LAS VEGAS (Nov. 18, 2021)—Before WBO welterweight world champion Terence “Bud” Crawford and two-time champion “Showtime” Shawn Porter battle for division supremacy, a loaded PPV undercard and a pair of can’t-miss featherweight fights will set the stage Saturday, Nov. 20 at Michelob ULTRA Arena at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas.

The PPV co-feature, a 12-round IBF middleweight world title eliminator, will see Brazilian 2012 Olympic silver medalist Esquiva “La Pantera” Falcao fight fellow unbeaten Patrice Volny.
 
The PPV telecast also includes a 10-round middleweight tilt between rising star Janibek “Qazaq Style” Alimkhanuly and former world champion Hassan N’Dam, and an eight-round lightweight duel between unbeaten prospect Raymond “Danger” Muratalla and Elias Araujo.

Presented by Top Rank and TGB Promotions, Crawford-Porter will be a Top Rank PPV exclusively on ESPN+ in the United States at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT. CLICK HERE to view the ESPN+ order page.

The televised undercard (ESPN2 & ESPN+, 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT) will feature former junior featherweight world champion Isaac “Royal Storm” Dogboe against two-time title challenger Christopher “Pitufo” Diaz, and an eight-round featherweight rematch between Adam Lopez and Adan Ochoa. Lopez defeated Ochoa by four-round decision in 2017 when both fighters were undefeated prospects.

At Thursday’s undercard press conference, this is what the fighters had to say.

Esquiva Falcao

“You can be sure that I am very well prepared and I will bring the win to Brazil. I had the best training and the best sparring. I trained hard and I sparred hard and now I bring the title to Brazil. My last fight was against a Russian {Artur Akavov} and a very tough opponent. He had never been knocked down and I took him out in the fourth. I am prepared and no one will take this opportunity from me.”

Patrice Volny

“Not many people have seen me because I fight in Canada a lot. I am ready to fight. I have prepared for this and here I am on the stage in Vegas. If we have to box, we will box, and if we have to fight we will fight. I am ready for everything.

“I came to Vegas to train and I learned a little bit from each boxer I trained with. Coming to Vegas early I got to adapt and it’s been great. This is a big opportunity, and opportunities don’t happen every day, and when you get them, you’ve got to take them. We have been working many years for this.”

Janibek Alimkhanuly

“I am here to show the world ‘Qazaq Style.’ I want to put Kazakhstan on the map of boxing, not like all the other stops. My goal is not only to be a one-division champion, but to be a four-division world champion.  

“I think I should have got my first shot (at a world title) yesterday. I prepare 100 percent for each fight and I don’t want to fight former world champions. I want to fight present world champions. He was a good champion – he is a former world champion – and it will be easy work.”

Hassan N’Dam

“I want to thank my team for getting me ready, and I want to thank Bob Arum, and I want to thank my opponent who went to social media to tell me to be ready for the fight. Look at me. You think I’m not ready? I am ready to face you. Saturday night I am going to respond to you in the ring, so be ready.  I think you are ready and you need to be so we can do the good fight.  

“This is a good fight for me, and when I win, I will be closer to a world championship, and that’s why I took the fight. I feel good at middleweight. Super middleweight was too big for me.”

Raymond Muratalla

“I feel like I’ve been putting in the work and it’s really showing. It was more difficult than I thought it would be (coming back from COVID), but I just kept training and it’s been good. In the gym (Robert Garcia Boxing Academy), there are a lot of good fighters and we are sparring a lot with a lot of different styles and just continue to learn. This (fighting on a PPV) has come a lot sooner than I thought. I put in the work and good things are coming. I am different than a lot of fighters, I have a lot of skills and I’m going to show that Saturday night.  He’s an aggressive fighter – I am prepared for anything – so I’ll be good.”

Isaac Dogboe

“The losses to Navarrete helped me to see things clearly and for me to start paving my own way. Boxing has taken me places and got me to meet my new team. My new team made me realize boxing is not all about knockouts – it’s a thinking man’s game. Now I am trying to think a little bit more, enjoy the atmosphere a little bit more. With my new team – Perfecting Athletes – I can eat and drink on the day of a weigh-in and that is crazy, whereas before on fight week I’d be looking like a skeleton. 

“Diaz is a tough man. We know he is an energetic fighter and he will throw overhands and uppercuts. It will be fireworks. Let it begin.”

Christopher Diaz

“{The Navarrete fight} was a great fight. I pushed through every round, and {in the 12th}, I went down three times and I got up three times like the warrior that I am. On Saturday, every time I hit him, he will feel it, and let the best man win.  

“Two weeks after the last fight, they made me the offer to fight Dogboe, so I went back to the gym – let’s get it! I am here to fight the best. Will you go the 130 and fight Ito? Yes. Will you fight Navarrete? Yes. Will you fight Dogboe? Yes. So they send me the offer and here I am. Being the warrior that I am I will continue to get opportunities. It will be a great fight on Saturday night and the best man is going to win.”

Adam Lopez

“The kid is tough, and when we first fought, I have to give him credit. He was a tough competitor and had no quit in him. He’s got 12 wins and a couple losses, so that’s a winning record to me, and I’ve never turned down anybody, so let’s do it. I got pushed up quick with the {Oscar} Valdez fight. I went from a nobody to a featherweight contender. I’ve held my own against the best in the world. You all know I can fight, and I bring it every time, and it’s going to be a tough fight for sure.”

Adan Ochoa

“It’s always been on my mind since the first loss and it’s personal to me. I’m not the same fighter I was four years ago. I was barely an amateur transitioning into professional and now I feel like I’m ready for this. There is no animosity – it is just a loss that has stayed in the back of my mind.  You can expect fireworks. I am going to go straight at him and do what I’ve got to do to win.”

SATURDAY, November 20, 2021

ESPN+ PPV, 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT

Terence Crawford vs. Shawn Porter, 12 rounds, Crawford’s WBO Welterweight World Title

Raymond Muratalla vs. Elias Araujo, 8 rounds, lightweight

ESPN2 & ESPN+, 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT

Isaac Dogboe vs. Christopher Diaz, 10 rounds, Dogboe’s NABF Featherweight Title

Adam Lopez vs. Adan Ochoa, 8 rounds, featherweight

ESPN APP (no paywall), 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT

Karlos Balderas vs. Julio Cortez, 6 rounds, junior lightweight

Tiger Johnson vs. Antonius Grable, 4 rounds, welterweight

LAS VEGAS (Nov. 17, 2021)—Terence “Bud” Crawford and “Showtime” Shawn Porter didn’t need to hoot and holler to make their point. With fight day three days away, they were all business. The longtime acquaintances came up together in the amateur ranks in the late 2000s. At the time, Porter outweighed Crawford by more than 30 pounds. More than a decade later, the welterweight stars are finally crossing paths.

Crawford (37-0, 28 KOs), the three-weight pound-for-pound great, will make the fifth defense of his WBO welterweight title against Porter (31-3-1, 17 KOs) on Saturday, Nov. 20 at Michelob ULTRA Arena at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas.

Presented by Top Rank and TGB Promotions, Crawford-Porter will be a Top Rank PPV exclusively on ESPN+ in the United States at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT. CLICK HERE to view the ESPN+ order page.

At Wednesday’s main event press conference, this is what Crawford and Porter had to say.

Terence Crawford

“I respect everything that Shawn does. Shawn is athletic, he can box, he can bang, he can move around in the ring, he can cut corners and take angles. I’m not going to sit here and say that I don’t respect anything that he does. I’m just going to say that I do a lot of things better than Shawn. I’m going to show him come Saturday.

“Once we signed that contract, the switch was already flipped and I can’t wait to go out there Saturday to display my talent and look good doing it. Until then, right now I’m just chilling, playing Call of Duty in the room by myself all day. I’ve been in the room all day isolating.” 

Shawn Porter

“I don’t think there’s too much that I can say to Bud that’s going to change the way he thinks about himself and the outcome of this fight. He can’t look at me and say, ‘I’m going to beat your ass’ and I’m going to believe that, and he knows that, and he won’t dare to do it. I could say the exact same thing he said, and I believe it.

“Terence, you know better than I do that you’ve matured. I feel like people see your personality and your character right now more than they’ve ever seen, but I feel like I’m still correct in saying that when the wrong Tweet or Instagram post goes up, you can get upset.

“There are people you can get to, and there are people that you can’t get to. I’m one of those people that you can’t get to, and I got a feeling that you can get to him quicker on the microphone than you can in the ring. In the ring, he is solid, but there may be something that is posted or said that might have an affect on him {during} the fight.

“I’m relaxing, I’m drinking water and just biding my time. I am a showtime fighter, and I can’t wait for showtime on ESPN+ PPV. I’m a really even-keeled type of guy. I like things to be easy, and fight week is always easy for me.”

SATURDAY, November 20, 2021

ESPN+ PPV, 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT

Terence Crawford vs. Shawn Porter, 12 rounds, Crawford’s WBO Welterweight World Title

Raymond Muratalla vs. Elias Araujo, 8 rounds, lightweight

ESPN2 & ESPN+, 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT

Isaac Dogboe vs. Christopher Diaz, 10 rounds, Dogboe’s NABF Featherweight Title

Adam Lopez vs. Adan Ochoa, 8 rounds, featherweight

ESPN APP (no paywall), 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT

Karlos Balderas vs. Fidel Cervantes, 6 rounds, junior lightweight

Tiger Johnson vs. Antonius Grable, 4 rounds, welterweight

LAS VEGAS (Nov. 10, 2021) — Raymond “Danger” Muratalla, the 24-year-old lightweight star from Fontana, California, has a new opponent for his PPV debut Saturday, Nov. 20 at Michelob ULTRA Arena at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. After unbeaten prospect Steven Ortiz was forced to withdraw due to injury, Muratalla will fight Argentina’s Elias “El Macho” Araujo in an eight-rounder to open the PPV broadcast of the welterweight super fight between undefeated WBO world champion Terence “Bud” Crawford and former two-time welterweight world champion “Showtime” Shawn Porter.

The PPV telecast also includes a 12-round IBF middleweight title eliminator featuring unbeaten contenders Esquiva “La Pantera” Falcao and Patrice Volny, and a 10-round middleweight tilt between rising star Janibek “Qazaq Style” Alimkhanuly and former world champion Hassan N’Dam.

Presented by Top Rank and TGB Promotions, Crawford-Porter will be a Top Rank PPV exclusively on ESPN+ in the United States at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT.  Limited tickets are still available and can be purchased by visiting AXS.com.

Muratalla (12-0, 10 KOs), who trains with Robert Garcia in Riverside, California, has won seven consecutive bouts by knockout. Araujo (21-3, 8 KOs) has never been stopped as a professional, and his only two lightweight defeats have come via close decision. He was supposed to fight Joseph Adorno in Las Vegas on Nov. 5, but the bout was scrapped after Adorno missed the contract weight.

Before the PPV broadcast commences, Southern California natives Adam “BluNose” Lopez and Adan Ochoa will fight in an eight-round featherweight rematch on the undercard telecast (ESPN2 & ESPN+, 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT) headlined by the scheduled 10-round featherweight firefight between former world champion Isaac “Royal Storm” Dogboe and two-time title challenger Christopher “Pitufo” Diaz. Lopez (15-3, 6 KOs) hopes to rebound from June’s razor-thin decision loss to Dogboe, while Ochoa (12-2, 5 KOs) seeks retribution. Ochoa and Lopez fought as undefeated prospects in April 2017, and Lopez prevailed by four-round unanimous decision.

The fight action begins on the ESPN App (6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT) with a pair of young stars. 2016 U.S. Olympian Karlos Balderas (10-1, 9 KOs) looks to continue his winning ways against Julio Cortez (15-3, 11 KOs) in a six-rounder at junior lightweight, while recent U.S. Olympian Tiger Johnson will make his long-awaited professional debut in a welterweight four-rounder versus Antonius Grable (3-1-1, 3 KOs). Johnson recently signed a long-term promotional pact with Top Rank.

Balderas, the fighting pride of Santa Maria, California, lost his unbeaten record with a shocking knockout loss to Rene Tellez Giron in December 2019. After the setback, Balderas changed managers, signed a promotional contract with Top Rank, and linked up with noted trainer Buddy McGirt. He came back in August with a second-round knockout over Fidel Cervantes. Cortez, a seven-year pro, has never been knocked out.

Johnson, from Cleveland, Ohio, advanced to the quarterfinals of the welterweight bracket at the Tokyo Olympics before losing a decision to eventual gold medalist Roniel Iglesias (Cuba).

Use the hashtag #CrawfordPorter to join the conversation on social media. For more information, visit www.toprank.com, www.espn.com/boxing; Facebook: facebook.com/trboxing; Twitter: twitter.com/trboxing; twitter.com/ESPNRingside.

About ESPN+
ESPN+ is the industry-leading sports streaming service that offers fans in the U.S. thousands of live sports events, original programming not available on ESPN’s linear TV or digital networks and exclusive editorial content from dozens of ESPN writers and reporters. Launched in April 2018, ESPN+ has grown to more than 14.9 million subscribers.

Fans sign up to ESPN+ for just $6.99 a month (or $69.99 per year)
at ESPN.com, ESPNplus.com or on the ESPN App (mobile and connected devices). It is also available as part of The Disney Bundle that gives subscribers access to Disney+, ESPN+ and Hulu for $13.99/month (Hulu w/ads) or $19.99/month (Hulu w/o ads).

About Michelob ULTRA Arena
The Michelob ULTRA Arena is a multi-purpose arena home to World Championship Boxing, premier concerts and special events. With seating for as many as 12,000, the arena, which was recently renovated in 2018, offers excellent sightlines and state-of-the-art lighting and sound. The entertainment venue is home to WNBA team, the Las Vegas Aces, the city’s first professional basketball team. Prominent events have included concerts such as Justin Timberlake, KISS, Taylor Swift, Kenny Chesney, Alicia Keys, Rihanna, Christina Aguilera, Katy Perry, John Mayer, Metallica, Ozzy Osbourne, Alejandro Fernandez and David Foster & Friends. World championship boxing events have featured fighters including Oscar De La Hoya, Manny Pacquiao, Floyd Mayweather, Shane Mosley and Bernard Hopkins. The Michelob ULTRA Arena also has been home to multiple Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) events, USA Basketball and the Latin Billboard Music Awards.

ESPN’s platforms will offer an extensive lineup of programming leading up to the highly anticipated showdown between WBO welterweight world champion Terence “Bud” Crawford and his toughest test ever, former two-time world champion “Showtime” Shawn Porter. The event will stream exclusively on ESPN+ PPV Saturday, Nov. 20, at 9 p.m. ET.  Presented by Top Rank and TGB Promotions, the fight is the first-ever Top Rank-ESPN+ exclusive PPV. 

Kicking off the two weeks of offerings is the two-part Blood, Sweat & Tears: Crawford vs. Porter.Part One can be seen Wednesday, Nov. 10, at 12:30 a.m. (Tuesday at 9:30 p.m. PT).  Part 2 of Blood, Sweat & Tears: Crawford vs. Porter airs on ESPN2 on Sunday, Nov. 14, at 2:30 p.m. The original all-access series takes fans behind the scenes in the training camp of both fighters. Both parts will replay multiple times until fight night.  

On Thursday, the entire ESPN boxing analyst team, including Joe Tessitore, Bernardo Osuna and Mark Kriegel, along with former pound-for-pound king Andre Ward and former world champion Timothy Bradley, preview the welterweight blockbuster. State of Boxing: Crawford vs. Porter Preview Special streams exclusively on ESPN+ on Thursday, Nov. 18.  

In addition, the “Get Ready for Crawford vs. Porter” ESPN+ on-demand collection is now live on the ESPN App. This is available through the day of the fight on web, mobile, the ESPN App, and wherever one can stream on-demand ESPN+ content.  It includes great historical fights for both Crawford and Porter. 

Long considered possibly the best pound-for-pound boxer in the sport, Crawford (37-0, 28 KOs) will step into the ring looking to maintain his perfect record. Porter (31-3-1, 17 KOs) has fought most of this generation’s elite welterweights and has standout victories over the likes of Danny Garcia, Adrien Broner, Paulie Malignaggi, Andre Berto, Devon Alexander and Yordenis Ugas.  

The Crawford-Porter card, from Michelob ULTRA Arena at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, will begin at 9 p.m. ET exclusively on ESPN+ PPV.  It will be preceded by the undercard at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN2 and ESPN+ and an earlier undercard at 6 p.m. ET on the ESPN App.  

Crawford vs. Porter Programming Lineup 

LAS VEGAS (Nov. 4, 2021) — There will be plenty of fistic reinforcements Saturday, Nov. 20 at Michelob ULTRA Arena at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas.

Two high-stakes middleweight showdowns and a 50-50 fight featuring undefeated lightweights will comprise the televised PPV undercard of the welterweight super fight between undefeated WBO world champion Terence “Bud” Crawford and former two-time welterweight world champion “Showtime” Shawn Porter.

The co-feature, a 12-round IBF middleweight world title eliminator, will see Brazilian 2012 Olympic silver medalist Esquiva “La Pantera” Falcao fight fellow unbeaten Patrice Volny.

The PPV telecast also includes a 10-round middleweight tilt between rising star Janibek “Qazaq Style” Alimkhanuly and former world champion Hassan N’Dam, and an eight-round lightweight duel between unbeaten prospects Raymond “Danger” Muratalla and Steven “The Hitman” Ortiz.

Presented by Top Rank and TGB Promotions, Crawford-Porter will be a Top Rank PPV exclusively on ESPN+ in the United States at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT. Limited tickets are still available and can be purchased by visiting AXS.com.

Before the PPV telecast, a special feature will set the stage. Former junior featherweight world champion Isaac “Royal Storm” Dogboe will face two-time title challenger Christopher “Pitufo” Diaz in a 10-round featherweight bout. Dogboe-Diaz will be shown live on ESPN2 and ESPN+ at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT.

Additional undercard fights will be announced shortly.

Falcao (28-0, 20 KOs) is a seven-year pro who signed with Top Rank following the 2012 Olympics. The 31-year-old southpaw has steadily climbed the world rankings and has knocked out five straight foes dating back to 2019. In his last outing, he stopped former world title challenger Artur Akavov in four rounds. Volny (16-0, 10 KOs), from Montreal, Canada, has fought all his pro fights in his home country and is coming off a March knockout over noted tough man Janks Trotter. The winner of Falcao-Volny will be in line to fight for the title currently held by Gennadiy Golovkin.

“I have waited for an opportunity like this for a long time, and I will grab it with both hands,” Falcao said. “I have an Olympic medal, and now it’s time to add a professional world title to my trophy case.”

Volny said, “I had several major opportunities fall through, but I am ecstatic that the fight with Falcao is happening. It won’t be an easy fight, but I have been training for a long time, and I will do whatever it takes to earn my shot at the title.”

Alimkhanuly (10-0, 6 KOs) is ranked the No. 2 middleweight by the WBO and coming off his signature win, an eighth-round stoppage over former world champion Rob Brant. From Zhilandy, Kazakhstan, the 2016 Olympian has knocked out four straight opponents dating back to April 2019. N’Dam (38-5, 21 KOs), a 17-year pro from Cameroon, held the WBA middleweight world title in 2017 and challenged for world titles on three other occasions. After a pair of defeats at super middleweight, N’Dam returns to the middleweight ranks, where he most recently defeated the formidable Martin Murray via majority decision.

Muratalla (12-0, 10 KOs), from Fontana, California, has risen to prominence fighting out of the famed Robert Garcia Boxing Academy in Riverside, California. He last fought on the Josh Taylor-Jose Ramirez card in May, knocking out Jose Gallegos in five rounds. Ortiz (12-0, 3 KOs), from Philadelphia, has made a habit of knocking off undefeated prospects. In his last six fights, he has defeated four undefeated fighters, including a unanimous decision over the 14-0 Jeremy Hill in March.

Dogboe (22-2, 15 KOs) has revitalized his career since back-to-back title fight losses to Emanuel “Vaquero” Navarrete. After a comeback knockout over Chris Avalos, he bested Adam Lopez by majority decision in June. Diaz (26-3, 16 KOs) is a two-time world challenger coming off a 12th-round TKO loss in a bid for Navarrete’s WBO featherweight world title. The Puerto Rican veteran had won two bouts as a featherweight entering the Navarrete fight and hopes a win over Dogboe leads to a third crack at world title glory.

“I’m excited for this challenge, a massive opportunity to get closer to becoming a two-division world champion,” Dogboe said. “This is a fight the fans won’t want to miss. I know Christopher is tough, but I’m stronger, tougher, and smarter. I’d like to commend everyone at Top Rank for making this fight possible and to Diaz for accepting the challenge. I always want to give the fans something to remember. That’s why I leave it all in the ring.”

Diaz said, “I’m coming back, and I’m very excited about fighting on a great stage like Crawford vs. Porter. Dogboe is a solid fighter who only has two losses against Navarrete. We both have a lot to give to boxing. The fans already know what to expect every time I get in the ring. I’m sure this fight will steal the show on November 20.”

Use the hashtag #CrawfordPorter to join the conversation on social media. For more information, visit www.toprank.com, www.espn.com/boxing; Facebook: facebook.com/trboxing; Twitter: twitter.com/trboxing; twitter.com/ESPNRingside.

About ESPN+
ESPN+ is the industry-leading sports streaming service that offers fans in the U.S. thousands of live sports events, original programming not available on ESPN’s linear TV or digital networks and exclusive editorial content from dozens of ESPN writers and reporters. Launched in April 2018, ESPN+ has grown to more than 14.9 million subscribers. Fans sign up to ESPN+ for just $6.99 a month (or $69.99 per year) at ESPN.com, ESPNplus.com or on the ESPN App (mobile and connected devices). It is also available as part of The Disney Bundle that gives subscribers access to Disney+, ESPN+ and Hulu for $13.99/month (Hulu w/ads) or $19.99/month (Hulu w/o ads).

About Michelob ULTRA Arena
The Michelob ULTRA Arena is a multi-purpose arena home to World Championship Boxing, premier concerts and special events. With seating for as many as 12,000, the arena, which was recently renovated in 2018, offers excellent sightlines and state-of-the-art lighting and sound. The entertainment venue is home to WNBA team, the Las Vegas Aces, the city’s first professional basketball team. Prominent events have included concerts such as Justin Timberlake, KISS, Taylor Swift, Kenny Chesney, Alicia Keys, Rihanna, Christina Aguilera, Katy Perry, John Mayer, Metallica, Ozzy Osbourne, Alejandro Fernandez and David Foster & Friends. World championship boxing events have featured fighters including Oscar De La Hoya, Manny Pacquiao, Floyd Mayweather, Shane Mosley and Bernard Hopkins. The Michelob ULTRA Arena also has been home to multiple Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) events, USA Basketball and the Latin Billboard Music Awards.

LAS VEGAS – It’ a fight between friends. It’s a fight for legacy. It’s a fight for all seasons. And all the right reasons.

Finally, there will be a step toward some real resolution at the top of the welterweight division between fighters represented by rival promotional entities.

The fight between Terence Crawford, of Top Rank, and Shawn Porter, of Premier Boxing Champions (PBC), was a done deal a few weeks ago. The marketing began Saturday with a formal news conference for the November 20 fight (pay-per-view, ESPN+) at Mandalay Bay.

“It’s my biggest fight, no doubt,’’ said Crawford, a former lightweight and junior-welterweight champion who has a chance to reassert his pound-for-pound claim on a big stage.

For Porter, it’s a chance to define how he will be remembered. A victory over Crawford, he said, will put him closer to the fame be believes Crawford already has.

“I think I’m on the brink of being in the Hall of Fame,’’ Porter said. “I think he’s done enough already to be in. My legacy depends on me beating Terence Crawford.’’  

The news conference at the MGM Grand was a preliminary to a long day of boxing in Vegas. The newser ended just a few hours before the Fox/ESPN pay-per-view card featuring Tyson Fury-Deontay Wilder at T-Mobile Arena began.

LAS VEGAS (Oct. 9, 2021) — The longtime WBO welterweight king and pound-for-pound star, Terence Crawford, finally has the super fight he craves. Enter Shawn Porter, the two-time champion who has fought most of this generation’s elite welterweights.

Crawford and Porter will fight Saturday, Nov. 20 at Michelob ULTRA Arena at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. The two met face-to-face Saturday for a kickoff press conference, alongside their respective trainers and promoters.

Presented by Top Rank and TGB Promotions, Crawford-Porter will be a Top Rank PPV exclusively on ESPN+ in the United States at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT. Tickets can be purchased by visiting AXS.com.

This is what the fighters and their teams had to say Saturday in Las Vegas.

TERENCE CRAWFORD
“We always have had a good relationship ever since the amateur days. There has never been any bad blood. It’s always been all love, but come November 20, we step on him. 

“It’s put up or shut up. In my eyes, I can stand up and pull my shirt out and I can really show this 8-pack I got because you know I stay working. I stay working. That is nothing new to me, and it isn’t anything new to you. You know what you are up against on November 20. I know what I’m against on November 20. 

“We are going to give the fans a great night of boxing. It will be fireworks from the first bell to bell 12 if you last that long.  

“Unlike other fighters that you fought, I’m different. I believe you know that I’m different. The more you push, the more I will push. You hit me hard, and l will hit you even harder if you can last. That’s what makes this fight a great fight. 

“A dominating win against Porter will boost my status as the number one pound-for-pound fighter in the world. 

“Everybody is excited. My family, my friends, my supporters have been dying to be at a live event and this will be the first time in a long time where they can see Terence Crawford live in action. Everybody is hungry for it, just like I have been dying to get in the ring. The time is now. I’m going to give everyone what they have been asking for.”

SHAWN PORTER
“When I get in the ring, I command the ring. When I get in a room, I command the room. 

“I believe this fight is happening right on time. There’s no secret that there is a lot of respect between me and Terence.

“We can talk all about resumes, but when I look at his resume, nobody that has been in the ring with him, knows him as I know him. The best of Terence Crawford will bring out the best of Shawn Porter. What I do know is November 20 is a big day for boxing and it will be a big day for Team Porter. 

“I’m sure I’m on the brink of getting into the Hall of Fame. For me, it’s not only win or go home. It’s win, or nothing else. My life right now it’s all about beating and dominating Crawford. My legacy will depend on beating Terence Crawford. 

“He is a dominant fighter. Everyone he gets in the ring with, he dominates. I want to be the one fighter that he can’t dominate. Everything that is required to beat Terence, I got it. It’s time to take on this challenge. 

“On November 20, the energy will be great. Fight night will be unlike no other. This will be the crazy energy you ever felt and I’m looking forward to it.” 

BOB ARUM, Top Rank Chairman
“I want to thank Tom Brown for his cooperation. With the companies that we represent cooperating, it will only be good for boxing, and we can do bigger and better matches. 

“Terence Crawford is the only unified champion sitting on this stage. He unified the 140-pound division, and maybe the reason he hasn’t fought other top welterweights, it’s because you guys were hiding them because you didn’t want to put them in with Terence.” 

TOM BROWN, TGB Promotions President
“This really is a tremendous fight. I want to congratulate Top Rank for putting this great fight together.  

“This is the kind of fight that both the fans and the media have asked for and we were able to deliver it. 

“Terence Crawford is a great fighter, and he has fought great fighters, but this guy (Porter) right here is on a whole other level. Shawn Porter is one of the best welterweights in the world, but also one of the best fighters in the sport.” 

BRIAN MCINTYRE, Crawford’s Trainer
“On paper, this is the toughest fight of Terence’s career, but we will not know until we actually get in the ring. As a trainer, I want this to be the toughest fight for Terence because you are going to see a better Terence Crawford. The better the fighter, the better that Terence is. 

“Something about this camp is very special. We ready. You can’t bring random sparring partners when you are facing someone like Porter. We have to search the world for the best of the best.”

KENNY PORTER, Shawn Porter’s Trainer
“You can’t beat this type of caliber fighter fighting the way you always fought. You have to change everything. You have to be better. Shawn has been away training in the mountains. Secluded. Just himself and God. 

“BoMac is a great trainer. Terence is an excellent fighter. We have an enormous amount of respect for him and his team. Every day I’m trying to figure out and see what we can do better. You must change. You must be better when you are facing a fighter of his caliber.” 

Use the hashtag #CrawfordPorter to join the conversation on social media. For more information, visit www.toprank.com, www.espn.com/boxing; Facebook: facebook.com/trboxing; Twitter: twitter.com/trboxing; twitter.com/ESPNRingside.

About ESPN+
ESPN+ is the industry-leading sports streaming service that offers fans in the U.S. thousands of live sports events, original programming not available on ESPN’s linear TV or digital networks and exclusive editorial content from dozens of ESPN writers and reporters. Launched in April 2018, ESPN+ has grown to more than 14.9 million subscribers.

Fans sign up to ESPN+ for just $6.99 a month (or $69.99 per year)
at ESPN.com, ESPNplus.com or on the ESPN App (mobile and connected devices). It is also available as part of The Disney Bundle that gives subscribers access to Disney+, ESPN+ and Hulu for $13.99/month (Hulu w/ads) or $19.99/month (Hulu w/o ads).

About Michelob ULTRA Arena
The Michelob ULTRA Arena is a multi-purpose arena home to World Championship Boxing, premier concerts and special events. With seating for as many as 12,000, the arena, which was recently renovated in 2018, offers excellent sightlines and state-of-the-art lighting and sound. The entertainment venue is home to WNBA team, the Las Vegas Aces, the city’s first professional basketball team. Prominent events have included concerts such as Justin Timberlake, KISS, Taylor Swift, Kenny Chesney, Alicia Keys, Rihanna, Christina Aguilera, Katy Perry, John Mayer, Metallica, Ozzy Osbourne, Alejandro Fernandez and David Foster & Friends. World championship boxing events have featured fighters including Oscar De La Hoya, Manny Pacquiao, Floyd Mayweather, Shane Mosley and Bernard Hopkins. The Michelob ULTRA Arena also has been home to multiple Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) events, USA Basketball and the Latin Billboard Music Awards.

LAS VEGAS (Sept. 29, 2021) — Pound-for-pound star Terence “Bud” Crawford has called out the welterweight superstars for years.  His long wait for a legacy-defining fight is now over. Crawford will defend his WBO welterweight world title and unbeaten record Saturday, Nov. 20 against two-time welterweight champion and WBO No. 1 contender “Showtime” Shawn Porter at the Michelob ULTRA Arena in Las Vegas.

Promoted by Top Rank, in association with TGB Promotions, Crawford-Porter will be a Top Rank PPV exclusively on ESPN+ in the United States at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT.

Tickets starting at $54 go on sale Monday, Oct. 4 at 10 a.m. PT and can be purchased by visiting AXS.com. Undercard information will be announced shortly.

“This is a fight that reminds me of all the great welterweight battles of the 1980s and 90s, two prime fighters unafraid to tackle the biggest challenge available to them,” said Top Rank chairman Bob Arum. “Terence has wanted a challenge like this for a very long time, and I am confident he will rise to the occasion. Shawn Porter, however, is not an easy night for any fighter.”

“I’ve been calling out the top welterweights since I moved up to 147 in 2018, and I’m excited that Shawn stepped up,” Crawford said. “This fight will bring out the best in me and showcase parts of my game that the world hasn’t seen yet. On November 20, I will silence my doubters and prove that I am the best welterweight in the world.”

Porter said, “I’ve wanted this fight for a long time and now my patience has paid off. Throughout my career, I’ve taken on the best and proven myself as a man who gives 100 percent in everything I do. Terence Crawford is a great, versatile fighter who is very athletic just like myself. We are the two best welterweights in the world, and on November 20, we get a chance to prove who is the best. Fight fans can expect a great show that night and, with this victory, I will cement myself as the best welterweight of this era.”

Matt Kenny, Vice President, Programming & Acquisition, ESPN added, “We are thrilled to present this blockbuster welterweight showdown exclusively on ESPN+ PPV. This is the kind of fight that boxing fans dream of and we are looking forward to a tremendous event on November 20.”

Crawford (37-0, 28 KOs), the three-weight world champion from America’s heartland, Omaha, Nebraska, has made four defenses of his world title since knocking off Jeff “The Hornet” Horn in June 2018. A mainstay near the upper rungs of the mythical pound-for-pound rankings, Crawford has been a world champion since March 2014. He defeated WBO lightweight world champion Ricky Burns on enemy soil in Scotland and made his first title defense in front of the Omaha faithful with a ninth-round stoppage over Yuriorkis Gamboa. Crawford became the first man in the four-belt era to become the undisputed junior welterweight champion, and he is 4-0 with four knockouts since moving up to welterweight. His knockout streak of eight dates back to July 2016, when he notched a one-sided decision over Viktor “The Iceman” Postol at MGM Grand Garden Arena to unify two of the junior welterweight world titles. Crawford is coming off last November’s fourth-round knockout over Kell Brook inside the MGM Grand Las Vegas Bubble.

Porter (31-3-1, 17 KOs), a 13-year pro from Akron, Ohio, first tasted championship glory in December 2013 when he outfought the previously undefeated Devon Alexander to win the IBF welterweight title. He knocked out two-weight world champion Paulie Malignaggi in his first title defense before Brook edged him by majority decision in August 2014. Over the next seven years, Porter continued fighting the welterweight elite, becoming a two-time world champion in 2018 when he toppled Danny Garcia to win the WBC welterweight title. He defended that title against future Manny Pacquiao conqueror Yordenis Ugas before taking Errol Spence Jr. to the limit in a September 2019 title unification tilt. After dropping a split decision to Spence, Porter regrouped with a one-sided decision over Sebastian Formella in August 2020 to set up the Crawford showdown.

Use the hashtag #CrawfordPorter to join the conversation on social media. For more information, visit www.toprank.com, www.espn.com/boxing; Facebook: facebook.com/trboxing; Twitter: twitter.com/trboxing; twitter.com/ESPNRingside.

About ESPN+
ESPN+ is the industry-leading sports streaming service that offers fans in the U.S. thousands of live sports events, original programming not available on ESPN’s linear TV or digital networks and exclusive editorial content from dozens of ESPN writers and reporters. Launched in April 2018, ESPN+ has grown to more than 14.9 million subscribers.

Fans sign up to ESPN+ for just $6.99 a month (or $69.99 per year)
at ESPN.com, ESPNplus.com or on the ESPN App (mobile and connected devices). It is also available as part of The Disney Bundle that gives subscribers access to Disney+, ESPN+ and Hulu for $13.99/month (Hulu w/ads) or $19.99/month (Hulu w/o ads).

About Michelob ULTRA Arena
The Michelob ULTRA Arena is a multi-purpose arena home to World Championship Boxing, premier concerts and special events. With seating for as many as 12,000, the arena, which was recently renovated in 2018, offers excellent sightlines and state-of-the-art lighting and sound. The entertainment venue is home to WNBA team, the Las Vegas Aces, the city’s first professional basketball team. Prominent events have included concerts such as Justin Timberlake, KISS, Taylor Swift, Kenny Chesney, Alicia Keys, Rihanna, Christina Aguilera, Katy Perry, John Mayer, Metallica, Ozzy Osbourne, Alejandro Fernandez and David Foster & Friends. World championship boxing events have featured fighters including Oscar De La Hoya, Manny Pacquiao, Floyd Mayweather, Shane Mosley and Bernard Hopkins. The Michelob ULTRA Arena also has been home to multiple Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) events, USA Basketball and the Latin Billboard Music Awards.

By Norm Frauenheim–

The dimensions to Terence Crawford’s dynamic versatility often looks to be unlimited. Within the ropes, he has all the angles. Left-handed to righthanded, there’s power and poise, all wrapped within an edgy, defiant persona.

Like him. Fear him. Avoid him. This Bud is not for everyone. But he’s impossible to ignore, especially in a sport populated with fewer and fewer performers who know how to close the show. Name one other than Crawford.

Canelo Alvarez? Naoya Inoue? Yeah, maybe. Stoppages are part of their job description.

But nobody has that predatory instinct, evident in both eyes and in each hand, at the very moment when an opponent is hurt and ready to fall. It’s a reason to watch. Crawford defines the ring’s so-called controlled violence better than anyone in his generation. Nobody controls that violence more skillfully. Nobody finishes with such deadly efficiency, either. Kell Brook still doesn’t know what hit him.

But the supreme control that Crawford exerts within the ropes isn’t always apparent outside of them. It’s an irony, a paradox, perhaps. But it’s not exactly a new one. Politics, promoters and time have always been there, been in the way. They are there for Crawford, now at a career crossroads.

Controversy has raged since his fourth-round stoppage of Brook Saturday in a bout that furthered his claim on the pound-for-pound’s top spot. He can’t finish the debate. Then again, who can? That’s why it’s called a debate. It’s a parlor game. For Crawford, the ongoing argument doesn’t rage so much about whether his No.-1 claim is credible. It is and — for now – he has the last word. The question is how to strengthen that claim, along with his Hall of Fame resume.

From this corner, he passes the eye test. He’s No. 1. But the record says something else. Consider Brook. His skillset is a lot more faded than his name. If Canelo is impressive against Callum Smith on Dec. 19 in his first fight in more than a year, the pound-or-pound momentum figures to shift in his favor.

For Crawford, the argument continues to be Errol Spence Jr and/or Manny Pacquiao. Only against one or both can he further his pound-for-pound argument. In the immediate wake of the Brook victory, he said wanted Pacquiao, whose name brings big money and international attention. Mention Pacquiao, however, and fans think 42. That’s how old the Filipino Senator will be on Dec. 17. Of course, Crawford is expected to be a 42-year-old man.

That turns to the debate to where it has always been:

Spence.

From the fans perspective, Spence-Crawford has to happen. Crawford’s credibility hinges on it. Boxing’s credibility depends on it. But there’s a potential problem. Actually, there are a couple.

Problem One: The demand for Crawford-Spence is as loud now as ever, precipitated by Crawford’s knockout of Brook and the Dec. 5 date between Spence and Danny Garcia. The demand’s tone, however, assumes that Spence will be the same fighter he was before his scary car crash in Dallas October 10, 2019. Nobody has seen Spence answer an opening bell since then. Then, there’s the accomplished Garcia, no soft touch. Remember, Garcia upset Amir Khan and Lucas Matthysse when nobody thought he had a chance. Garcia has been at his best when he’s overlooked. Let’s just hold our breath, wait and see.

Problem Two: Even if Spence wins and looks like the welterweight we remember, boxing’s promotional rivalries might make the fight impossible. Crawford is under contract until next October, according to multiple reports. Spence is a PBC client. Spence is also a big welterweight. He’s already talking about a jump to middleweight in a bid to fight Canelo, who faces Smith at super-middle.

Noisy signs of a Crawford-Top Rank split have been apparent for a week. Top Rank’s Bob Arum ripped Crawford for not being a better self-promoter in a story reported by The Athletic.

“He’s got to promote like [Teofimo] Lopez does. He’s got to promote like Shakur [Stevenson] does… like [Floyd] Mayweather did, like [Manny] Pacquiao did.” Arum told The Athletic. “If he doesn’t, then who the f–k needs him? He may be the greatest fighter in the world, but, hey, I ain’t going bankrupt promoting him.

“The question is, ‘Do we want to keep him?’ I could build a house in Beverly Hills on the money I’ve lost on him in the last three fights, a beautiful home. Nobody questions Crawford’s innate, tremendous ability. By beating a naturally bigger guy [in Kell Brook], decisively, that’s a big statement that’s he’s making. The question is, ‘Does he pay the bills?’ Look, you can have the greatest opera singer in the world. If the fans don’t support it, you’re out of business.”

Arum suggested that Crawford is a virtuoso without an audience. The next day, Crawford countered on The Ak and Barak Show.

“Personally, if he feels that way, he can release me now,’’ Crawford said on the Sirius XM show. “He can just release me.’’

He can. But an outright release is not Arum’s history.

Mikey Garcia sued him in April 2014. At the time Garcia was 26, unbeaten and a fighter with a pound-for-pound future. The lawsuit put him on the shelf for about two-and-a-half years. His career stalled. Garcia, a four-division champion, lost at welterweight in a one-sided, disappointing performance against Spence.

Now, Garcia wants a fight with Pacquiao. But time is an issue.

Garcia is 33, same as Crawford.

Crawford can’t afford to wait. On the career clock, he’s in prime time. Maybe, he could try to do what Floyd Mayweather did. Mayweather bought his way out of a contract with Top Rank after he said no to an $8-million offer to fight Antonio Margarito. The buyout cost him $750,000. Turns out, it was a brilliant investment. Eleven years later, Mayweather was the world’s richest athlete with a billion dollars in career earnings.

A key difference was time. Mayweather gave himself some. He was 29 when he bought himself out of his Top Rank deal. On Crawford’s clock, the time to move looks a lot like right now.

Saturday’s Top Rank on ESPN saw pound-for-pound king Terence Crawford (37-0, 28 KOs) retain his WBO welterweight world title with a fourth-round TKO over former welterweight world champion Kell Brook, in a main event from the MGM Grand Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.  The fight delivered big on viewership, ranking as the top boxing telecast across all TV networks since January 2019. 

Top Things to Know

• Crawford vs Brook averaged 1,758,000 viewers, making it the most viewed boxing telecast across on all TV networks since January 2019
• The main event was also the most viewed boxing telecast on cable since December 2018 (Lomachenko vs. Pedraza on ESPN: 1,889,000)
• The fight rating peaked during the 11:45 p.m.-12:00 a.m. ET quarter hour with 2.1 million viewers
• Through seven Saturday night telecasts on ESPN so far this year, Top Rank on ESPN has averaged 1,033,000 viewers, up 44% from 11 Saturday night telecasts in 2019
• Adults 18-49 are up 54% year-over-year
• Crawford vs. Brook ranked No. 1 as the most socially engaged boxing telecast across TV over the last two years, with over 306,000 total social interactions across Facebook, Instagram and Twitter
• Crawford vs. Brook had a strong performance on social media, becoming the most socially engaged telecast across TV over the last two years, with over 306,000 social interactions across Facebook, Instagram and Twitter
• Lomachenko vs. Lopez and Crawford vs. Brook have been the most socially engaged boxing telecasts across TV in consecutive months over the last two years.

Top Rank on ESPN has featured an action-packed fall schedule highlighted by some of the leaders of boxing’s electric youth movement, including stunning performances by the new undisputed lightweight king Teofimo Lopez, WBO female junior lightweight world champion Mikaela Mayer and WBA/IBF unified bantamweight world champion Naoya Inoue. Rising star Shakur Stevenson, the undefeated former featherweight world champion from Newark, N.J., is set to close out the year in a 10-round junior lightweight main event against Toka Kahn Clary, Saturday, Dec. 12, from MGM Grand Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.

By Bart Barry –

Saturday in the Bubble at MGM Grand in the mainevent of a dreadful ESPN card Nebraskan Terence “Bud” Crawford needed about 3 1/2 rounds and punches to stop overmatched Brit Kell “Special K” Brook.  Referee Tony Weeks, generally the perfect man for any Crawford fight, lost interest in watching Brook get brutalized a bit quicker than expected, though no one complained.  Bud got his victory, Brook got his paycheck, aficionados got to sleep early.

Bud did what had to be done to defend his fringe welterweight title and top spot in a hypothetical ranking that only matters so much when no one fights one another.

The title pound-for-pound was invented for Sugar Ray Robinson, if historians can be believed, to clarify how much better Robinson was than everyone else, especially what heavyweights dominated American sport.  It was nobody’s obsession in the 1980s when the best welterweights and middleweights fought one another.  It grew mighty longer legs during the Mayweather era when not-fighting was very much en vogue.  It’s why it’s important right now for Bud – because he’s not-fighting anyone any aficionado wants to see him fight.

It’s a promoters-n-eggheads obsession these days, as a generation of kids raised on destination fights comes of age and isn’t quite sure what to do with someone like Teofimo Lopez who moved himself prematurely and succeeded.  See, what Teofimo should’ve done is let his fight with Lomachenko marinate another few years – what we now call “waiting till there can be fans at the fights again” – and threatened his peers on Twitter and harangued his promoter for more money and given prickly interviews to various apps about what he couldn’t wait to do someday.  Instead Teofimo stamped paid on Lomachenko’s overwrought pound-for-pound bill and sent him out the Bubble.

There was Bud, though, well ensconced in the Bubble on Saturday, making a demand of his promoter not for the one fight everyone wants to see with his peer Errol Spence, no, but instead with Manny Pacquiao, a 41-year-old Senator inactive for 17 months and semiretired from boxing.  Bob Arum’s response was pitchperfect: After rambling about some Middle Eastern venue and ministers of health and such, he reassured Bud talks were ready to restart for a fight scheduled to happen either “before Ramadan or after”.  Bud didn’t press his soon-to-be-89-year-old promoter either because his Midwestern sensibilities wouldn’t allow curtness with an elder or because Bud doesn’t really want Spence anymore.

That sentence was unwritable three years ago when Crawford first moved from junior welterweight.  Back then Bud was everything we wanted in a fighter; he rose on merit, not hype, he cleaned-out a division before scaling higher, and he was a bit of a psychopath when any bell rang.  He’s fatted now.  Too much British cooking, lard, flour and boiling.  No one thought so at the time, but Bud’s second fight as a welterweight, a 12-round bloodletting with Jose Benavidez, a one-legged former prodigy from Phoenix, was the most impressive thing Crawford has done since unifying titles at 140 pounds, maybe the most impressive thing he’s done since stopping an undefeated Yuriorkis Gamboa in 2014.

Now then, much of the grief we give Bud is grief intended for Arum, for the aspiring nonagenarian’s refusal to compromise with Al Haymon, whose PBC manages every welterweight worth Bud’s fighting.  Arum knows this and can’t be bothered to do a thing about it.  He wore gymnasium-casual to Bud’s postfight interview Saturday, talked trash about Spence’s upcoming opponent, Danny Garcia – ranked a halfdozen or more spots above Kell Brook – and enjoyed Bud’s giving him an out with the Pacquiao plea, a demand from Bud for money, not greatness.

Spence is not blameless in all this, but if he beats Garcia and Thurman and Pacquiao and moves to 154, is anyone not affiliated with Top Rank going to accuse him of ducking Bud?

Bud has real hate in his heart and alleviates some of the evil by semiannual sadism sessions with what luckless men Arum finds for him, men like Jeff Horn, Amir Khan and Egidijus Kavaliauskas.  Saturday it was softened Kell Brook’s turn, and the best that can be said for Brook is that he acquitted himself well for a quarter fight then got out the ring without suffering much.

So strapping and muscular that Special K!  Muscles and fists haven’t been Brook’s undoing as a professional, though – his face has.  The first time Crawford put proper leather on Brook’s surgically repaired face Brook flew backwards as if detonated.  From a jab.  Some hours and words shall be lost by others to explaining the extraordinary leverage and concusiveness of Bud Crawford, when the truth of what happened is simpler.  Brook is not that good, and Crawford is.  When an aged b-level guy runs himself into the onrushing fist of a prime a-level guy what happened Saturday is what happens.  Too much lifting was done for Top Rank’s choice of opponent last week for folks to let the simple explanation stand.  After all, Brook was just a dozen GGG punches and another dozen Truth punches from being undefeated when Bud torqued him with that southpaw jab of his.

Brook took his loss gracefully, like a proper b-sider should, while hemming a bit when asked to fulfill his contractually obligated comparison of Crawford to Spence.  He was there, after all, not to pique interest in a Crawford-Spence superfight his promoter can’t deliver but to make a soundbite ESPN can play before each of Crawford’s next couple, or halfdozen, nonevent title defenses, something such as “Spence wears you down like a kid, but Crawford hits like a man!”  Brook wasn’t the perfect b-side, then, but he was a fine one, and really, who are we kidding?  

Nobody was awake when Brook got interviewed.

Bart Barry can be reached via Twitter @bartbarry

Follow all the action as Terence Crawford defends the WBO Welterweight title against former champion Kell Brook.  The action begins at 10 PM ET / 9 PM CT / 3 AM Sunday in England with a rematch for the WBA Super Flyweight title as Joshua Franco defends the title against Andrew Moloney

NO BROWSER REFRESH NEEDED; THE PAGE WILL UPDATE AUTOMATICALLY

Round 1: Jab from Brook..Jab-Right hand..Right to head..Left from Jab..

Round 2 Jab from Brook..Right uppercut..  Brook outlanding Crawford 20-13

Round 3 Crawford jabbing from southpaw stance..Brook lands a right..Right lead..Left from Crawford..Right from Brook..Right from Crawford..Swelling around the right eye of Crawford

Round 4 RIGHT HOOK AND BROOK STAGGERS INTO THE ROPES FOR A KNOCKDOWN..HUGE LEFT AND RIGHT…BROOK HURT,,,FIGHT OVER

Round 1 Moloney jabbing..2 rights to the body..Franco swelling over right eye from accidental headbutt…Moloney outlands Franco 25-11

Round 2 Referee Calls in Doctor to look at Franco’s eye which is swelling badly..Good combination from Moloney

Round 3 Doctor looking at eye ….FIGHT STOPPED…FIGHT RULED NO DECISION…Commission now looking at replays as it appears there was no headclash in round 1….RULED NO-CONTEST

Terence Crawford may have solidified himself as the best fighter in the world as he stopped Kell Brook in round four to retain his WBO Welterweight title at the MGM Grand Conference Center in Las Vegas.

Brook started off very well as he was very adept with his jab and started landing solid rights. Brook at the very least took two if not all three of the opening rounds.

That was short lived, as in round four, Crawford hurt Brook badly with a short right hook that staggered him to the ropes that was ruled a knockdown by referee Tony Weeks. Crawford, who may be the best finisher in the sport, saw blood and pounced on Brook and landed a vicious combination that forced the stoppage at 1:14.

Crawford, 146.4 lbs of Omaha, Nebraska, is 37-0 with 28 knockouts. Brook, 147 lbs of Sheffield, England is 39-3.

“I already said who I want {next}. I want Pacquiao. I want to revisit that fight,” Crawford said. “That was a fight that should’ve happened right now. But being that the pandemic happened, and they weren’t going to allow fans in the Middle East, they had to put a hold to that. Everything was 95 percent done. We had the venue. The money was almost there. It wasn’t quite there. That was the only thing we were waiting on.

“Kell is a tremendous talent. He came and he tried to take my title. He was in shape. He made the weight. There were no excuses to be put on the table. He came off of three wins.”

Added Brook, “Never in my career, nobody has ever done that to me in sparring or anything.

“It was one of them… I got caught with a shot I didn’t see. I’m gutted because nobody could’ve gotten me in better condition. I was bang on the limit. Maybe I could’ve been a bit more relaxed and loose and let the shots go.”

Top Rank chairman Bob Arum said, “Terence Crawford showed, once again, why he is the best welterweight in the world. It was a dominating performance over a very good fighter in Kell Brook. Terence ranks up there with all the great welterweights I’ve promoted.”

Moloney and Franco Fight to No-Decision after Franco injures eye

In a rematch for the WBA Super Flyweight title, Andrew Moloney and reigning champion battled to a no-contest as an injury to the eye of Franco forced the fight to be stopped before the 3rd round.

In round one, Franco had swelling over his right eye from an accidental headbutt. The doctor looked at the rapidly swelling eye before round’s two and three, and Franco was deemed unfit to continue. Replays showed that the swelling was caused by a jab in the 1st round by Moloney..

The commission looked at the replay for over 25 minutes and settled on a no-contest.

Moloney said, “They took this away from me. The injury was caused by a punch. I can’t believe this.
 
“I was in control of the fight and on my way to a clear victory. I deserved this win. I landed 50 punches on that eye. It was not even close.”
 
Added Arum, “This is an absolute disgrace. There was no headbutt.  Andrew Moloney should be the new champion.”

Joshua Greer Jr. and Edwin Rodriguez battled to a majority draw in a eight-round bantamweight fight.

In round two, Greer began to bleed from his nose.

Rodriguez took a card 77-75 and two cards read even at 76-76.

Rodriguez landed 124 of 470 punches; Greer was 131 of 526.

Greer, 118.9 lbs of Chicago, IL is 22-2-2. Rodriguez, 118.9 lbs of Ponce, PR is 11-5-2.

Tyler Howard remained undefeated by winning an eight-round unanimous decision over KeAndrae Leatherwood.

In round two, Howard was cut over the left eye.

In round six, Leatherwood was deducted a point for holding. In round eight, Howard dropped Leatherwood with a body shot.

Howard landed 81 of 329 punches; Leatherwood was 74 of 244.

Howard, 161.2 lbs of Crossville, TN won by scores of 77-74, 76-74 and 77-73 and is now 19-0. Leatherwood, 161.9 lbs of Tuscaloosa, AL is 22-8-1.

Duke Ragan stayed undefeated with a four-round unanimous decision over Sebastian Gutierrez in a featherweight fight.

In round two, Ragan sent Gutierrez to the canvas with a nicely-timed right hand.

Ragan, 126 lbs of Cincinnati, OH won by scores of 40-35 on all cards and is now 3-0. Gutierrez, 126.3 lbs of Oxnard, CA is 1-1.

Vegas Larfield stopped Jose Alberto Flores in a scheduled four round bantamweight bout featuring undefeated fighters.

It was a back and forth brawl for the opening two rounds. In round three, Larfield dropped Flores with a hard left hook. It was another right that sent Flores down for a 2nd time. Larfield finished off Flores with a big eight-punch combination and the fight was stopped at 1:07.

Larfield, 119 lbs of Brisbane, AUS is now 2-0 with two knockouts. Flores, 117.3 lbs of Monterrey, MEX is 2-1-1.

Raymond Muratalla stopped Luis Porozo in round three of their scheduled six-round lightweight bout.

In round three, Muratalla sent Porozo down from a body shot. Muratalla ended it moments later when he landed a crushing right that sent Porozo down in the corner and he fight was stopped at 2:40.

Muratalla, 137.3 lbs of Fontana, CA is 11-0 with nine knockouts. Porozo, 135.2 lbs of Santo Domingo, ECU is 15-5.

(ESPN & ESPN Deportes, 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT)

    •     Terence Crawford 146.4 lbs vs. Kell Brook 147 lbs 
(Crawford’s WBO Welterweight World Title — 12 Rounds)
 Judges/Referee: Patricia Morse Jarman, Dave Moretti and Benoit Roussel / Tony Weeks

•   Joshua Franco 114.5 lbs vs. Andrew Moloney 114.7 lbs 
(Franco’s WBA Super Flyweight World Title — 12 Rounds)
Judges/Referee: Steve Weisfeld, Tim Cheatham and Lisa Giampa / Russell Mora

(ESPN+, 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT)

•   Joshua Greer Jr. 118.9 lbs vs. Edwin Rodriguez 118.9 lbs 
(Bantamweight— 8 Rounds)

•   Tyler Howard 161.2 lbs vs. KeAndrae Leatherwood 161.9 lbs 
(Middleweight  — 8 Rounds)

•    Duke Ragan 126 lbs vs.  Sebastian Gutierrez 126.3 lbs 
(Featherweight — 4 Rounds)

•        Vegas Larfield 119 lbs vs.  Juan Alberto Flores 117.3 lbs 
(Bantamweight — 4 Rounds)

•            Raymond Muratalla 137.3 lbs vs.  Luis Porozo 135.2 lbs 
(Lightweight — 6 Rounds)

By Norm Frauenheim-

Terence Crawford, not known for wearing his heart on his sleeve, wore it on his face instead. There it was on a mask that could have been a billboard.

P4P, pound-for-pound, repeated and emphasized in black across white cloth. It was bold messaging impossible to mistake, especially for Kell Brook or anybody else tempted to interpret the body language in boxing’s faceoff ritual.

Crawford plans to state his case.

Or, at least, restate it Saturday in his first appearance during a Pandemic that has shuffled and re-shuffled the pound-for-pound debate.

It changes by the week.

Vasiliy Lomachenko gets knocked off in a loss to Teofimo Lopez. Naoya Inoue wins easily, knocking out an overmatched Jason Moloney. Gervonta Davis makes a bid for consideration with a stoppage of accomplished Leo Santa Cruz. Devin Haney puts himself in the conversation with a thorough decision over faded Yuriorkis 

Gamboa. Canelo Alvarez puts himself back on the board, formally splitting with promoter Oscar De La Hoya amid plans to fight somebody, reportedly Callum Smith, in mid-December.

It’s intriguing. Contentious, too.

At the top of the pound-for-pound scale, there are three – Crawford, Canelo and Inoue. There’s a good argument for any of the three, reasonable enough to argue that the top spot should be vacant until somebody delvers a convincing performance.

Enter Crawford, who takes his turn at the bully pulpit against Brook on ESPN in the Bubble at the MGM Grand’s Conference Center in Las Vegas.

“I’ve always felt that I’m Number One, pound-for-pound, in the world,” Crawford said, mask and message still in place, during a news conference Wednesday. “This is what I do.”

Crawford, a leading pound-for-pound contender for the last couple of years, has been criticized for the quality – specifically the lack of it – in his opposition since the former lightweight champion jumped from junior-welterweight to welter in June 2018 against Jeff Horn.

It’s the kind of criticism often attached to any claim on the pound-for-pound’s top spot. That’s why it’s called a debate. Roy Jones Jr. was dogged by the criticism throughout much of his brilliant career, which once included a 2002 hip-hop lyric and career slogan: Ya’all Must’ve Forgot. Viewed through history’s unerring vision, it’s unforgettably clear today. Jones dominated, especially in 1994 when he scored a dazzling decision over dangerous James Toney in a super-middleweight bout. There was simply nobody better.

It’s hard to know whether Crawford will be seen the same way one day. Boxing’s balkanized rivalries might mean the Top Rank-promoted Crawford will never face anybody on PBC’s (Premier Boxing Champions) deep welterweight roster – Errol Spence Jr., Danny Garcia, Keith Thurman and Shawn Porter.

Before Spence’s scary car crash in October 2019, there was talk – urgent talk – about Spence-Crawford. It had to happen. Now? Who knows? In another bout with potential pound-for-pound significance, Spence returns for the first time since the crash on Dec. 5 against Garcia. It’s no tune-up. Spence calls himself The Truth. We’ll get the truth, post-accident, in about three weeks.

Crawford had an interesting comment during a Zoom session about Spence and whether his career hinges on a showdown with the Dallas welterweight. Crawford wasn’t sure. He was asked: If there’s no fight with Spence in 2021, is there a chance it’ll never happen?

“Yeah, it might,” Crawford said. “It might. You know, but like I said, I never really felt like I really needed Errol Spence for my legacy or my career. You know, I’ve accomplished so much in the sport of boxing that, you know, I really didn’t need him.

“You know, yes, I needed him for my legacy at the welterweight division and becoming a two-time, undisputed champion at two different weight classes. But if that fight don’t happen, I don’t feel like, you know, it’ll hurt my legacy. It just hurts the legacy of (me in) the welterweight division.”

Like the rest of boxing, it sounds as if he’ll wait and see how Spence looks against Garcia. There’s nothing else Crawford can do, especially against Brook, a sudden star when he upset Porter more than six years ago.

Since then, he lost to Gennadiy Golovkin in a jump to middleweight and then to Spence in a move back to welter. He suffered a fractured eye socket in each. Brook, who has also fought at junior-middleweight, is bigger than Crawford. The power in his right hand is dangerous.

“He’s never faced a fighter like me,’’ said Brook, who said he has always been prepared for Crawford’s quicksilver way of switching from orthodox to southpaw and back.

For Crawford, the task is to prove there is simply no fighter like him at any weight. His mask says he will.

LAS VEGAS (November 11, 2020) —The pound-for-pound king, WBO welterweight world champion Terence Crawford, renewed acquaintances with Kell Brook Wednesday afternoon, nearly nine months after they had a brief conversation at the Deontay Wilder-Tyson Fury 2 weigh-in inside the MGM Grand Garden Arena. This time, they sat six feet apart on a socially distanced press conference dais three days before their championship showdown, which will air LIVE on ESPN and Deportes (10 p.m. ET), and exclusively on Premier Sports in the UK. When it came time to face off, they edged closer, neither man willing to give an inch.

In the co-feature — a rematch of one of the most memorable Bubble bouts — WBA super flyweight world champion Joshua “El Profesor” Franco will attempt to repeat the deed against Andrew “The Monster” Moloney. Franco upset Moloney via unanimous decision on June 23, as Moloney faded in the later rounds after suffering a pair of perforated eardrums.

At the press conference, this is what they had to say.

Terence Crawford

“I’ve always felt that I’m number one pound-for-pound in the world. This is what I do.”

“I’m not the one to quit on a fight, but I can’t say the same about him. I wish him the best.”

“At the end of the day, this is nothing new to me. I have fought in an arena where there are 50 people. I’ll go in there and get the job done as I always do.”

Kell Brook

“I’ve been after this fight for a long time. I’m more than ready! I’m in the best condition of my life, and I’m ready to become a two-time world champion. I’m like fine wine. I’m getting better as I get older. I’m ready.”

”I think Terence knows I’m not an easy fight. I want him to bring the best out of me. I’m pushing myself to perform the best I can. I pulled myself away from my family and from all the distractions. I’m making the sacrifice of being away from my family because I want to be great.”

“It will be great for the UK for me to come through and become world champ against the number one fighter in the world. I know who Terence is, and that’s why I have prepared the way I have. I’m a big welterweight, and I can punch with both hands. This is what I do. The talking is done. All the work has been done. It’s time to perform.”

Joshua Franco

“It’s great to be back in The Bubble, and now that I have the title, it is even better. I have more confidence and I’m getting better. I have the confidence of having Robert (Garcia) in my corner. That is great. He has great experience. We are looking for better opportunities after Saturday.”

Andrew Moloney

“I’ve never been so determined to do something in my life. I’m thankful for the opportunity to redeem myself. For the past five months, I have prepared myself to leave with that belt around my waist. That belt means everything to me. It’s my son’s future. I’m not leaving without it.”

“It wasn’t my best night, but you are going to see a much better fighter this time around. He is going to think he is in the ring with a different fighter.” SATURDAY’S CARD

ESPN & ESPN Deportes, 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT

Terence Crawford vs. Kell Brook, 12 rounds, Crawford’s WBO welterweight world title

Joshua Franco vs. Andrew Moloney 2, 12 rounds, Franco’s WBA super flyweight world title

ESPN+, 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT

Joshua Greer Jr. vs. Edwin Rodriguez , 8 rounds, bantamweight

Tyler Howard vs. KeAndrae Leatherwood, 8 rounds, middleweight

Duke Ragan vs. Sebastian Gutierrez, 4 rounds, featherweight

Raymond Muratalla vs. Luis Porozo, 6 rounds, lightweight

Livecoverage of Top Rank on ESPN continues this Saturday, Nov 14, when WBO welterweight champion and pound-for-pound king Terence “Bud” Crawford returns in an action packed main event against former welterweight world champion Kell Brook, live from the MGM Grand Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. Live coverage begins at 7 p.m. ET with undercard action on ESPN+ in English and Spanish. The Crawford-Brook main event card airs on ESPN and ESPN Deportes at 10 p.m. ET.

Crawford-Brook will feature a WBA super flyweight world title rematch between champion Joshua Franco and the man he defeated to win the title, Andrew Moloney. 

Calling the action for ESPN from site will be Joe Tessitore (play-by-play), former #1 pound-for-pound two-division world titleholder and 2004 Olympic gold medalist Andre Ward (analyst), and former two-division world titleholder Tim Bradley (analyst). The on-location desk team will feature analysis from Bernardo Osuna and Mark Kriegel.

Fight week coverage includes:

• SportsCenter segments: segments for ESPN’s flagship news and information program from Las Vegas
• Crawford vs. Brook Final Press Conference (Wed at 3:10 p.m. ET, live ESPN’s YouTube Channel))
• Crawford vs. Brook Official Weigh-In: (Fri at 5 p.m. ET on ESPN2): Joe Tessitore, Andre Ward, Tim Bradley, Mark Kriegel and Bernardo Osuna reporting live from site
• Max on Boxing Weigh in Special (Fri, Nov 13 at 5:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2): ESPN’s boxing series hosted by Max Kellerman airing live following the weigh-in, which will include 1-1 interviews with Crawford and Brook

ESPN.com

• Brook confident of Crawford upset by using size, experience to his advantage
• Real or not: Can Terence Crawford get a unification fight? Where does Devin Haney stand at 135?
• Scouting report from Timothy Bradley on both fighters
• Friday: Expert Picks (streaming on ESPN+)
• Terence Crawford is the pound-for-pound boxing king of the world, but he has one soft spot – dogs (Thursday)
• Expert picks for Crawford-Brook (E+) (Friday)
• Ringside seat (Friday)

Social:@ESPNRingside Twitter, Facebook and Instagram

Schedule of Live Crawford vs. Brook Content on ESPN Platforms (All Times ET)

LAS VEGAS (November 10, 2020) —The pound-for-pound king, Terence “Bud” Crawford, is set to return to his throne. Crawford will defend his WBO welterweight world title against former welterweight world champion Kell Brook on Saturday evening from the MGM Grand Las Vegas Bubble. In the co-feature, Joshua “El Profesor” Franco will defend his WBA super flyweight world title against the man he dethroned in the Bubble back in June, Andrew “The Monster” Moloney.

Crawford-Brook and Franco-Moloney 2 will air LIVE on ESPN & ESPN Deportes at 10 p.m. ET, with undercard action to stream live on ESPN+ at 7 p.m. ET. UK fans can watch all the action on Premier Sports 1 starting at 12 a.m. Sunday morning.

This is what Crawford, Brook, Franco and Moloney had to say during Monday’s Zoom press conference.

Terence Crawford

“He’s not the only opponent that went into the fight thinking they were going to stop me or knock me out, so that’s nothing new for me. He’s just going to have to live up to his words.”

“I actually can’t rate him because I’ve never been in the ring with him. Actually, he was never on my radar from the jump. This was a fight that he wanted, that he kept calling for. Once the Pacquiao fight fell through, he was the next option given the circumstances of COVID and whatnot. I must’ve been on his radar. He was never on my radar. He’s on my radar now, and we’re fighting this weekend. That’s what it is.”

“Me, I go about fights to get the win, no matter how they come. I’m not going out there to try and outdo previous performances or any other fighter. My thing is to go out there and make sure I get the win and secure that first and everything else can come second. If the knockout is there, of course I’m going to go out there and take it. But if it’s not, then like I said before, we’re prepared for 12 rounds.”

“Well, he’s never faced nobody like me. He can say I never faced nobody like him, and I can say he’s never faced nobody like me. I don’t know what he brings to the table because I haven’t been there. I haven’t been in the ring with him, so we shall see come this week.”

Kell Brook

“I stop him, or he quits on the stool. I’m fully focused. I’ve never been ready for a fight like this before. Looking forward to whatever Terence brings because I can match him. I’m ready for a war.”

“I’ve been here before. I’ve been on this stage. I’ve been in there with pound-for-pound top fighters like Golovkin and Errol Spence. I took the title away from Shawn Porter in America. I know what it takes to be champion.”

“He’s going to have a rude awakening, I’ll tell you that. He’s going to have a rude awakening Saturday night when he gets in there.”

“I hope he’s {overlooking me}. I hope he is because I’m coming with force. Trust me.”

“I’m in a great, great place in my mind, and my weight is fantastic for this fight. Forget the weight. The weight’s made.”

“I think {winning this fight} would rank above Shawn Porter given everything I’ve been through, everyone writing me off. I think you gotta put it up there because this is the pound-for-pound best fighter in the world. You’ve gotta put him as number one. Nobody has done that in history from Britain, and I’m glad that all the fans will be able to see it on Premier Sports. They’re going to stay up and enjoy me become two-time world champion.”

“My body clock has adjusted to the Vegas time now, so everything is on point. The sleeping, my body clock is there. Everything’s there that’s needed to win this fight.”

Joshua Franco

“I could slow down my work rate or I could pick it up whenever I want. I just feel like that’s going to be an advantage, for sure.”

“I feel confident because I’ve been in the ring with Andrew Moloney before. I know what he has. I’m always confident, of course. My training went well. I had a tough training camp, and that also brings my confidence up. I’m just ready for whatever.”

“Very tough preparation in the gym. Eight hard weeks of training. I’m more than ready.”

Andrew Moloney

“It’s not so much weaknesses in Franco’s game, I just believe all around I’m a better boxer than he is. And I know that I didn’t show that in the first fight. But I believe I will show that this Saturday night. Tune in because you are going to see a much better performance from me this time around.”

“It’s been public knowledge that both of my eardrums were perforated in that first fight. Look, I don’t want to make excuses, but it did affect my performance. My balance was affected quite a lot. it affected me from fighting at my best. But, look, he won the fight. There’s no excuses. I want to go into this fight and show that I’m much better than I was this first time around and win this rematch and put that behind me.”

“You’re going to see a much different performance from myself, a different game plan this time around, and I believe a much more dominant performance. I can’t give too much away, obviously, in terms of the tactics, but it will be a different fight this time around, and I believe a much more dominant performance from myself.”

Use the hashtags #CrawfordBrook and #FrancoMoloney2 to join the conversation on social media. For more information, visit www.toprank.com, www.espn.com/boxing; Facebook: facebook.com/trboxing; Twitter: twitter.com/trboxing; twitter.com/ESPNRingside.

(November 6, 2020) — In anticipation of the Nov. 14 showdown between WBO welterweight champion Terence “Bud” Crawford and former welterweight world champion Kell Brook, ESPN will debut Relentless: Terence Crawford, an in-depth interview with Crawford leading up to his return to the ring. Conducted by Andre Ward, ESPN boxing analyst, former two-division world champion and 2004 U.S. Olympic gold medalist, the special airs Sunday, Nov. 8 at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN.

During the interview, Crawford discusses his desire to fight the other welterweight world champions, his win-at-all-costs mentality, and his legacy as a three-weight world champion and the fighter many experts regard as the pound-for-pound king.

Crawford said, “I always ask people, ‘What’s your why? Why do you do the things you do?’ Because I know mine. I’ve gotta feed my family. You’re not gonna take food off my family’s table. That’s my why. It’s my family. 

“There’s nothing in this world that I can do or participate in that I don’t want to win in. If I’m gonna do it, I want to do it to win. People doubting you, everybody looking at you like you’re gonna be another nothing, so it just made me hungry.”

Relentless: Terence Crawford will be preceded by ESPN, Updating the Welterweight Division, an in-depth look at one of boxing’s most talent-rich divisions, airing at 8:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.

Crawford-Brook headlines a packed card that will feature the WBA super flyweight world title rematch between champion Joshua Franco and the man he defeated to win the title, Andrew Moloney. Crawford-Brook and Franco-Moloney 2 and the return of junior welterweight knockout sensation Elvis Rodriguez will be broadcast live on ESPN and ESPN Deportes at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. ET, with undercard action to stream live on ESPN+ at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT.

Use the hashtags #CrawfordBrook and #FrancoMoloney2 to join the conversation on social media. For more information, visit www.toprank.com, www.espn.com/boxing; Facebook: facebook.com/trboxing; Twitter: twitter.com/trboxing;twitter.com/ESPNRingside.

LAS VEGAS (November 5, 2020) — The knockout king of the MGM Grand Las Vegas Bubble, junior welterweight southpaw Elvis “The Dominican Kid” Rodriguez, hopes to put an exclamation point on his 2020 Prospect of the Year campaign.

Rodriguez will fight an opponent to be named in an eight-rounder Saturday, Nov. 14 on the world title doubleheader undercard featuring WBO welterweight champion Terence “Bud” Crawford against former welterweight world champion Kell Brook. The co-main event will showcase the WBA super flyweight world title rematch between champion Joshua “El Profesor” Franco and the man he defeated to win the title, Andrew “The Monster” Moloney.

Crawford-Brook, Franco-Moloney 2 and the return of Rodriguez will be broadcast live on ESPN and ESPN Deportes at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. ET, with undercard action to stream live on ESPN+ at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT.

“No prospect in boxing has shown more this year than Elvis Rodriguez, who keeps knocking out opponents in devastating fashion. It’s getting harder and harder to find people who will fight this kid,” said Top Rank chairman Bob Arum. “With two world title fights, plus a bunch of our top young fighters in action, Nov. 14 is a stacked card from top to bottom.”

Rodriguez (10-0-1, 10 KOs) has won all five of his 2020 bouts by stoppage, including four knockouts in three rounds or less inside the MGM Grand Bubble since July 2. He last fought Oct. 9 and knocked out veteran Cameron Krael in three rounds, only the second time Krael had been knocked out in 37 pro bouts. The Freddie Roach-trained Rodriguez has won eight in a row since an accidental headbutt-induced technical draw in his third pro bout.

“This is going to be my fifth fight in ‘The Bubble’ and my sixth of the year. I feel grateful for the opportunities Top Rank has given me and the great effort of my team to keep me fit and ready,” Rodriguez said. “I would like to be recognized as Prospect of the Year. It would be a great recognition of my talent, effort, sacrifice, and discipline that I have dedicated to this sport for the last 12 years of my life. It would be a great recognition for my team and my country because I believe that I would be the first Dominican boxer named Prospect of the Year. Representing the Dominican flag is a source of pride for me. I am committed to bringing a world title to my country.”

In undercard action on ESPN+:

Joshua Greer Jr. (22-2-1, 12 KOs) vs. Edwin Rodriguez (11-5-1, 5 KOs) 
8 Rounds, Bantamweight

Greer saw his 19-bout winning streak come to end on June 16, when he was knocked down twice en route to a 10-round majority decision defeat to “Magic” Mike Plania. The Chicago native, who is still ranked in the top 10 by two of the major sanctioning organizations, hopes to return to form in his second Bubble appearance. Rodriguez’s record belies his talent, as he is 3-1-1 in his last five bouts, all against previously undefeated foes. He last fought in August 2019, upsetting the then-unbeaten Saul Sanchez via 10-round split decision.

Tyler Howard (18-0, 11 KOs) vs. KeAndrae Leatherwood (22-7-1, 13 KOs)
8 Rounds, Middleweight

“Hercules” Howard, from Crossville, Tenn., returns after more than a year away from the ring. He is 4-0 with two knockouts since inking a promotional deal with Top Rank and is seeking his first stoppage since a one-round demolition of Isiah Seldon in November 2018. Leatherwood is a 12-year pro who has fought the likes of former world champions Andy Lee and Caleb Truax. He last boxed in December 2019 and was stopped by top prospect Christian Mbilli in eight rounds.

Raymond Muratalla (10-0, 8 KOs) vs. TBA
8/6 Rounds, Lightweight

Muratalla, from Fontana, Calif., aims for his sixth consecutive knockout win and second inside The Bubble. The younger brother of unbeaten bantamweight prospect Gabriel Muratalla, he last fought Aug. 29 and knocked out Cesar Valenzuela in the seventh round.

Duke Ragan (2-0, 1 KO) vs. TBA
4 Rounds, Featherweight

Ragan, a former U.S. amateur star from Cincinnati, Ohio, made his professional debut Aug. 22 with a first-round knockout and followed that up with a decision victory over former UFC title challenger John Moraga on Oct. 3. 

Vegas Larfield (1-0, 1 KO) vs. Juan Alberto Flores (2-0-1)
4 Rounds, Bantamweight

Larfield, from Brisbane, Australia, trained with Andrew and Jason Moloney for this bout and is coming off a first-round stoppage Aug. 26 in his professional debut. Flores has won two consecutive bouts since a four-round draw in his professional debut.

Use the hashtags #CrawfordBrook and #FrancoMoloney2 to join the conversation on social media. For more information, visit www.toprank.com, www.espn.com/boxing; Facebook: facebook.com/trboxing; Twitter: twitter.com/trboxing;twitter.com/ESPNRingside.

About ESPN+
ESPN+ is the industry-leading sports streaming service from Disney’s Direct-to-Consumer and International (DTCI) segment and ESPN. Launched in April 2018, ESPN+ has grown to 8.5 million subscribers, offering fans in the U.S. thousands of live sports events, original programming not available on ESPN’s linear TV or digital networks, as well as premium editorial content. 

Fans subscribe to ESPN+ for just $5.99 a month (or $49.99 per year) at ESPNplus.com,ESPN.com or on the ESPN App (mobile and connected devices). It is also available as part of The Disney Bundle offer that gives subscribers access to Disney+, ESPN+ and Hulu (ad-supported) — all for just $12.99/month. 

(October 26, 2020) — November’s most anticipated fight now has an exclusive UK broadcast home.
 
Premier Sports and Top Rank have announced that pound-for-pound king Terence “Bud” Crawford’s WBO welterweight world title defense against Sheffield’s Kell Brook — Saturday, November 14 in the United States — will air live on Premier Sports 1, with coverage starting at 12.30 a.m. Sunday morning.
 
The Crawford-Brook telecast will also include the highly anticipated rematch between WBA super flyweight world champion Joshua Franco and former world champion Andrew Moloney. Franco upset Moloney via unanimous decision June 23 to capture the world title.
 
Premier Sports 1 is available in HD via Sky (412 & 429), Virgin TV (551 & 552) and online via the Premier Player available on app and desktop. New subscribers to Premier Sports can easily sign up via the website – www.premiersports.com.
 
Richard Sweeney, CEO of Premier Sports said, “We are delighted to partner with Top Rank and broadcast this massively anticipated fight next month. There is huge interest in this event from fans in the UK, and we’re pleased to make it live and exclusive to Premier Sports customers.”
 
Brook said,“I am delighted to announce that my fans across the UK will be able to watch me fight Terence Crawford for the welterweight world title LIVE on Premier Sports.
 
“It’s bonfire season, and I’m going to be bringing the fireworks, so make sure you subscribe and tune in to watch me become two-time world champion, baby!”
 
Added Bob Arum, Top Rank Chairman, “I commend Premier Sports for stepping up to broadcast Crawford-Brook. Terence is a generational talent, and I strongly believe Kell has the skills to give him a tremendous challenge. The UK boxing fans deserved an outlet to watch this fight, and thanks to Premier Sports, they will have an opportunity to do so.”
 
About Premier Sports
Formed in 2009, Premier Sports is currently broadcasting in the UK and Republic of Ireland with live and exclusive rights to the Premier League, LaLiga, Serie A, Guinness PRO14, Scottish Cup and Betfred Cup, GAA, NHL, NASCAR and also operate BoxNation, a dedicated boxing channel. Many of these rights are available in both territories with some exclusive to each region.

(October 17, 2020) — The pound-for-pound king is set to reclaim his throne. WBO welterweight world champion Terence “Bud” Crawford will defend his title against former welterweight world champion Kell Brook in a special edition of Top Rank on ESPN Saturday, Nov. 14.
 
In the world championship co-feature, Joshua “El Profesor” Franco will defend his WBA super flyweight title against former world champion Andrew “The Monster” Moloney in a rematch of their June bout, won by Franco via decision.
 
Promoted by Top Rank and sponsored by GEICO, ESPN and ESPN Deportes will televise Crawford-Brook and Franco-Moloney 2 beginning at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT, while a full slate of undercard bouts will stream live on ESPN+ at 7:30 p.m. ET/4:30 p.m. PT.

Venue information for Crawford-Brook will be announced soon.
 
“Kell Brook is one of the elite fighters in the world. He has faced so many of the top boxers,” said Top Rank chairman Bob Arum. “He is a real test for pound-for-pound great Terence Crawford. This is another premium fight that will be available to boxing fans for no extra charge live on ESPN.”
 
Crawford (36-0, 27 KOs), the pride of Omaha, Neb., has reigned as WBO welterweight world champion since June 9, 2018, when he stopped Jeff “The Hornet” Horn in nine one-sided rounds. He has since defended that world title three times, including a sixth-round demolition over former unified junior welterweight champion Amir “King” Khan in April 2019. Crawford has not fought since last December’s ninth-round TKO over Egidijus “Mean Machine” Kavaliauskas and will enter the ring against Brook coming off a career-long 11-month layoff. He has won seven straight bouts by knockout since a one-sided decision over Viktor Postol in a July 2016 junior welterweight unification bout. Prior to his welterweight world title campaign, Crawford was the lineal lightweight and undisputed junior welterweight world champion.
 
Brook (39-2, 27 KOs), from Sheffield, England, is a former welterweight world champion who made three successful defenses of the IBF title he won from Shawn Porter in 2014. His only defeat at welterweight came to Errol Spence Jr. in May 2017, a competitive fight that ended in the 11^th round after he suffered a broken orbital bone. Since the Spence defeat, “The Special One” has won three bouts at junior middleweight, including February’s seventh-round stoppage over Mark DeLuca. Brook has long campaigned for the Crawford bout, and earlier this year, he ran into Crawford at the Deontay Wilder-Tyson Fury II weigh-in.
 
“You gonna make weight?” Crawford asked Brook.
“You’re running out of opponents,” Brook responded. “I’m here.”
 
Brook said, “I would just like to say a big thank you to Bob Arum and his team at Top Rank and to Baz Kandiara and my management team for getting the ?ght made. Thank you also to Terence Crawford and his team. It’s a fantastic ?ght, a proper ?ght for the fans to get excited about. I’m sure it’s one that will have viewers on the edge of their seats, whichever side of the pond they’re from.
 
“I’ve been told there are people writing off my chances, questioning my age, and my ability to make the weight. Well, let them talk. Some people focus on reading headlines, I focus on making headlines. Those people writing me off as a big underdog? No problem. I guess this big dog will be making a few people richer during a difficult time.
 
“Terence isn’t too much younger than me. They know that I’ve never ducked a challenge, and they should know that I’ve never failed to make 147 on the scales. With age comes experience. My knowledge and experience make me a di?erent ?ghter, a more mature ?ghter. Couple that with a happy fighter, and you’ve got yourself a dangerous fighter.”
 
Moloney (21-1, 14 KOs), from Melbourne, Australia, won the interim world title with a knockout over Elton Dharry last November and was subsequently elevated to world champion. In his first world title defense, June 23 from the MGM Grand Las Vegas Bubble, he was upset via unanimous decision at the hands of Franco (17-1-2, 8 KOs), a native of San Antonio, Texas, who was previously best known for his action-packed trilogy with Oscar Negrete.

Said Moloney, “I am extremely excited and motivated for my rematch with Franco. I’m very grateful that Top Rank has given me the opportunity to get my revenge and reclaim my world title. I have been working extremely hard every day to make sure that world title is strapped back around my waist on Nov. 14.”
 
Use the hashtags #CrawfordBrook and #FrancoMoloney2 to join the conversation on social media. For more information, visit www.toprank.com, www.espn.com/boxing; Facebook: facebook.com/trboxing; Twitter: twitter.com/trboxing;twitter.com/ESPNRingside.
 

(March 24, 2020) — Bring out the boxing stars.
 

Terence Crawford, Tyson Fury, Teofimo Lopez, Michael Conlan and the 2015 super-fight between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao will be showcased on ESPN2 Wednesday, March 25 as part of a five-hour fistic marathon.

The action will begin at 7 p.m. ET with WBO welterweight world champion Crawford’s April 2019 tour de force over former unified super lightweight world champion Amir Khan.  

At 8 p.m. ET, there will be a special replay of the tripleheader that preceded the Heisman Trophy ceremony last December from Madison Square Garden. Conlan opened the show seeking revenge over Vladimir Nikitin, the Russian boxer who defeated him via controversial decision in the quarterfinals of the 2016 Rio Olympics. The co-feature saw 22-year-old Brooklyn-born prodigy Lopez challenge IBF lightweight world champion Richard Commey in a classic “changing of the guards” matchup. In the main event, pound-for-pound king Crawford went toe-to-toe with two-time Lithuanian Olympian Egidijus “Mean Machine” Kavaliauskas.  

The big men will take center stage at 10 p.m. ET for lineal heavyweight champion Tyson Fury’s drama-filled 12-round war against Otto Wallin, which took place last September at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.  

The action will conclude at 11 p.m. ET with the most lucrative bout in boxing history, the May 2015 welterweight world title fight between all-time greats Mayweather and Pacquiao.  

ESPN+ also features a collection of some of the greatest fights in boxing history, including dozens of legendary bouts from the Top Rank Library, available on demand. The collection includes legendary heavyweight showdowns like Muhammad Ali vs. Joe Frazier III, Ali vs. George Foreman, Joe Louis vs. Billy Conn, Mike Tyson vs. Larry Holmes, Jack Dempsey vs. Gene Tunney, Max Baer vs. James J. Braddock, Ali vs. Sonny Liston I & II, and many more.  

Wednesday’s Top Rank on ESPN lineup adds to ESPN’s week of programming, which also includes an encore presentation of the Academy-Award winning 30 for 30 documentary “O.J.: Made in America.” The documentary airs over three nights in primetime from March 24-March 26. The film originally premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2016, debuted on ABC/ESPN in June 2016, and won the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature at the 89^th Academy Awards in February 2017. 

ESPN Boxing Schedule, Wednesday, March 25 (All times ET)  

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, UFC star Conor McGregor and WBO Welterweight champion Terence Crawford could be in discussions for a possible two fight (MMA and Boxing) series.

“You’ve got an elite boxer in Terence Crawford fighting an elite MMA guy in Conor McGregor under MMA rules,” Crawford’s promoter Bob Arum told ESPN on Wednesday. “You don’t think that would be interesting and something the public would want to see? I think it’s very realistic.”

Arum said there have been some discussions between the sides but declined to specify which parties had talked.

“Whenever they are ready, we are ready,” Arum said. “We’d do the MMA fight first if that’s what they want.”

“I’m a fighter first. As a fighter, I would entertain it,” Crawford told ESPN. “I just have to have the proper time to prepare myself. It would be a little more than boxing training. I haven’t been in that [wrestling] environment in a long time, but most definitely I feel I can compete with anyone given the proper time to train on the MMA side, being that I have a wrestling background. McGregor would have to worry about my stand-up game as well. It would be interesting. He’s got good kicks and he’s strong. I’d have to prepare myself for those things, but I feel I would be all right.”

“I can’t get none of these top welterweights in the ring to fight me, so whatever is clever. I’m with it all,” Crawford said of a potential major fight in MMA.

“Fighting Crawford would be great for McGregor because he has no chance in a boxing match except to pick up a check,” Arum said. “In an MMA match, he would be the favorite, but Crawford would have a chance because he’s one tough dude and because he has a wrestling background. I think that Crawford is the one boxer that can compete with an elite MMA guy under MMA rules. We’d do two fights so we can level the playing field by fighting in both disciplines. Mayweather and Pacquiao would never fight under MMA rules. Crawford would.”

“I always had the talent for wrestling, but I liked to throw my hands. I liked punching people in the face more than hugging them,” Crawford said. “My dad was a wrestler, my uncle and my grandfather wrestled, and they were always teaching me the moves. I just liked boxing more.

“A lot of people may say if Terence goes into the Octagon he will get crushed, but they don’t know me.”

By Norm Frauenheim-

Fights we want to see.
Fights we won’t see. It’s that time of the year. Old is supposed to give way to
the new. But boxing is a business that has seen it all, or almost all.  We still haven’t seen Terence
Crawford-versus-Errol Spence Jr. and I have a hunch we won’t see it in 2020
either. Hope springs eternal, but old habits make the world go ‘round.

Bob
Arum, who has seen it all, told The Athletic that boxing is poised for a terrific
year. All the fundamentals are there.

“It’s
going to be off the charts,’’ Arum said.

But
then there was the caveat. The if.

“If,’’
Arum said, “everybody doesn’t bleep it up.’’

Bleep
is a boxing habit. For whatever reason, it won’t stay in the spit bucket. It
always seems to be there just when you begin to think the battered game is
about to get up and off the canvas. Let’s face it, 2019 was forgettable.

Sure,
there were some moments. Canelo won at a fourth weight, winning a
light-heavyweight title in a 10^th-round knockout of Sergey Kovalev.
But did anybody really think that wasn’t going to happen?

It’ll
be a night remembered more for the delay in the opening bell. In a misguided
attempt to boost the DAZN audience, the logistics around a good Las Vegas fight
featuring boxing’s biggest draw waited until a UFC card in New York ended. It
was embarrassing and a sure sign that boxing’s place in the market and the
public imagination had further eroded.

That
slide will continue this year without a serious attempt at breaking out of the
same old bleep. The Deontay Wilder-Tyson Fury rematch on Feb. 22 looks as if it
could be a pretty good beginning, a launching pad to what Arum hopes will be an
off-the-charts year. I’d settle for a year that puts 2019 in the rear view
mirror.

Here
are a few predictions, all with the caveat in mind and the tongue in cheek.

• Wilder knocks out Fury. Fury, already a
  betting favorite, promises that Wilder won’t touch him. But the real question
  is this: Can Fury hurt Wilder? Fury is clever, yet he lacks power. Wilder lacks
  skill, but he is tough. He can withstand punishment. The longer the fight, the
  more likely it is that Wilder’s lethal right lands. This time, Fury doesn’t get
  up.
• Canelo, who gave up his light-heavyweight
  belt, fights Gennadiy Golovkin for a third time. DAZN’s investment mandates the
  bout. Canelo agrees, knowing it will generate significant income. There’s no
  debate about the result this time. Canelo wins a dominant decision.
• Mikey Garcia is again reminded of why there
  are weight classes. Garcia faces welterweight Jessie Vargas on Feb. 28, nearly
  a year after Spence easily beat him in a performance that said –round-to-round
  – that Garcia should have stayed at 135. Vargas keeps it close. But Garcia wins
  a narrow decision in a performance that suggests he’s vulnerable. Manny
  Pacquiao sees the fight—and the vulnerability. Pacquiao and Garcia agree to fight
  later in the year.
• Gervonta Davis fights for the second time at 135
  pounds. Misses weight for a second time, too.
• Jose Ramirez blows away Viktor Postol in China
  on Feb. 2 in a junior-welterweight bout. That sets up a unification title fight
  with Josh Taylor in either the UK or Las Vegas. Ramirez shows he can win
  anywhere, unifying the title and then looking to move up the scale to
  welterweight in a fight with Crawford.
• Anthony Joshua talks, talks and talks about
  Wilder-Fury, yet struggles against Kubrat Pulev in a mandatory defense of one
  of his titles in a spring bout. A bout with Wilder gets delayed until early
  2021.
• Emanuel Navarrete defends his
  junior-featherweight title two more times and moves up the scale to 126 pounds.
  But none of the featherweights will fight him. They’re afraid of him.
• Naoya
  Inoue comes back from eye-socket fracture sustained in Fight of the Year
  victory over Nonito Donaire. Inoue re-asserts his pound-for-pound credentials
  and adds another bantamweight belt against either Nordine Oubaali of France or Filipino Johnriel Casimero sometime in
  mid-year in either Los Angeles or Las Vegas.

• Fury fights MMA,
  wrestles, writes another book and gets a television series, The Furys, A Kardashian Look at a Boxing
  Family.

• Floyd Mayweather Jr. says
  he’s coming back. Then says he’s not coming back. Throughout the next year,
  there will be as many rumors about Mayweather-Pacquiao 2 as there are pages in a
  calendar.

• Teofimo Lopez finally
  gets a shot at Vasiliy Lomachenko late in the year. He pulls off a stunner. He
  fights to a controversial draw with Lomachenko, the pound-for-pound No.1 in
  most ratings. But a rematch dictated by the draw never happens. Lomachenko is
  injured in the fight. Then, he decides to move back down the scale to a more
  natural eight, 130 or 126

• Bleep happens. That’s
  the only sure thing in this year or any other year.

By Bart Barry-

Saturday at Madison Square Garden in a fight for the ESPN welterweight title Nebraska’s Terence “Bud” Crawford stopped Lithuania’s Egidijus “Mean Machine” Kavaliauskas in round 9, defending his ESPN-pound-for-pound rating and further burnishing credentials Crawford insists are already hall-of-fame quality. Too, ESPN’s Joe Tessitore called the last minutes of Crawford’s ringwalk “precious”?

Bud Crawford is bored. You are bored. Bud Crawford knows you are bored. (And now, humorously enough, he knows you know he’s bored.) That mutual boredom leads a proud man like Bud to do imprudent things for his own amusement and to a lesser extent your amusement. That’s half the reason for Crawford’s poor start Saturday but not the bad half. Boredom can be remedied, after all.

The bad part of the reason for Crawford’s poor start Saturday is that his skills are gradually eroding in the acid rain of average competition.

Boxing is unique among professional sports in its ability to waste a healthy participant’s prime years. By any measure Crawford’s prime is being wasted. That’s boxing’s fault, the system’s fault, much more than any one person’s or organization’s or broadcast network’s.

Boxing does this to many of its participants, but you rarely notice because the case is never obvious as Crawford’s is right now. Generally these things happen to a 29-year-old stuck in a small market and affiliated with the wrong manager, some fighter either too good or too loyal to get the fights a bigger handler might get him. If ever he breaks-through his story becomes an inspirational one of perseverance and seizing one’s chance on the odd chance it is presented and almost never about bad luck and a system that squanders its participants’ primes.

Bud already did his b-side breaking-through years ago. Now his staybusy mandatory defenses illuminate fundamental flaws in our beloved sport’s meritocracy.

Bud’s promoter, Top Rank, knows all this much better than even Bud does, and so it gives him a semiannual pulpit from which to vent on America’s mostwatched sports network. Bud gets the relief of telling ESPN viewers what he opines of PBC’s keepaway game, and the honor of being called boxing’s best prizefighter despite years of middling competition, and Top Rank and ESPN get promotional rights to the world’s best prizefighter. And everybody gets money enough to endure the arrangement another year longer.

But a crossroads approaches for Bud and his promoter, if not his network. Another couple years like 2019 and age and poor competition’ll’ve eroded Bud’s skills to a point Top Rank’s matchmakers’ll know Bud is no longer great enough to justify the risk of putting him in with the world’s best welterweights – not when another two years of revenues can be milked from the ESPN cow, fighting unification matches with Julius Indongo or title defenses with Jeff Horn.

Annual interviews with the perennially aggrieved Dre Ward will feature a tasting menu of early-retirement threats, PBC callouts, legal misunderstandings explained, and commiserating about what untrustworthy media rated both men world’s best, both before and after they deserved it. In between there will be more close calls explained away by Bo Mack – Bud’s charismatic trainer now enjoying his own synergistic relationship with ESPN – and surliness and sadism. At the end of the run there will be 10 impressionable kids saying Crawford is an alltime great for every one of the rest of us lamenting the career Crawford might’ve had were boxing run like football or hockey. Boxing writers’ll selforganize around Bud’s already B-Hop-like autohagiography and bully themselves into putting Bud in Canastota.

There are some risks inherent in Bud’s early retirement threats, though, especially now that he’s spoken them to the aforementioned and early retired Andre Ward: Sometime in the next few years Manny Pacquiao is going to retire, and the very last thing Bud wants is historians placing those two resumes side-by-side.

Again, little to none of this is Crawford’s fault. But again-again, absolutely none of it is our faults as aficionados.

Crawford is neither talented nor lucky as Pacquiao. Were he as talented he’d be fighting Canelo at 168 pounds in May, and were he as lucky he’d have had a trilogy with Yuriorkis Gamboa and a pair of fights with Vasyl Lomachenko and a tetralogy with Errol Spence. Instead he’s stuck reminding viewers Egidijus Kavaliauskas was still undefeated on Saturday afternoon and reviving Money May’s canard about the boxing media not knowing anything about boxing.

We know enough to know Crawford ate righthands Saturday night he’s not proud of this morning. We know that if he tried to race forward willfully against any of PBC’s top four welterweights the way he did against Kavaliauskas he’d have spent more than a flashing moment on the canvas. We know three years comprising John Molina, Felix Diaz, Julius Indongo, Jeff Horn, Jose Benavidez (on one good leg) and Amir Khan is no one’s idea of a path to enlightenment.

And we know Bud knows we know these things, and all of it pisses him off. He’s a great talent and a true fighter, nevertheless. It’s a stain on our sport he’ll unlikely get his chance to be remembered as more than that.

Bart Barry can be reached via Twitter @bartbarry

NEW YORK CITY — In the main event of a Top Rank on ESPN card from Madison Square Garden, pound-for-pound great Terence “Bud” Crawford (36-0, 27KO) retained his WBO World Welterweight Title, sending Egidijus “Mean Machine” Kavaliauskas (21-1-1, 18KO) to the canvas three times en route to a 9th round TKO victory.  

True to form, the 32 year old Nebraskan Crawford started slow and conceded early rounds and momentum to Kavaliauskas.  In the third round, Kavaliauskas landed a huge right hand that momentarily buckled Crawford. The Lithuanian quickly followed up with a flurry of shots that ultimately collapsed Crawford to the mat, but referee Ricky Gonzalez nullified the knockdown and ruled Crawford was pushed.  

After four see-sawing rounds that witnessed both fighters give and take their fair share of punishment, Crawford began to take control in the fifth.  “Bud” found success by fighting a more defensive fight and staying out of range of Kavaliauskas’s right eye. 

But in the seventh, the switch-hitting Crawford upped the ante and turned up the heat. Time and again Crawford came forward with a high guard and closed the gap between he and Kavaliauskas before letting his hands go.  

Towards the end of the round, Crawford caught Kavaliauskas with a buzzing right hook that offset the Lithuanian’s equilibrium and sent him to the mat.  Kavaliauskas beat Gonzalez’s ten count and was able to ride out the ensuing storm to make it out of the round.  

Just two rounds later, Crawford dropped Kavaliauskas with a vicious uppercut.  Just a few moments later, with Kavaliauskas standing on shaky legs, Crawford missiled a left cross to the ear that dropped Kavaliauskas for the third and final time.  Gonzalez stepped in immediately to wave off the contest at the :44 mark of the ninth round.  

It was the seventh stoppage win in a row for Crawford and tenth in his last eleven contests.

For Kavaliauskas, tonight’s result makes it two straight fights that the tough Lithuanian has exited the ring winless.  He previously fought to a disappointing draw against “The New” Ray Robinson in March.

“I thought I had to entertain ya’ll for a little bit,” Crawford said afterward. “He’s a strong fighter, durable, and I thought I’d give the crowd something to cheer for.”

Referring to the second round knockdown-ruled-push, “Bud” said, “I wasn’t hurt at all. I got up and went straight to him. I wasn’t hurt by no means, I walked through everything he threw all night.”

With regards to what’s next for the WBO champ, Crawford said, “I’ll fight anybody. I’ve been saying that for I don’t know how long…I’m not ducking anyone on the PBC side or Top Rank platform…I want to fight all the top guys.”

Unfortunately for Crawford, he remains somewhat stranded on a welterweight island as much of the division’s top talent are under promotional contracts with Premier Boxing Champions (PBC).

Take Over Continues: Lopez Blasts Out Commey In 2 To Capture First World Title

In the night’s most anticipated contest, 22 year-old phenom Teofimo Lopez (15-0, 12KO) scored an emphatic second round stoppage over Richard Commey (29-3, 26KO), to capture the IBF World Lightweight Title. 

After a close first round that saw little separation between fighters, a straight right by Lopez early in the second caught Commey square on the chin and collapsed the Ghanaian to the canvas.  Commey, 32, tried to get up right away, but stumbled forward to the ground before finally making it to his feet before referee David Field reaches the count of ten.  

Knowing Commey was standing on unsteady legs, Lopez went all-in, backing Commey against the ropes before unleashing a brutal onslaught of punches that had Commey’s head snapping around with each punch, forcing Fields to mercifully jump between fighters to call a halt to the contest at the 1:13 mark of round two. 

It was as impressive and dominating a performance as one could have hoped for Lopez, who now turns his attention to landing a unification bout with lightweight king, Vasiliy Lomachenko.

The emphatic win also quiets Lopez’s detractors, many of whom have suggested that family drama would negatively impact his in-ring performance.  

Partially to get away from the noise, Team Lopez held training camp for this fight in Ringoes, NJ, about 60 miles of west of Brooklyn, where Lopez was born and again resides.  While Lopez is still trained by his father, also Teofimo, Team Lopez brought in former two-weight champion Joey Gamache into his New Jersey camp to work with Lopez. 

Prior to tonight, Commey’s only other losses both came in 2016 when he found himself on the losing end of two close split decisions to Robert Easter, Jr. and Denis Shafikov.  

“I’m at a loss for words right now,” Lopez said post-fight.  “This a dream come true.”

He continued, “{Commey} is a bad man. His shot could’ve done the same to me if he hit me with that shot…You all know who I want to fight next. 2020 is going to be a big year. ‘The Takeover’ has arrived, and you haven’t seen anything yet.”

Lomachenko, who holds three of the four lightweight titles and was seated ringside tonight, also spoke after the fight, saying, “We want to ‘unificate’ all four titles.  Now he’s a world champion and now he’s in position to fight me.”

Sweet Revenge: Conlan Bests Nikitin Via UD 

In the opening bout of the ESPN-televised portion of the card, Irish featherweight Mick Conlan (13-0, 7KO) avenged his controversial 2016 Olympic defeat against Russian Vladimir Nikitin (3-1), defeating him by unanimous decision (100-90, 99-91, 98-92). 

The switch-hitting 28 year-old Belfast native, Conlan, fought entirely out of the southpaw stance in the opening round working well behind a stiff right jab to control the distance and pace of the fight.  

In the second, Conlan fought briefly in the orthodox stance before permanently returning to southpaw.  

After an offensively mute first round for Nikitin, the 29 year-old Russian began to come to life in the second, rushing inside Conlan’s reach and wildly letting his hands fly.  Nikitin did his best work in the early goings when he was able to pin Conlan against the ropes and fire away. 

In the early middle rounds, Conlan — who they’re quick to point out represents all of Ireland — continued to keep Nikitin at arm’s length by continually popping jabs Nikitin’s way.  But the crafty Russian kept finding ways to close the gap and force Conlan to engage.

As the fight bore on, the distance naturally closed, and willing exchanges became the norm.  

In the eight, both fighters dug in, stood their ground, threw caution to the wind, and fired shots from all angles.  Though Conlan bested Nikitin during their exchanges, the Irishman returned to his corner with a gash over his right eye — a cut that continued to leak blood for the remainder of the fight. 

It was the sixth time that the Adam Booth-trained Conlan has fought at inside the walls of Madison Square Garden, which has become a home away from home for the Irishman.  

The two were initially slated to face each other in early August, but an injury to Nikitin’s bicep forced the fight to be postponed.  

Josue Vargas Scores UD Over Noel Murphy 

Twenty-one year old Josue “The Prodigy” Vargas (16-1, 9KO) continued his ascent through the junior welterweight ranks, scoring a ten round unanimous decision (98-92×3) over Irishman Noel Murphy (14-2-1, 2KO). 

It was a slow-to-start southpaw v southpaw affair that eventually lulled into a hypnotic rhythm that time and again saw Vargas walk down a retreating Murphy before the two exchanged fire.  

Neither fighter was particularly hard to hit and by the early middle middle rounds, Vargas sported an ever-growing mouse under his right eye, while a steady of stream of blood trickled from Murphy’s nose.

And though the 25 year-old Murphy was marking up Vargas’s face, it was the Bronx-born Puerto Rican, Vargas, who continually got the better of Murphy during their exchanges.  

Tonight was just the second career loss for the durable Murphy, who lives and fights out of Woodhaven, NY by way of Cork, Ireland.  His only other career loss came against former world title challenger Mikkel Lespierre in February 2018. 

Vargas now has gone the distance three of his last four fights.  His lone blemish remains a 2016 DQ against Samuel Santa.  

Berlanga Continues First Round KO Streak, Stops Nunez In One

Undefeated Brooklyn super middleweight Edgar “The Chosen One” Berlanga (13-0, 13KO) continued to steamroll his opposition, scoring his thirteenth straight first round knockout, this time against the normally durable Spaniard Cesar “Bam Bam” Nunez (16-2-1, 8KO).

As per usual, it was bombs away from the opening bell for the Puerto Rican-blooded Berlanga.  

Roughly fifteen seconds into the fight, Berlanga landed a clipping left hook that sent Nunez to the canvas. The 22 year-old Berlanga kept the pressure on and continued to unload on the staggering Nunez and ultimately sent him to the mat again with a chopping right, but referee Mike Ortega waved it off, ruling Berlanga hit Nunez behind the head.  

Although a foul, the shot had lingering effects, and a foggy Nunez was floored for the third and final time shortly after courtesy of another left hook shortly succeed.  Ortega stopped the contest at the 2:45 mark of the first round.

Tonight marks the second consecutive time Nunez has been stopped inside the distance.  He was TKO’d by Germany’s Vincent Feigenbutz in August. 

Julian “Hammer Hands” Rodriguez Nails Mendez Over Ten, Scores Wide UD

Julian “Hammer Hands” Rodriguez improved to 19-0, 12KO earning a wide eight-round unanimous decision (80-71×2, 79-72) over fellow junior welterweight Manuel “La Tormenta” Mendez (16-7-3, 11KO).   

Rodriguez, 25, wasted no time taking it to California’s Mendez, flooring him with a right cross-left hook combo midway through the first round.  Mendez would recover from that shot, but only to go on to take nine more rounds of punishment courtesy of Rodriguez.  

Rodriguez, a former amateur standout who amassed a record of 221-9 before turning pro, has had a snake-bitten, injury-riddled career thus far.  In addition to battling various hand injuries, tonight marked just the third time back between the ropes for the Hasbrouck Heights, NJ-native since undergoing surgery to repair a torn labrum.

Kambosos Kicks Off Night With MD Over Bey 

Undefeated Australian George “Ferocious” Kambosos, Jr. (18-0, ) passed his toughest test yet, scoring a split decision victory (97-92, 96-93, 94-95) over former world champion Mickey “The Spirit” Bey (23-3-1, 11KO) in a ten round lightweight contest to kick off a seven-fight card from Madison Square Garden.  

It was a bit rocky early on for the Aussie, as the veteran Bey landed a few attention-grabbing left hooks.  But Kambosos, 26, remained composed and patient, took few risks and waited for tiny openings in Bey’s defense before letting his hands go. 

In the final round round, Kambosos finally found that opening and fired off a sneaky right uppercut that caught a leaning-in Bey on the chin, sending him to the mat.  

It was Kambosos’ fourth fight in the US and first at Madison Square Garden.  

For Bey, tonight was only his second fight in the last 42 months and just the third defeat of his career.  His other defeats came against John Molina, Jr. in 2013 and Cuban Rances Barthelemy in 2016.

The main portion of tonight’s Top Rank on ESPN card is set to go live at 9pm when “Irish” Mick Conlan (14-0, 7KO) seeks to avenge his controversial 2016 Olympic defeat against Russian Vladimir Nikitin (3-0).  That fight is set to be followed by the most anticipated contest of the evening, as one of boxing’s hottest prospects, Teofimo Lopez (14-0, 11KO) looks to capture his first world title against IBF World Lightweight Champion, Richard Commey.  Finally, the night will commence when undefeated pound-for-pound great Terence Crawford (35-0, 26KO) defends his WBO World Welterweight title against hard-nosed Lithuanian Egidijus “Mean Machine” Kavaliauskas (21-0-1, 18KO).