OFF the ring, Jose Benavides Jr. talked a lot. But inside it, he crouched a lot.

You can talk a lot and still end up harmless.

You can crouch a lot but you can end up prideless.

That sums up Jose “Merciless” Benavides Jr. on October 14: He was all bark, no bite.

Terence “Bud” Crawford stopped the barking—and crouching—with a right hook to the jaw in 2:42 of the 12th and last round, in the process earning another stoppage in five months.

And yet, I had predicted a tossup.

Big slip.

I got carried away by Benavides’ unblemished record

Crawford was unbeaten in 33 fights before he staked his WBO welterweight crown. Twenty- four were knockouts.

But Benavides was also unbeaten in 27 fights, adorned with 18 KOs.

There is drama in Benavides.

He stormed from the starting blocks on fire, winning his first nine fights by knockout.

He would make his victory streak look unstoppable, until an accident saw him suffer a gunshot wound in his leg.

Doctors doubted seriously if he could fight again.

But some 18 months later, Benavides was back with his incredible winning ways intact.

And only last June 9, he knocked out Frank Rojas, who was previously unbeaten in 21 fights.

That win was so awesome it finally lined Benavides up for a title fight with Crawford, who stopped Jeff Horn in the 9th round—also on June 9.

Benavides had waited three years for this date with Crawford.

Benavides, 26, kept his word: He wasn’t late, but he wasn’t merciless, too.

Did he fight?

Ninety-nine percent, he just crouched. The remaining one percent saw him shake his head when he absorbed body blows. Sure, they jarred him, but he feigned pain each time by shaking his head.

I’m no sadist, but I gave Crawford all the first 11 rounds. Benavides never fought; he just stood there, crouched there.

The fight was held in Crawford’s hometown of Omaha, Nebraska, whose most famous son is Warren Buffett, one of the world’s richest alongside the likes of Bill Gates and George Soros.

If I were Buffett, I’d give Crawford, 31, a bonus.

Sorry, Bud. I am no Buffett.

Instead, may I give Benavides the boot?