Terence Crawford v Jose Benavidez Jr

[Master]

Terence Crawford, who faces Jose Benavidez Jr. on Saturday, hopes TV deals don't prevent Errol Spence fight

Mark these words down, and never let Todd duBoef forget them.

The president of Top Rank has launched a long-term deal to televise his fights with ESPN, and re-signed superstar champion Terence Crawford in large part because of the promise that duBoef made when they met in Colorado Springs, Colorado, to sign the contract extension.

Most of the opponents fight fans want to see face Crawford – IBF welterweight champion Errol Spence Jr., WBC champion Shawn Porter, Danny Garcia, WBA champion Keith Thurman – are with the Premier Boxing Champions. Top Rank and the PBC don’t have a history of working well together. The PBC has TV deals with Showtime and Fox.

For all the good the TV coverage does for boxing, the TV deals have historically been responsible for more potentially great fights not occurring than any other single reason.

Crawford, who fights Jose Benavidez Jr. on ESPN on Saturday in Omaha, Nebraska, doesn’t want the television network of potential opponents to get in the way, as trainer/manager Brian McIntyre made abundantly clear on a conference call.

“Right now, the biggest name in the welterweight division is Errol Spence,” McIntyre said. “So, what we would do is, and I’m glad Todd is on this call, they just put the pressure on ESPN as a leader in sports. They want to be the leader in boxing. If they want to be a leader in boxing, they’re going to go out and make those fights happen. And so that’s what Terence wants. They want Terence to be the No. 1 fighter in the world.”

DuBoef insists that TV affiliations won’t impact Crawford’s chances of making the Spence fight. Color me skeptical, since I’ve been down this road far too many times before.

But duBoef, in clear and unequivocal terms, said he’d make those fights happen. Remember this if you start to hear noises to the contrary down the line.

“I just want to make this crystal clear,” duBoef said. “ … Regardless of your affiliation, we will take on all comers. That’s it. We don’t care where you are, what you do. We will go and take on all comers, right? Terence is an elite fighter. He is at that class. … We’ve done the biggest fights with the biggest complications of all time. [Crawford] wants to take on the biggest. We want to provide the biggest.”

Benavidez is far from the biggest test, and it’s been clear that Top Rank likes to slow walk these potential matches. That said, it’s not that Benavidez is just some bum off the street.

He’s 27-0 with 18 knockouts, though he hasn’t fought anyone remotely close to elite at welterweight. But he’s a former national Golden Gloves champion – the youngest winner ever, in fact – and he’s not without talent.

He’s incredibly confident he can defeat Crawford, who in my mind is the finest pound-for-pound boxer in the world. As it stands now, I rank Crawford first and Spence second in the mythical pound-for-pound ratings. A win over Crawford, or even just a competitive showing, would be a surprise.

Crawford is one of the sport’s most dominant champions and is an amazing minus-2500 favorite over Benavidez at the MGM Grand sports book. Benavidez is plus-1250.

The two have had a long running war of words and nearly came to blows at a fight they both attended. Crawford, who isn’t much for talking, is hardly intimidated by Benavidez’s threats.

“Talk is cheap,” Crawford said. “Come [Saturday], all the talking and all the answers that everybody want to ask about the fight will be answered. I really don’t have nothing to say about the guy. Come fight night, you know I’ll be ready.”

If Crawford defeats Benavidez, the talk of matches with Porter, Garcia, Thurman and especially Spence will begin anew. You can book this that there is no chance a Crawford-Spence fight will happen next and it’s almost as certain that it won’t happen in the fight after that. They’re going to want to milk it for all it’s worth.

But hopefully duBoef will prove to be a man of his word. Crawford is one of today’s greats, but to determine if he’s an all-time great will take the kind of opponents who aren’t on Top Rank’s roster.

Those kinds of opponents are with the PBC. So remember these words, too, from duBoef, when after Saturday’s bout with Benavidez, talk turns to Crawford’s future.

“We’ve established what we want to do,” duBoef said. “ … We’re going to go after all those guys. We’re not allowing anything, no politics, no nothing, to get in the way. They want to do it. We want to do it. Let’s just get it done. We’ll figure out a solution.”

Recent boxing history suggests one should be dubious of such a claim.

The only way for the fans to affect change, though, is by remembering such promises made by promoters and holding their feet to the fire.

Hopefully, my skepticism is misplaced and Crawford-Spence happens without a hitch. Putting a little pressure on, though, can’t hurt.

https://uk.sports.yahoo.com/news/ter...181328393.html

[Alpha]

This should be a good fight, Crawford should be a level above but Benavidez can fight and has solid wins over Herrera and Santana.

Benavidez was out recovering from a gunshot injury but has had 2 fights since returning. On paper this is a solid fight. Would love to see either guy shine.

[powerpuncher]

This should be a good fight, Crawford should be a level above but Benavidez can fight and has solid wins over Herrera and Santana.

Benavidez was out recovering from a gunshot injury but has had 2 fights since returning. On paper this is a solid fight. Would love to see either guy shine.

He got a gift in the Herrera fight.

Benavidez was an up and comer but kind of faded away. I’m betting Crawford beats him down pretty badly.

[Alpha]

This should be a good fight, Crawford should be a level above but Benavidez can fight and has solid wins over Herrera and Santana.

Benavidez was out recovering from a gunshot injury but has had 2 fights since returning. On paper this is a solid fight. Would love to see either guy shine.

He got a gift in the Herrera fight.

Benavidez was an up and comer but kind of faded away. I’m betting Crawford beats him down pretty badly.

Herrera should have won that fight. Benavidez got the decision.

I wonder if his brother has helped him improve?

[J_Undisputed]

Like benevidez, but he tends to get hook happy and give away all his height and reach to fight like a t-rex and has a bad habit of pulling straight back with his chin in the air. Corrales, Williams, Margarito..all tall guys that fought short and eventually fell hard.

Crawford cuts him up like a surgeon. Right hands over the top for as long as it lasts.

[Ron Swanson]

I’m not sure anyone near the same size as Crawford can beat him.

I’d pick Spence but I wouldn’t bet a dime on it.

[TitoFan]

Yeah Crawford has impressed me too. Not only got the skills and power to dominate.... he's got the attitude and ring mentality. No wasted movements... no wasted energy. Crafty in the way he studies the opponent before fine-tuning his plan of attack. Right now I see no one on the horizon either.

[Alpha]

Yeah Crawford has impressed me too. Not only got the skills and power to dominate.... he's got the attitude and ring mentality. No wasted movements... no wasted energy. Crafty in the way he studies the opponent before fine-tuning his plan of attack. Right now I see no one on the horizon either.

I quite like Crawford as well, but I thought some of the stuff he was saying to Benavidez the other day was racist as f-ck. Then he got all butt hurt when Benavidez started trashing his mom. Got to be able to take it if you want to dish it.

[Alpha]

Got a bit heated at the weigh in:

[Yuzo]

Crawford cuts him up like a surgeon. Right hands over the top for as long as it lasts.

check hooks.

[Alpha]

Crawford cuts him up like a surgeon. Right hands over the top for as long as it lasts.

check hooks.

That what he tried to hit him with.

[Yuzo]

Crawford cuts him up like a surgeon. Right hands over the top for as long as it lasts.

check hooks.

That what he tried to hit him with.

if you look closely he is side stepping him.

if you press down on your front foot and twist, and swing over your back foot in the same motion, your body swivels.



and that lets the southpaw side step a right hand.



the other way he throws the check hook is with a step back.

you press down and push off on your front foot into your step back and let the other guy lunge into it, as he tries to cross the gap to compensate for the space your step back creates.



thats why a good step back, and a check hook, are nice moves for a counter puncher to pick up. they go together well.

most of the check hooks you'll see southpaws throw are over the top of the orthodox jab and side stepping the orthodox right hand. you should see crawford doing that a lot tomorrow. i think thats why he switches southpaw. so he can throw southpaw check hooks with his right hand. he really likes that punch.

[Master]

I think Crawford was deliberately missing with the hook at the weigh in.

[Primo Carnera]

I think Crawford was deliberately missing with the hook at the weigh in.

I agree @Master.

[Master]

I think Crawford was deliberately missing with the hook at the weigh in.

I agree @Master.

I also think Tyson was deliberately missing his punch here