Crawford continues to prove he is the real deal.

The results and the way they are accomplished speak for themselves.

Verdejo decisions Silva

Unbeaten lightweight Felix Verdejo won a 10 round unanimous decision over William Silva.

After scintillating performances against Ivan Najera and Josenilson Dos Santos in his last two fights, Verdejo's performance on Saturday to boxing fans was much to be desired.

Verdejo mostly dominated the action throughout the bout, but did not step on the gas until the later rounds, especially the final round.

Silva, who falls to 23-1, 14 KOs, did well in the first couple of rounds, looking to land counter right hands to the head of Verdejo. As the bout progressed and Verdejo was piling up the points, Silva's punch output dropped.

Silva looked as thought he was in survival mode by the eighth round. While Verdejo was in control, some wondered whether the popular Puerto Rican fighter would look to score a knockout, especially since Silva was looking to survive.

The outcome was not in doubt, with Verdejo winning by scores of 100-90, 100-90, and 99-91.

"I felt good during the fight," said Verdejo after the fight. "My opponent moved a lot, but we did what we had to do to get the win. This is a new experience that I learned and we will move forward."

Verdejo, who improves to 20-0, 14 KOs, is scheduled to return to the ring on April 16 in his native Puerto Rico.

Some wondered whether Verdejo underachieved on Saturday. Others recognize that he is only 22 years old and has still yet to hit his ceiling.

While some may critique Verdejo's performance from Saturday, those same ones may end up praising him if he were to put together a sensational performance later this year.

 Francisco A. Salazar has written for Boxingscene.com since September of 2012 and has covered boxing in Southern California and abroad since 2000. Francisco also covers boxing for the Ventura County (CA) Star newspaper, RingTV, and Knockout Nation. He can be reached by email at santio89@yahoo.com or on Twitter at FSalazarBoxing