Manny Pacquiao v Terence Crawford

[SlimTrae]

Kell?

[Master]

Unbeaten Terence Crawford hoping to fight before year ends

Terence ''Bud'' Crawford is looking for a fight.

The undefeated WBO welterweight champion has never fought less than twice in a calendar year as a professional. He faces the possibility of being idle all of 2020.

Has Crawford, in the prime of his career at 32, gotten antsy?

''Actually, no,'' he said in an interview with The Associated Press. ''I've been using this time for resting my body. I'm getting to spend more time with my kids and am just taking the good with the bad.''

He continues to train every day. Shortly after coming through the door to his Omaha gym, a shouting Crawford asked manager-trainer Brian ''BoMac'' McIntyre for the day's plan and immediately changed into sweat clothes. Crawford has been helping WBO 130-pound champion Jamel Herring and unbeaten 168-pound contender Steven Nelson prepare for fights in Las Vegas this weekend.

''I get in here and work out with the fighters that have fight dates,'' Crawford said. ''Normally, I'm running with them, doing strength and conditioning, sparring.''

Crawford (36-0, 27 KOs) hasn't had a fight since he stopped Egidijus Kavaliauskas in the ninth round at Madison Square Garden on Dec. 14.

Regarded as one of the world's top pound-for-pound fighters and a winner of belts in three divisions, Crawford has long wanted a shot at eight-division champion and current WBA welterweight super title-holder Manny Pacquiao. Top Rank CEO Bob Arum has been unable to make that fight so far.

Negotiations are underway to get Crawford a November date with the Kell Brook (39-2, 27 KOs). Brook is a former IBF welterweight champ who now is the WBO No. 10 at 154 pounds. He would have to come down a weight class to face Crawford.

Meanwhile, Crawford is on the outside looking in as top welterweights handled by Top Rank's rival promoter, Premier Boxing Champions, have been able to fight during the coronavirus pandemic.

Shawn Porter won a unanimous decision against Sebastian Formella on Aug. 23 in a WBC/IBF world title eliminator. WBC/IBF champion Errol Spence Jr. has a Fox pay-per-view fight against Danny Garcia on Nov. 21.

Jamal James won a unanimous decision over Thomas Dulorme to get in line to face Pacquiao or the winner of Sunday's Yordenis Ugas-Abel Ramos bout.

Former unified welterweight champ Keith Thurman, also a PBC fighter and the No. 4 WBC contender, has called on Crawford to be his first opponent after a layoff of more than a year following his loss to Pacquiao.

''It all comes down to money,'' Crawford said of crossing over to face one of the PBC boxers. ''If the money was put up, those fights would be made.''

Purses have taken a hit because of the pandemic, with many venues not yet open to fans. Plus, Arum and PBC founder Al Haymon have had a cold relationship, though media outlets have reported the two are more willing to do business with each other since a federal anti-trust lawsuit brought by Arum was settled in the spring.

Crawford said he can afford to be patient, noting that his best money-making years are still ahead of him.

''I don't feel like I'm about to be 33,'' he said. ''I never drank, never smoked. I took care of my body. Only thing a person can actually say about me is that I ate a lot of sweets. That's it. My body is very preserved.''

As impressive as his record is, Crawford hasn't garnered the respect he believes he's due. Critics say his resume is missing a career-defining fight.

''The only reason they say that is because of how dominant I've been,'' he said.

Crawford rolled off a list of opponents he's beaten: Amir Khan, Viktor Postol, Yuriokis Gamboa, John Molina Jr., Ricky Burns, Raymundo Beltran.



''Ricky Burns, he became champion after (fighting) me. Beltran, he became champion after me. A lot of people discredit those types of fighters,'' Crawford said. ''Then everybody gets their credit for beating those types of fighters. But me, being on the pedestal that I am, they look at me and say, 'Oh, well, those are just steppingstone fights.' ''

Winning a unified championship at 147 would go a long way in accomplishing his long-held goal of going down as one of the sport's all-time greats. He already has been an undisputed light welterweight champion and the WBO lightweight title-holder.

''They'll give me my credit when I retire,'' Crawford said. ''Muhammad Ali, a lot of people didn't like him. He was the villain. A lot of people didn't like Mike Tyson, they just knew he was going to knock somebody out. A lot of people say Mike Tyson didn't fight nobody. A lot of people don't like Floyd Mayweather, but they respect him because of how talented he is.

''So when I look at it, I'm never going to get the just due. Just continue to keep winning. That's it.''

https://uk.sports.yahoo.com/unbeaten...7316--box.html

[palmerq]

Funny how people view things, if Thurman v Pac man hadn't happens and crawford beat Thurman then it'd be a great victory for crawford... But if he Beats the guy who beat Thurman the crawford just beat up an old git :S... Looks like crawford is just going to be cursed with asterixes, seems harsh the git is good and has proved it.

[Spicoli]

Funny how people view things, if Thurman v Pac man hadn't happens and crawford beat Thurman then it'd be a great victory for crawford... But if he Beats the guy who beat Thurman the crawford just beat up an old git :S... Looks like crawford is just going to be cursed with asterixes, seems harsh the git is good and has proved it.

Fans can be harsh like that, but maybe it was a case of the ol git beating Thurman who wasn't all he cracked himself up to be. Crawford is one of the most talented fighters going..the thing is it's on him to remove the 'ifs' for fear that it's already becoming a case of the past tense. Woulda coulda shoulda always catches up if a guy sits on the outside looking if for to long. He's a bit stuck. His mandatory is now signed to face division biggest threat in Spence. His number 3 has already been shut out by the same Spence. Sitting in between is one Vergil Ortiz Jr. Either way it's Manny or crossing over with PBC or Oscar to make a big showdown.

[SlimTrae]

Funny how people view things, if Thurman v Pac man hadn't happens and crawford beat Thurman then it'd be a great victory for crawford... But if he Beats the guy who beat Thurman the crawford just beat up an old git :S... Looks like crawford is just going to be cursed with asterixes, seems harsh the git is good and has proved it.

Sad but true. Never thought I'd grow old enough to read of retired All-time greats who were once called overhyped when they were active!

[Master]

Preparing to host the 2022 World Cup, Qatar is now looking to attract big-name boxing.

Promoter Bob Arum has been in talks with Qatari officials about bringing a welterweight unification bout between Manny Pacquiao and Terence Crawford to the energy-rich Gulf nation. The coronavirus pandemic prevented it from taking place this weekend but the Top Rank CEO hopes it goes ahead there next year.

“We had closed the deal,” Arum, who represents Crawford, told The Associated Press. “They were very good people, big government people, and then the minister of health said, ‘I’m not going to approve spectators at the fight.’”

No fans means millions of dollars in lost revenue. Instead Crawford, the undefeated WBO welterweight champion, will fight Kell Brook, the former IBF welterweight title holder, in a lower-profile bout Saturday in Las Vegas.

“If Terence is successful in this fight, I will then go back to them and I believe by March or April, it’ll be an all clear with the vaccine and so forth, and we could put the fight on then,” Arum said in a video call ahead of Saturday's bout. "They were keen to do it and ... we were at the highest level of the government.

“So I’m optimistic that if Terence wins, we can put the fight on and if Terrence doesn’t win and Kell Brook wins, maybe I’ll make Kell Brook with Manny.”

Among the Qatari officials Arum has been talking to is Hassan Al-Thawadi, the chief organizer of the World Cup.

“He’s a big fight fan,” Arum said. “He really is very enthusiastic.”

Bringing a major fight to Qatar could attract the type of scrutiny of worker rights that led to World Cup organizers raising standards and conditions under pressure from human rights activists.

Saudi Arabia last December staged the first-ever heavyweight title fight in the Middle East, with Anthony Joshua's victory over Andy Ruiz Jr. shrouded in controversy over the kingdom's human rights violations.

“Is there repression to some extent in certain countries in the Middle East? Yeah, probably, yes,” Arum said. “But by coming and doing a big international event, we begin to ease that repression. I really believe that ... to change incrementally, the culture.”

https://uk.sports.yahoo.com/news/qat...152948565.html

[X]

Pacquiao is just a fighter to the core, isn't he?

He is a bit like Roberto Duran (not inside the ropes). Fighting is all he knows, it's all he has done really. Forget all that politics stuff, that's just a byproduct.

At 41, he is still a formidable opponent. I can't see him stopping fighting anytime soon (like Duran, he doesn't hang on to his money for long).

He has never been frightened of losing, he will fight anybody and - just like Duran - I can see him fighting on and on and on. At least he always turns up in shape.

[imp]

Post Kell Brook fight.

Kell should now hope he gets a home town Khan fight and walk away from the sport.

I understand Crawford wanting the Pac fight for money reasons.

Can we just draw a line under all this bullshit.

After Spence potentially beats Garcia, are we going to see Crawford vs Spence March/April 2021

There is no one else to fight?!!

How will they wiggle out of fighting this time!

Spence vs Crawford could be a trilogy!!

Welterweight Champions:- (147 lbs.)

WBO: Terence Crawford

IBF: Errol Spence Jr.

WBC: Errol Spence Jr.

WBA: Manny Pacquiao*

*Yordenis Ugas is the WBA "regular" champion and Jamal James is the WBA interim welterweight champion