The postponed WBO Welterweight title bout between Jeff Horn and Terence Crawford has been rescheduled for June 9th at The MGM Grand in Las Vegas, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

The bout was postponed last week after Crawford injured his right hand in training.

Terence Crawford hurt his right hand, which will force the postponement of his April 14th Welterweight title bout with undefeated champion Jeff Horn, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

“He hurt his hand hitting a guy on top of the head gear,” promoter Bob Arum said. “We’ve gotten him treated by the best hand doctors. He had an MRI, and there is no ligament tear, thank God. The doctor prescribed two weeks of rest, and then he should be ready to go. We’ll put the fight sometime in late May or early June, but that depends on how Terence’s hand is feeling.”

“The hand is in the process of healing and one thing with Terence is he loves to train so he’s been training and running and doing what he can do without using the hand,” McIntyre said. “This is a little road bump. We’re gonna stay out here in Colorado Springs and once we get word from the doctor we’ll be ready to go. We’ll see how Terence feels and we’ll talk to Top Rank about a new date, but we’re definitely going to stay in camp and keep training. The guy he was sparring with has a hard head. When we do come back we’ll come back stronger and more determined.”

“This is his first injury,” Arum said of Crawford. “He was disappointed but he didn’t want to take a risk and go in without having a bad wing.”

PHILADELPHIA, PENN./ORANGE, Calif. (March. 1, 2018)- Undefeated and world ranked welterweight contender Taras Shelestyuk is ready to go big game hunting in 2018.

The 2012 Olympic Bronze medal winner from Sumy, Ukraine, who now fights out of Los Angeles, California, has won the major regional titles, and he feels he has been overlooked by the perceived elite of the 147 pound division.

Shelestyuk, 16-0 with 10 knockouts, continues to work on his craft while he waits for a major fight to materialize.

“I want to fight Keith Thurman, Danny Garcia, Shawn Porter, Errol Spence or the winner of the Jeff Horn – Terence Crawford fight,” said Shelestyuk.

“I know that I have the skills and pedigree to beat those guys. I just need my opportunity, and I know that will be coming soon. I have been working hard in the gym, and I sparred with Viktor Ortiz for his bout with Devon Alexander, as well as WBA Super Welterweight Champion Brian Castano.”

Shelestyuk also has been helping with the career of his wife Alina. Alina is a runway model, who has done numerous photo shoots in Los Angeles.

Shelestyuk is co-promoted by Banner Promotions and Thompson Boxing.

For regular updates on our fighters, events, and promotions, please like Banner Promotions Facebook Page, and follow us on Instagram and Twitter @BannerBoxing.

After being widely rumored to be heading to Madison Square Garden, The proposed Pay-Pew-View card featuring Jeff Horn defending his WBO Welterweight title bout between Jeff Horn and Terence Crawford will be staged at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas.

Although the fight, long in the works, has not been officially announced, Bob Arum said it is now agreed to on both sides. The site, though, will be Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas as the main event of a pay-per-view card Top Rank is putting on in conjunction with ESPN as part of their long-term deal.

“Mandalay Bay is a great venue and we’re happy to put this card on there,” Arum said. “You’ve got a lot of boxing in New York coming up, so it made sense to move the fight to Las Vegas when Mandalay Bay became available.”

Arum said that he is in the process of finalizing the co-feature between Filipino legend Manny Pacquiao, the former eight-division world champion, and former junior welterweight titlist Mike Alvarado (38-4, 26 KOs), 37, of Denver.

Arum said there would also be another world title bout on the card. It will pit junior featherweight world titleholder Jessie Magdaleno (25-0, 18 KOs), 26, of Las Vegas, in his mandatory defense against hard-hitting Isaac Dogboe (18-0, 12 KOs), 23, of Ghana.

Arum said he initially was going to make that fight the main event of his April 28 ESPN card but decided to move it to the April 14 show to beef up the pay-per-view.

“That’s going to be a really good fight,” Arum said. “It’s a 50-50 fight, I think. Both guys can really hit.”

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, the April 14th card featuring WBO Welterweight champion Jeff Horn defending against Terence Crawford plus an appearance by Manny Pacquiao is close to fruition.

The proposed Pay-Per-View show would take place at Madison Square Garden.

Crawford, during an interview at ringside on Saturday night on ESPN’s telecast of the Gilberto Ramirez-Habib Ahmed super middleweight world title fight in Corpus Christi, Texas, said, “We’re real close. I’d say 90 percent done deal. Right now, my main focus is on Jeff Horn.”

Bob Arum said he was close but then added, “But I don’t do percentages. Close is not there. There is signed contracts. But we’re working hard to get the thing done and, hopefully, we’ll get it done pretty soon.”

Besides working to finish a deal with Crawford, Arum is also working to iron out a deal with Pacquiao. One potential opponent for Pacquiao is the long-faded former junior welterweight titlist Mike Alvarado (38-4, 26 KOs), 37, of Denver.

LAS VEGAS, NV (December 28, 2017) — Boxing enjoyed an outstanding 2017 and before the crystal ball drops in Times Square to begin an even better year, Top Rank asked some of its fighters for their New Year’s resolutions. Here are their responses:

TERENCE CRAWFORD (32-0, 23 KOs) / Two-division world champion / 2017 BWAA Fighter of the Year nominee / 2014 BWAA Fighter of the Year

“My 2018 resolutions are to win a world title at my new welterweight division, making me a three-division champion, and to open the fully renovated B&B Boxing Academy here in Omaha for all the kids in my community to enjoy.”

VASILIY LOMACHENKO (10-1, 8 KOs) / Two-division world champion / 2017 BWAA Fighter of the Year nominee
“First I want to wish world peace on earth, good health and Happy 2018 to all. For me, I want to get back into the ring at least three times and fight the best fighters and biggest names available.”

ÓSCAR VALDEZ (23-0, 19 KOs) / WBO featherweight world champion

“Thanks to God, this was a year full of emotions and victories for our team. I’m going to keep working hard to defend my title and have an even better 2018”

GILBERTO RAMÍREZ (36-0, 24 KOs) / WBO super middleweight world champion.

“First, I want to successfully defend my title in Corpus Christi on February 3 and give the fans a good show. I want to start 2018 the right way. I also want to unify titles and clean up the division, so I can show the world that I’m the best fighter at 168 pounds. Finally, I want to be the king of the super middleweight division and be one of the best pound for pound fighters. That is my dream”

JOSEPH PARKER (24-0, 18 KOs) / WBO heavyweight world champion

“My New Year’s resolution is to give the fans an undisputed world heavyweight champion by beating up Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder as well as bringing honor to New Zealand, Samoa and the sport of boxing. The world deserves a heavyweight champion who isn’t afraid to fight on his opponents’ home turf.”

JEFF HORN (18-0-1, 12 KOs) / WBO welterweight world champion

“I would like to have a healthy baby and to be a great dad. I would like to earn millions from the sport of boxing. I would like to keep proving the doubters wrong and remain undefeated and world champion against top competition.”

RYOTA MURATA (13-1, 10 KOs), WBA middleweight world champion

“For this coming year I hope to have my title defenses lead to big fights. But first I will put my utmost effort to win the fights, that Top Rank and Teiken Promotion have put together for me, and to win them impressively.”

RAY BELTRAN (34-7-1, 21 KOs) / WBO No. 1 world-rated lightweight contender

“My New Year’s resolution is to be the best father, husband I can be, to continue to provide for my family, to be an ambassador to this sport, to be a model citizen of America, to represent this great country, and Mexico in and out of the ring, and to prove on February16th that I am the best and the most dangerous lightweight in the world.”

JOSE RAMÍREZ (21-0, 16 KOs) / WBC No. 3 world-rated super lightweight contender

“My New Year’s resolution is to continue to fight on immigration. To focus more on priorities including family and business plans. To stay active in the gym all year so I can I fight at least three fights. To become world champion. To worry less about what I don’t have and enjoy more what I do have. To practice my faith a bit more. And last, to spend less time on the phone including Social Media.”

MICHAEL CONLAN (5-0, 4 KOs) / Two-time Olympian / 2012 Olympic bronze medalist / 2016 World Amateur Champion

“My New Year’s resolutions for 2018 is to sell out Madison Square Garden again on St Patrick’s Day, sell out a fight in Boston, and also sell out my homecoming show in Belfast, towards the end off the year. I’d like to push on into big fights and hopefully pick up some sort of title on my way! 2017 has been a fantastic year, thank you to Top Rank, ESPN, my management MTK Global and of course all my supporters all around the world. Let’s bring The Conlan Revolution into 2018 with a bang!”

ANDRE WARD (32-0, 16 KOs) / Retired IBF / WBA / WBO super middleweight world champion / Co-manager of Shakur Stevenson

“Shakur has the potential to be one of the greats in the sport. My resolution for him in 2018 is to stay focused on his craft, listen to the strong team of people he has in his life, and to stay on the right path so he can ultimately get to the finish line.”

SHAKUR STEVENSON (4-0, 2 KOs) / 2016 Olympic silver medalist

“My resolutions for 2018 are to be as active as possible in the ring, continue to make my family and Brick City proud and prove that I am the best prospect in boxing.”

OLEKSANDR GVOZDYK (14-0, 12 KOs) / WBO No. 1 light heavyweight world-rated contender / 2012 Olympic bronze medalist

“I want to become a world champion and then keep busy fighting 3-4 times in 2018. n I want to wish everyone happy and safe holidays.”

ALEX SAUCEDO (26-0, 16 KOs) / No. 3 WBO and No. 4 WBA super lightweight world-rated contender

“It is my New Year’s resolution to make 2018 a big year. To battle hard every time I get into the ring, and ultimately win at least one 140 pound world title.”

CHRISTOPHER DIAZ (22-0, 14 KOs) / No. 4 WBO world-rated junior lightweight contender

“My goal in 2018 is to become a world champion and give boxing fans the best action-packed fights.”

FÉLIX VERDEJO (23-0, 15 KOs) / 2012 Olympian

“My new year’s resolution is to let my actions in the ring speak for me. I want to bring a world title to my Island and I know this will be the year that I become a world champion”

TEÓFIMO LÓPEZ (7-0, 6 KOs) / 2016 Olympian
“My 2018 resolution is nothing but to just keep on winning. Unleashed Savage!”

MIKAELA MAYER (3-0, 2 KOs) / 2016 Olympian / Three-time U.S. National Amateur Champion

1. Practice gratitude even when there’s a reason to be unhappy or to complain
2. Take my dogs on more adventures even when I’m tired from training
3. Eat less meat and incorporate new vegan recipes into my diet more often
4. Design a Mikaela Mayer glove with Everlast
5. Extend my sponsor partnerships
6. Find new ways to give back to my fans
7. Showcase my skills on a MAIN card on ESPN
8. Fight my first 10 rounder
9. Capture all the 130 lb belts!

********************

Top Rank on ESPN makes its season debut on Super Bowl weekend, Saturday, February 3, at American Bank Center in Corpus Christi, TX, with an exciting world championship doubleheader. GILBERTO “Zurdo” RAMÍREZ of Mazatlan, Mexico, defends his World Boxing Organization (WBO) super middleweight world title against Top-Five world-rated contender HABIB “Wild Hurricane” AHMED (22-0, 17 KOs) from Accra, Ghana. The co-main event will feature Filipino fireball and Senator Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao protégé JERWIN “Pretty Boy” ANCAJAS (26-1-1, 18 KOs), of Cavite City, Philippines, in his U.S. debut. Ancajas will be making the fourth defense of his International Boxing Federation (IBF) junior bantamweight world title against Top-10 contender ISRAEL GONZALEZ (20-1, 8 KOs), of Cabo San Lucas, México. Both fights will be televised live and exclusively at 10:15 p.m. EST on ESPN and ESPN Deportes and stream live on the ESPN App.

Promoted by Top Rank®, in association with Zapari Boxing Promotions, MP Promotions and Joven Sports, remaining tickets to the Ramírez – Ahmed / Ancajas – Gonzalez world championship doubleheader event are priced at $152, $102, $62, $42, and $27, including facility fees. They may be purchased online at Ticketmaster.com, at the American Bank Center Box Office, Monday – Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. CT, or charge by phone at 1-800-745-3000.

For more information visit: www.toprank.com, www.espn.com/boxing; Facebook: facebook.com/trboxing,facebook.com/espndeportes; Twitter: twitter.com/trboxing, twitter.com/trboxeo, @ESPN @ESPNBoxeo

@ESPNDeportes.

By Norm Frauenheim-

It’s a move up, on the scale and to the top of the ballot.

Terence Crawford’s bid to own next year opens with a jump to welterweight and a convincing campaign for Fighter of the Year.

Call it a win-win, at least that’s what it looks like from this corner.

After dominating the 140-pound division, Crawford moves up to 147, with his debut at the new weight probably against Jeff Horn, who followed up his controversial stunner over Manny Pacquiao with an 11th-round stoppage of somebody named Gary Corcoran in Brisbane Wednesday.

If the deal gets done for a bout sometime this spring perhaps in Las Vegas, promoter Bob Arum says Horn has a better chance than anybody will ever give him.

Fair enough. Arum warned everybody that Horn had a chance against Pacquiao, too. But Pacquiao looked to be as unprepared as he is over-the-hill.

Crawford is neither. He’s motivated and near his prime in terms of instinct, athleticism and motivation. Add what appears to be a mean streak, and you’ve got a fighter very hard to stop for at least the next year.

I know, I know, there is Vasiliy Lomachenko, who is being marketed as boxing’s cutting edge of newfound creativity.

His complement of footwork and angles is thing of beauty, to be sure. Still, there’s some debate about whether there’s more form than function to what he does.

Maybe, we’ll get better judge of that against the fundamentally efficient Mikey Garcia.We sure didn’t get to see it against Guillermo Rigondeaux, who quit after six rounds Saturday in a hyped bout that proved to underwhelming.

Don’t blame Lomachenko, who did exactly what he had to. This on is on Rigondeaux, the sad-faced Cuban who surrendered for what was reported to be a bruised hand. Rigondeaux surrendered, perhaps because he knew defeat was inevitable.

Net result: It denied Lomchenko the chance to finish a fight that might have embellished his own candidacy for Fighter of the Year.

For now, Lomachenko is still that proverbial work in progress. Meanwhile, he’s as likable for his footwork as he is for his honesty and quick wit. His post-fight take on his name — “No-mas-chenko” — is a classic.

He continues to say he wants to fight Mikey Garcia, despite Garcia’s biter split with Top Rank, still the Ukrainian’s promoter. Lomachenko’s priorities are in order.

He’s the boss. In the end, the promoter is there to get him fights he wants. And in this case, Lomachenko-versus-Garcia is a fight the public wants to see too.

A year from now, Lomachenko’s clear business agenda and evolving ring style could make him Fighter of the Year.

In the here-and now, however, it’s Crawford, who exercised his dominance in a stunning third-round stoppage of Julius Indongo in August. Unlike Rigondeaux, Indongo was never the story in that one. Only Crawford was.

Now, there’s Crawford’s move to welterweight. There are interesting fights for him at 147. But the guess here is that he would beat Keith Thurman. He’d beat Shawn Porter. He’d blow out Pacquiao. Of all the possibilities at welterweight, the best might be the young Errol Spence. But that one looks to be at least a year away, a year after one that will belong to Terence Crawford.

OMAHA (December 13. 2017) — Undefeated two-division world champion TERENCE “Bud” CRAWFORD (32-0, 32 KOs), from Omaha,is ready to move out of the junior welterweight division and up to the welterweight class. Crawford, the 2014 Fighter of the Year, became boxing’s first undisputed world champion in 15 years when he knocked out fellow unified world champion Julius Indongo over the summer. Tune ups may be good for engines but they have no place in Crawford’s repertoire. After unifying the four major junior welterweight titles this year, Crawford, who has been designated the mandatory challenger to World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight world champion JEFF “The Hornet” HORN, is ready to challenge for the 147-pound title. Horn (18-0-1, 12 KOs), from Brisbane, Australia, successfully defended his title earlier today, stopping Top-10 contender Gary Corcoran (17-2, 7 KOs), of London in the 11th round. The two undefeated world champions will face each other next, in the spring of 2018. Televised live in the U.S. on ESPN and ESPN Deportes, the Horn-Corcoran title tilt will be replayed today on ESPN2 at 9:30 p.m. ET / 6:30 p.m. PT

Here is what Terence had to say after watching the Horn – Corcoran title fight on ESPN:

“Jeff Horn did what he had to do to get the job done tonight but I’m a totally different fighter than Gary Corcoran. I have more power and more speed than Corcoran. When he steps in to the ring with me, it’s going to be a very different story.

“When I move up to the 147 pound division, everyone is going to see a bigger, stronger fighter and a harder puncher than they saw at 140 pounds. I plan to do the same thing at 147 that I did at 135 and 140 and clean out the division.

“2017 has been a huge year for me with stoppages over Olympic gold medalist Felix Diaz and fellow undefeated unified World Champion Julius Indongo, my move to the number one spot on the pound-for-pound list and becoming the undisputed Junior Welterweight Champion of the World.

“In 2018, I’m going to continue to be successful. I feel like I’m getting better each and every time I step foot in to the ring and I know that will continue next year in my new weight division.”

On Glenn Rushton’s (Horn’s trainer) comments:

“There are holes in everybody’s game. There’s a lot of holes in Jeff Horn’s game and everyone will see that when he gets in the ring with me.”

********************************

2017 was another banner year for Crawford, who successfully defended his titles by knockout while being rated No. 1 in many pound for pound fighter polls. Crawford laid waste to Olympic gold medalist and top-rated welterweight contender Félix Díaz (19-1, 9 KOs), at Madison Square Garden, and International Boxing Federation (IBF) and World Boxing Association (WBA) world champion Julius Indongo (22-0, 12 KOs), at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, Nebraska, on May 20 and August 19, respectively. Both telecasts were among the highest-rated of the year.

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@ESPNDeportes.

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, undisputed 140 pound champion Terence Crawford will move to welterweight and already has been installed as the mandatory challenger for the winner of WBO champion Jeff Horn and Gary Corocoran that will take place in December.

“Crawford literally dominated and cleaned out a division,” Top Rank Vice-President Carl Moretti said. “There are no more challenges left for him at 140 pounds and, physically, his body is ready to move to 147 pounds and do the same thing he did at 135 and 140 — dominate a division.

“Now he’s pound-for-pound the best in the world and I think you’ll see more of that at 147 pounds. So he has vacated the WBO title and he will be notifying the WBC and WBA shortly.”

Top Rank chairman Bob Arum, who also co-promotes Horn, said Crawford would travel with him to Australia for Horn-Corcoran, which he said would be televised live on an ESPN network in the early morning United States time.

“I want Terence to see Australia and I want the people in Australia to see Terence,” Arum said.

“I think Crawford is an enormous talent,” Arum said. “I know that if he wins the welterweight title I am going to look to match him with him a number of fighters that are managed by Al Haymon, like (former titlist) Danny Garcia, (unified titleholder) Keith Thurman and a huge fight would be one with (titleholder Errol) Spence. That would be a big pay-per-view fight.”

The IBF has ordered a bout between Sergey Lipinets and Akihiro Kondo to fight for the vacant 140 pound title that was recently vacated by Terence Crawford, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

According to the sanctioning body, both boxers have indicated in writing that they are willing to participate in the bout, and it ordered negotiations to begin immediately.

The sides have until Sept. 30 to make a deal, otherwise the IBF will order a purse bid to determine who gains promotional control of the fight.

Undefeated undisputed 140 lb champion Terence Crawford vacated the IBF verison of the title, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

“On behalf of Top Rank and Terence Crawford we would like to thank you and the IBF for allowing Terence to participate in the historic four-title unification bout on August 19. As always it was a pleasure working with the IBF,” Top Rank vice president Carl Moretti wrote to IBF president Daryl Peoples to inform him of Crawford’s decision to vacate the belt. “It had been a lifelong dream of Terence’s to win an IBF world championship and to be recognized as undisputed, unified world champion.

“Top Rank and Terence realize that the IBF is in a complicated situation with respect to the mandatory defense for the title, given prior exemptions leading into the August 19 bout. Unfortunately, the timing of the purse bid and the mandatory defense do not permit Terence and Top Rank sufficient time to consider the next step in his career. In light of that, and wanting to spare the IBF unnecessary and prolonged procedural steps, Terence respectfully relinquishes his IBF title. Thank you once again for the opportunity and we look forward continuing our relationship in future endeavors.”

ESPN’s English and Spanish-language live telecast of the Saturday, August 19, “Unification” fight between Terence Crawford and Julius Indongo was seen by an average live audience of 1.3 million viewers across ESPN and ESPN Deportes combined during the main event, making it the second-most watched fight on cable this year.

Crawford, (32-0, 23 KOs) the 2014 Fighter of the Year, risked his WBO, World Boxing Council (WBC) and Ring magazine world titles against undefeated International Boxing Federation (IBF) and World Boxing Association (WBA) world champion Julius Indongo (22-1, 11 KOs). Crawford, after knocking Indongo out in the third round, became the first undisputed junior welterweight champion of the world to hold all 4 four major titles.

Crawford vs Indongo main event averaged 1.2 million viewers on ESPN, making it the second-largest audience for boxing on cable in 2017 (behind ESPN’s Pacquiao/Horn main event which delivered 3.7 million viewers on ESPN).

By Bart Barry-

Saturday in Lincoln the fighting pride of Nebraska, Terence “Bud” Crawford, unmanned and unbellied Namibian Julius Indongo on ESPN to become the first unified champion of the junior welterweight division in . . . who knows, maybe the history of that young division. Most importantly, Crawford did it with aggression and form, beating the sauce out his man.

This Saturday Floyd “Money” Mayweather enters the silly season of his career with a special-attraction-championship-exhibition match against an Irish MMA champion named Conor McGregor.

What these events have in common is the calendar. Let us not waste that.

Unifying titles in this era the way Crawford just did is, conversely, less likely and less admired. If it’s less admired it’s a consequence of the saturation grift sanctioning bodies perpetrated on the sport with promoters’ and networks’ assistance decades ago – the belts mean nothing, so he who collects them is the king of nothing. That may well be aficionados’ reality but it’s not one common among prizefighters. They know the difference between meaningful belts and less meaningful belts because they suffer to come by them and keep a precise accounting thereby.

The odder part of the unification labyrinth, though, is the logistical difficulty of this generally thankless feat. It’s not enough to imply the sanctioning bodies are indifferent to sharing a champion with one another – they’re fully and actively against the ruse. Once a man has unified all the belts he is larger than their sum, and many multiples larger than any one of them, and boxing’s major crime families move swiftly against him; each sanctioning body has a unique mandatory challenger and invariably a unique mandatory challenger behind him, and so to keep his unified titles unified a unified champion must fight eight times in about 11 months against men nobody has heard of and far fewer would pay to see.

The sanctioning bodies are collectors, not distributors, they are sponsored, not sponsors – they expect their titlists to take whatever prestige accrues to those titles and vend like hell to pass a percentage of winnings their sanctioners’ way. One wrong move, too, one misplaced obscenity, one improper flirtation with an unsanctioned challenger or promoter, and the stripping commences. If it be nigh impossible to unify titles, it is irrational to keep them that way.

Terence Crawford knows this and knows too what logistical gymnastics were required to get to Saturday’s match and knows still better there ain’t no money in satisfying sanctioners’ requirements one moment after unifying. He owns the junior welterweight division just seven matches after joining the junior welterweight division (Gennady Golovkin, conversely, has been trying to unify the middleweight division since beating Nilson Julio Tapia [14-2-1] in 2010). Crawford benefits greatly from a promoter that knows what it’s doing, a promoter that has been here oftentimes before, knows which levers work and where to set the fulcrum and, perhaps most importantly, doesn’t lowball the owners of what titles its champion seeks to unify.

Top Rank likely overpaid some of the opponents Crawford whupped these last two years, but it now has a man near to being a household name as boxing gets, who is also a regional ticketseller, and after an abominable showing on pay-per-view, something of a chastened economical realist. Top Rank continues increasing the quality of its fighters’ opponents until its fighters lose and thereby assert a quest for greatness that goes: I took my talent far as humanly possible.

Nobody knew this better than Floyd Mayweather; had Mayweather wished to be “TBE” Floyd would’ve stayed with Top Rank and, like every realistic candidate for the “TBE” title, Floyd eventually would have lost. Floyd didn’t like Top Rank’s compensation algorithm in the least – way way too much risk for way way too little reward – and followed his heart to great wealth but now enters a carnival stage in his career to silence what angsty voices nag a talented man who knows he didn’t take his talent to its limits. A dangerous space for the man because if Saturday goes as expected, what comes next?

Nobody who believes Floyd squandered his talent in part on handicapping every match to near bloodlessness – swerving Kostya Tszyu and Antonio Margarito completely; swerving prime versions of Manny Pacquiao and Miguel Cotto; fighting Juan Manuel Marquez three weightclasses high, etc. – will suddenly reform his opinion after watching Money safely avoid an MMA dude for 36 minutes. Since he can’t stay retired, obviously, what does Floyd do next to make himself feel great – fight the Brothers Charlo at the same time? throw hands with Adrien Broner from a stripper pole?

(Having never seen a minute of a Conor McGregor fight but having trained at a predominately MMA gym for years and boxed some of the lads, I assume the chalk is right and McGregor hasn’t a prayer, with one caveat: How many folks who are positive Floyd will win were just as positive Hillary would win, and of those same folks that say “predictions in boxing and politics are completely different!” how many wouldn’t’ve used the exact same logic if the events’ chronology were reversed? The trend: Folks who aren’t always right but are never uncertain.)

The calendar juxtaposes Floyd and Terence for us, and the comparison may well be apt. Floyd was 35 fights in his career when he got off the Top Rank track, buying his way out of a promotional contract that guaranteed some unsavory combination of Margarito and Cotto, to fight instead Carlos Baldomir. Crawford is 32 fights in a career that did not begin auspiciously as Mayweather’s but is becoming increasingly dominant. He has not peaked yet as a fighter or as an attraction. He hasn’t Floyd’s upside as a fighter or an attraction.

But Floyd never put more than 75-percent of his talent on the line and Crawford will have to if he stays with Top Rank. The question then becomes: Is 100-percent of Terence Crawford’s talent greater than 75-percent of Floyd Mayweather’s? If so, many millions of Americans more are about to watch Crawford’s prime happen on ESPN than ever saw Floyd’s on HBO, and we know how finicky be public opinion and what polling writes history. Poor Floyd.

Bart Barry can be reached via Twitter @bartbarry

By Norm Frauenheim-

Unity and boxing are an unlikely complement. Link them in the same sentence and you’ve got something that looks, feels and sounds like an oxymoron. You know, jumbo and shrimp.

But unity is part of the story Saturday in an intriguing fight for all the pieces to the 140-pound title between unknown Julius Indongo and better-known Terence Crawford in Lincoln, Neb.

A fight for a unified title happens about as often as a solar eclipse, which coincidently – or maybe not – is supposed to happen Monday.
But if heavenly bodies can align once in a while, so can the acronyms in a business that practices chaos as if there were no other way.

There is a way, of course, and Top Rank will attempt to make it work for itself, ESPN (7 p.m. PT/10 p.m ET) and couple of junior-welterweights who are a lot more skilled than they are known.

“It was very difficult,’’ said Top Rank President Todd DuBoef, Crawford’s promoter who worked like a diplomat with all the various organizations for a rare bout with Indongo, a Namibian promoted by Matchroom’s Eddie Hearn of the UK. “We had to work hand in hand with Matchroom, because obviously Matchroom and Indongo had two belts and Top Rank and Crawford had two belts and there were mandatories and everything that was coming into play.

“There were people that we had to appeal to and we said, ‘Hey, this is a rare opportunity that we are able to do this. Let’s try and work together and have a positive solution for the sport.’

“I think we delicately managed it.’’

The winner will be the first champion with four belts – WBC, IBF, IBO and WBO – since middleweight Jermain Taylor 12 years ago. It’s symbolic. But it’s also practical for fighters who have proven themselves within in the ropes, yet are still fighting for name recognition.
For Crawford, that means a chance to strengthen his claim on No. 1 in the pound-for-pound debate.
“Of course,” said Crawford, who holds the WBC and WBO belts. I think I have been doing a lot in the sport of boxing and I have had my name mentioned in the top three.

“I will be looking forward to being the top one, or maybe two after this fight. It just depends on how people look at it. In my eyes I think I am top two already.’’

For Crawford (31-0, 22 KOs), ESPN’s role in the bout also represents a source of motivation, perhaps on a couple of level. For one thing, it’s chance to break out of pay-per-view anonymity.

Crawford, who says he’d vote Andre Ward No. 1 if he couldn’t vote for himself, hopes to introduce himself and pay-per-view claim to larger cable audience. Then, Crawford has a chance to prove ESPN wrong. In the network’s latest pound-for-pound ranking, he’s No. 6.

For Indongo (22-0, 11 KOs), a unified title is about country and even continent.

“Wherever I travel, I will be representing all of Namibia,’’ said Indongo, the IBF and WBA belts holder who is fighting for the first time in the U.S. after attention-grabbing victories over Eduard Troyanovsky in Moscow and Ricky Burns in Scotland. “It’s like I have the whole country of Namibia on my shoulders issued by my president. So I have to rely on the game plan and that is the confidence that I rely on.

“I know that my country and Africa is on my shoulders and when the team travels from Namibia to the fight, I can only focus on the fight. It motivated me a lot.’’

Motivation, perhaps, for a new business model, too.

Undefeated two-division world champion and 2004 Olympic gold medalist Andre Ward will join ESPN’s coverage of two of the year’s biggest boxing events: the August 19th Top Rank Boxing on ESPN Terence “Bud” Crawford vs Julius Indongo and the August 26th pay-per-view Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor..
Ward, the current Ring Magazine number one Pound-For-Pound fighter and current Unified Light Heavyweight Champion of the World, will join ESPN’s Joe Tessitore and Teddy Atlas as a guest analyst for the August 19th Top Rank Boxing on ESPN “Unification” fight. For the first time ever, the results of a match will recognize an undisputed king of the 140-pound division of the four-belt era. The fight will air live on ESPN and ESPN Deportes, and stream live on the ESPN App on Saturday, Aug. 19 at 10 p.m. ET, from the Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, Nebraska.
On August 26th, Ward will also appear on numerous ESPN studio shows, including First Take, SportsCenter and other programs, during its extensive multiplatform news and information coverage leading up to the 12-round Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor pay-per-view event at 9 p.m. ET.
“It’s great to be back behind the mic and working for ESPN alongside Joe Tessitore and Teddy Atlas, two guys that I respect and who provide great commentary to the sport of boxing,” Ward said. “I love stepping in to the broadcast booth because I have the best seat in the house, I’m not taking any punches, and I get to talk about the sport I know and love. Crawford-Indongo and Mayweather-McGregor are two of the biggest fights in the sport right now and I’m looking forward to providing my own unique insight and being an asset to ESPN’s boxing coverage.”

TODD duBOEF: It is going to be an exciting night on Saturday. This will be our third event going live on ESPN and what a way to start with Pacquiao, Lomachenko and now the title unification of Terence Crawford and Julius Indongo. We are going to be in Lincoln, Nebraska this time as Lady Gaga is in Omaha. We are looking forward to Lincoln, as that’s where the Cornhuskers are. This is an incredible thing to be able to do. A lot of time people talk about seeing good fights – guys fight guys that are accomplished – then there’s other guys that want the challenges. Julius Indongo and his promoter, Matchroom Boxing, have come up in a meteoric rise in the past 18 months and Julius has performed great. Terence Crawford has exploded onto the boxing scene – going to Glasgow, Scotland and winning the lightweight title and coming back to Omaha in his first defense against Gamboa and winning in sensational fashion. This will be Terence’s ninth consecutive world title fight over two weight divisions. It is unique in that is a highly-anticipated unification. Only the second time in the four-belt era that two world champions have fought each other to unify the titles with the winner emerging as the division’s undisputed world champion.

FRANK SMITH: It is great to be here in Omaha with Top Rank and we are really looking forward to this fight – it is great when fighters want to take challenges. Julius has traveled all around the world – going to Russia where he won by first round knockout and then taking on Ricky Burns in Scotland in front of a huge crowd. Julius has been spending the last few days in Omaha – I know he is very calm and very relaxed and really looking forward to the challenge. It’s great to be involved in a fight like this with all the belts on the line, which doesn’t happen very often. I know Julius is very confident to go back home with all of the belts in hand. Terence Crawford is a great fighter and has shown it on many occasions and Julius is very calm and relaxed and looking forward to showing what he does and he has no concerns with the traveling. He’ll go anywhere to take on a challenge.

NESTOR TOBIAS: We are really excited. Julius has trained very hard for this fight. He is very focused and very comfortable in Omaha. We spent some time before we came to Omaha training at Freddie Roach’s Wild Card Boxing Club.

JULIUS INDONGO: Thank you very much for this opportunity. I know Crawford is a very good and tough fighter and this is a big event. On Saturday night I will give everything I have and my focus and my game plan and everything is in position. Just waiting for the weigh-in. I try and not say too much before the fight, which is something that I am used to. I prefer to do it in the ring when my opponent is standing in front of me so I can do my work. I have been in boxing for a long time and not many people know me. I believe this is the time for me to show the world that a boxer from Africa from Namibia can beat a guy fighting in his home in front of his people. This is the best way to do it. I am confident in my styles and techniques that I have learned from years ago. On Saturday night it is going to be boxing – I am not sure if there is going to be a knockout but I know I can do that if I have to. I can say now that I have trained hard and my trainer is always there.

TODD duBOEF: I also want to thank the organizations for accommodating this match because there was everyone trying that had fighters that had mandatories working behind the scenes to help put this unification together. We are all appreciative of everybody working together to help bring this match with the participants with all four titles of the organizations. We are very appreciative of them assisting Matchroom and Top Rank.

JULIUS INDONGO: Yes I would like to also thank the organizations and Top Rank and Matchroom for pushing this fight and helping the negotiations to make this fight happen – for making it all possible.

You have two titles now, but what is your view of the possibility of having all four titles?

JULIUS INDONGO: My view of this is that I have not focused much on that since I have been busy in the gym. I have not focused on anything but making sure of my performance on Saturday night. My focus has been in the gym to make sure my game will be the best ever. No one will ever forget about this fight. The organizations were involved in making this fight happen and I appreciate that but I won’t think much about having four titles until the fight is over.

How will it feel walking out of the ring with four belts?

JULIUS INDONGO: It’s going to mean a lot to me – it will mean all of the hard work and determination got that achievement and it will create more opportunity for me. I will travel the world with the four titles. I will take them back to Africa – to my country. I am going to be very, very happy.

How hard was it to get the organizations to go along with this?

TODD duBOEF: It was very difficult. We had to work hand in hand with Matchroom because obviously Matchroom and Indongo had two belts and Top Rank and Crawford had two belts and there were mandatories and everything that was coming into play. There were people that we had to appeal to and we said, “Hey, this is a rare opportunity that we are able to do this. Let’s try and work together and have a positive solution for the sport of boxing and I think we delicately managed it.

How long do you think the winner will be able to hold onto those titles?

TODD duBOEF: I think we should ask that question to the winner, not before we have a winner. (A), we don’t know who is going to win – Indongo thinks he is going to win and Crawford thinks he is going to win. Then at that point we will have to see what the order is, who has the mandatory, what order of fights and if all of the organizations can get together and if they can great and if they can’t it will be up to the fighter to make the decisions. And up to the promoters. I think it is premature to discuss that right now.

How has your life changed since you won the two titles?

JULIUS INDONGO: The thing that has really changed is – I do still live in my town in Namibia – and I try to stay focused and try do the right thing in the public. When someone becomes known to the whole country, most importantly I try not to roll with the wrong friends. I try and stay home and go to church after work and I do my training program twice a day. That’s the only way that I could say it can be done.

Do you live in the same place?

JULIUS INDONGO: Yes, that is where I am staying and where I train. All of the people are very friendly. We don’t have too much of a division within the people of everyone in the country, especially in the city. There is nothing that can distract me wherever I stay or whatever I do – everyone will know in Namibia.

How much better is Crawford than Ricky Burns or Troyanovsky?

JULIUS INDONGO: I cannot really say much on that because when I fought Troyanovsky and Ricky Burns they were both easier fights than I fought in the last fight, that I fought from home. The two world title fights that I challenged in were the best training that I have trained. I had never been as focused with the best game plan so it made it the easiest fights for me. They were both easier than we ever thought they would be because of the focus on them and the game plan.

Why were you able to focus more for those two fights?

JULIUS INDONGO: The other fights were happening at home and we used to be too much like let a lot of people in the camp – we used to share invitations – for the two last fights anyway. The fight was for the championship so there was something that we needed to achieve and change and to improve our image (if we want) to be known in the world. We had to have focus only on me and the potential and that’s the only way the world was going to get to see me. The promotion had known what was happening with me and letting everyone else know. So now everyone was going to see something new again, I know. I have no doubt. I know. All I can say is just only if maybe knockout come it may be late. But waking up, the day of fight, be skillful and focused – everything is in position. The crowd or the fans, or Terence’s home crowd won’t intimidate me – that is nothing, I cannot afford it, so I travel the same way – it is always the same.

Since you won in the hometowns of the last two titles fights how much confidence does that give you?

JULIUS INDONGO: Actually they are different conditions I don’t particularly mind because it is already past. My focus is that it is a blessing from God to keep me and not to let me wander in a sense, and to ask for a provision for myself, my president and my commander in the office that wherever I travel I will be representing all of Namibia. It’s like I have the whole country of Namibia on my shoulders issued by my president so I have to rely on the game plan and that is the confidence that I rely. So if I am stepping there I know that my country and Africa is on my shoulders and when the team travels from Namibia to the fight I can only focus on the fight so it motivated me a lot. So I have to focus only on this fight.

Where did you train for this fight?

JULIUS INDONGO: When I saw Crawford requested to fight the winner of the fight between me Troyanovsky, which is when I started training for this fight because we don’t have any power and the only way to rely on the big guns when they are requested for it. So when they gave us the offer we had to go for it so that’s when I started training. I trained at home in Namibia – where I have always been training. (He came to the States early and trained in Freddie Roach’s gym in Hollywood).

What have you noticed in the viewership of the fights on ESPN?

TODD duBOEF: One thing I am looking forward to on Saturday is Kurt Warner just finished his [Hall of Fame induction] speech so we won’t have to deal with that on Saturday. This is all part of a long term game plan of making these fighters come alive to the sports fan. Obviously there has been an incredible amount of promotion before the Pacquiao fight and mirrored with an incredible amount of promotion for the Lomachenko fight on August 5th and ESPN will be flipping the switch this weekend, taking the weigh-in live and doing all of the same consistent promotion and this is wonderful for the people that are interested in boxing. Everything has been terrific and to get two of the top guys in front of people that are watching the NFL, NBA and Major League Baseball are able to see the highest level of fights is just a positive step for the sport.

Has there been a change in demographic of who is watching the fights?

TODD duBOEF: I don’t think there has been a change in demographic I think the perception of the boxing demographic in the United States has been unfortunately tight-capped – an older demographic. We are looking at these numbers and obviously 18-49 is the number that everybody wants and even with Kurt Warner and the rest of the Hall of Fame going on we went straight up against UFC that night and beat them in both 18-49 and 18-34 which are the most important demos. And I think additionally, for ESPN that week, we were the second highest rated 18-49 program with the Lomachenko broadcast and in fact over 50% of our audience was 18-49 where baseball was about 32%. We think that the story that it is an old sport and old people don’t care about it, which was largely spun out by UFC years ago and I think to a certain point there was some truth to it – older demos were on premium channels – the fact is this is very positive, young, multi-cultural through the roof and we are excited to put this on this broad platform.

Is it easy to focus and do what you need to do in your homeland?

JULIUS INDONGO: I don’t think I have an issue with the fans or the population because it is already something I am aware of. All I have is to train and just be focused on Crawford and my game plan and do good on my preparation.

Indongo has come so far – a year ago no one knew who he was and now he is on this huge platform…

TODD duBOEF: This is not an outlier – this is boxing. This is what happens with boxing. This is no different than Azumah Nelson coming over on 10 days notice and suddenly getting in the ring and making a name for himself in the United States. People can change the tide very quickly in the sport of boxing and that happens because of their performances and we have to recognize that his is a global sport. This is not the Premier League or the NFL or the NBA and we are relatively isolated to a small pool. Indongo is a very talented fighter who has probably worked his whole childhood figuring out how to master a trade. And that’s Julius Indongo and what he did was, the door of opportunity opens and he steps through it, and that is the story of boxing. There are countless stories like that and I think this is not a miraculous one but really goes back to what makes boxing so special. People that take advantage of those opportunities and suddenly a diamond in the rough is discovered.

What do you have to say about this activity – this is your 4th fight in just over a year?

JULIUS INDONGO: It really means a lot not only to me but also to my promotion where I train. When I began they weren’t planning to produce such an event or any opportunity like this or even that matches I had back home. It is something big and something huge and something useful and it is an appreciation for what Top Rank and Matchroom has put together and I appreciate these opportunities.

TODD duBOEF: We have given Terence all of the accolades about how great of a fighter he is, which we all know, but I didn’t know he was an internet sensation now. You have to talk about the Internet sensation! I thought this was the Brian McIntyre internet sensation in the last fight from “Camp Life,” but at the press conference tomorrow you’ve got to show me your McGregor Challenge.

TERENCE CRAWFORD: It means a lot to me being it will be the first time that all four belts will be on the line at one time in the division’s history and it has only been done twice in boxing. I’m just ready for the moment and fight time this weekend.

Prior to Indongo’s 1st round KO in Russia, had your team ever heard of him?

TERENCE CRAWFORD: No, we never heard of Indongo and we never saw him fight other than the fight he had in Russia.

TERENCE CRAWFORD: Well, we wanted the Troyanovsky fight but he decided to go with Indongo so when we heard that he got knocked out, we looked at the replay and looked at the fight – that’s when we first took notice of who Indongo really was.

When he fought Ricky Burns who you are familiar with having beaten for the lightweight title, did you think you could make it happen or was it something Top Rank brought to you?

TERENCE CRAWFORD: We wanted the Ricky Burns fight at 140 as well but they didn’t want to take the fight so they wanted to take the fight with Indongo and perhaps later on in the year we could do the fight between me and Ricky Burns again but Indongo beat Ricky Burns, that’s when we took notice and said well he’s the guy with the other two titles so let’s see if we can make a fight with him and unify.

What do you feel about him traveling anywhere to anyone’s hometown to fight for titles?

TERENCE CRAWFORD: It shows a lot about his character and his confidence and his ability in the ring. Him being a two-time world champion in that short amount of time shows that he has a lot of confidence but at the same time he is a little older so he’s at the end of his career coming along so he doesn’t have a lot of choices for what he wants to do. He can’t wait around.

What do you think of Indongo as a fighter?

TERENCE CRAWFORD: Indongo is a good fighter. He is a good boxer – he’s got good legs and he seems like he can punch. He doesn’t let his opponent get on the inside and do a lot of damage to him

TODD duBOEF: Do you find any similarities between him and Postol?

TERENCE CRAWFORD: The only comparison I see is the height. They have two different styles. Postol was more straight up and down. Indongo is a little more elusive. I think Postol was a little more technical. Indongo can get a little wild at times.

Do you think Postol is better than Indongo?

TERENCE CRAWFORD: I can’t say that because I haven’t been in the ring with Indongo but I have been in the ring with Postol. You can see from the outside but once you get in the ring with somebody it can be a totally difference look so after the fight I can tell you.

What do you think about fighting on ESPN broadening you fan base?

TERENCE CRAWFORD: It can broaden the fan base it will give more people the opportunity to see who Terence Crawford really is. To display my talent and my skills to more people – I am just ready for Saturday to come so I can show more people who Terence Crawford really is.

BRIAN McINTYRE: I am just ready for us to get out there so Terence can show what he’s been working on in camp. I want him to unify and make history and the 140-pound division. We can also silence all of the critics that have been saying that his resume is not as good as some fighters. Not only me but also the whole entire team is excited. I know he is excited to, to get out there and show ESPN what everybody has been hearing – that he is a great boxer and a damn good puncher and how he can switch from both sides. So I am excited. I’m excited for the kid and I’m excited for his family. I am excited for everybody.

The winner will have all four belts, which is historic. Will that fighter also be considered pound-for-pound champion?

TERENCE CRAWFORD: Of course, I think I have been doing a lot in the sport of boxing and I have had my name mentioned in the top three. I will be looking forward to being the top one, or maybe two after this fight. It just depends on how people look at it. In my eyes I think I am top two already, so.

Has it bee frustrating to you that you haven’t gotten credit that you deserve?

TERENCE CRAWFORD: I try to not think about that. I can’t worry about what the person thinks about me or says about me. At the end of the day I’m the one that has to go in there and take the punches. A lot of people criticize me for who I am fighting because maybe I am not their favorite fighter or maybe I am doing better than their favorite fighter, or there is a fighter that they want to see me fight and the fight doesn’t happen or it does happen then I beat them. Then they say ‘oh the only reason Terence won was because he is short’ or ‘he won because he was basic’ – there is always going to be an excuse with those types of people.

TODD duBOEF: We are in a sport that gets dissected constantly by people that are haters, people that have agendas and at the end of the day when you have a kid like Terence Crawford who is brilliant in the ring, we just let the people decide what it is. We are going to be sold out in Lincoln, Nebraska and we just did 10,000 people in New York – we are not going to chase the game of people and bloggers and things like that that want to be hating because you will never win that game.

How many will Pinnacle hold?

TODD duBOEF: It is going to hold just over 10,000.

What are your thoughts fighting in Lincoln?

TERENCE CRAWFORD: I am excited about it being that it’s our state capital and where the Nebraska football team plays. It is a nice arena and I always wanted to fight in there. They brought me down there to watch a couple of games and I was always imagining it would be a nice arena to fight in. Everyone around there always welcomed me with open arms telling me ‘you need to come fight here, you need to come fight here.’ So I am excited that I was able to make that happen. It’s about a 45-minute drive from Omaha.

TODD duBOEF: Just imagine, between a 45-minute drive you’ve got Lady GaGa in Omaha and Terence Crawford in Lincoln – not a bad entertainment night in a small area. Brian are you going to the fight or Lady GaGa?

BRYAN McINTYRE: Well I am going to go to GaGa as soon as we knock this dude off. I know her personally.

CARL MORETTI: Terence is probably boxing’s most active champion at this moment. His last defense was three months ago against Felix Diaz and he fought in December before that and June before that. So if you look just before he won the lightweight title it may be eight title defenses in 27 months. I don’t think you can find a more active champion that has gotten better in the ring defending his title more than Crawford.

How important is it to be active?

TERENCE CRAWFORD: It is very important. I am trying to get my name out there and trying to get the recognition that I deserve. I’m still young and in my prime.

What does it mean if Terence is able to knock out Indongo on Saturday night.

BRIAN McINTYRE: That would be lovely – to do it in good fashion like that, you can’t ask for nothing better. You know if you look for a knockout it’s not there.

If you win you have all of the belts – would you rather stay there or move up?

I am at 140 now and come Saturday that is my main focus is Julius Indongo. We’ll see how the fight goes and after that double back around and see what the next move will be.

How is it when you have quick turnaround to training camp? Is it easier?

TERENCE CRAWFORD: Training camp is never easy. It’s always hard but at the same time, I just had a fight and getting back into the gym and back in the groove of everything. It’s tougher when you have a long period of time off because this time I was somewhat in shape.

It seems like you were having fun in camp. Is that normal?

TERENCE CRAWFORD: We like to have some fun in training camp. Training camp is always hard work but have fun, hard work, have fun, hard work – if you don’t love what you are doing then you need to get a difference job. We are dancing every single training camp that we had and play around – that is the different types of things that we do. In “Camp Life” it might be the first time that people actually got to see that outer Terence Crawford.

Is that important to you to get that out?

TERENCE CRAWFORD: It’s important for my brand but at the same time it is just I. I am not into publicizing my every move – make a video and say ‘oh this is what I do for a living,’ I just go with the flow.

If you consider yourself Number 2 pound for pound, who do you say is Number 1?

TERENCE CRAWFORD: Andre Ward.

Where were you when you first saw McGregor do his warm-up?

TERENCE CRAWFORD: I was coming from the gym and everyone was watching a video and I asked what it was, then I said I am going to try that. A couple of days passed then I got everyone together to do the McGregor Challenge.

What’s the best response you’ve gotten since that video went up?

TERENCE CRAWFORD: I’ve been getting all kinds of response – I have been getting hate response, prejudice response, I’ve been getting a lot of positive response. People are telling me McGregor will beat me up. I just laugh – we are just having fun with it.

*********************************

Undefeated 140 pound world champions TERENCE “Bud” CRAWFORD and JULIUS INDONGO, collide in a world title unification battle, Saturday, August 19, at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, Nebraska. The winner will be crowned the first undisputed king of the 140-pound division of the four-belt era.

The rumble between Crawford (31-0, 22 KOs), from Omaha, the two-division world champion and 2014 Fighter of the Year and the holder of the World Boxing Organization (WBO), World Boxing Council (WBC) and The Ring magazine world titles, and Indongo (22-0, 12 KOs), from Windhoek, Namibia, the International Boxing Federation (IBF) and World Boxing Association (WBA) world champion, making his U.S. debut, will be televised live and exclusively at 10 p.m. EDT on ESPN and ESPN Deportes and stream live on the ESPN app. Indongo, the ultimate road warrior, won all his world titles on foreign soil. The live telecast will open with NABF/NABO light heavyweight champion and 2012 Olympic bronze medalist OLEKSANDR GVOZDYK (13-0, 11 KOs), from Kharkiv, Ukraine, defending his titles against CRAIG BAKER (17-1, 13 KOs), of Baytown, TX. Gvozdyk, world rated No. 2 by the WBC, No. 3 by the WBA and WBO, and No. 5 by the IBF, risks his path to a world title shot against Baker, whose last five victories have come by way of knockout. The telecast will also feature 2016 Olympic silver medalist SHAKUR STEVENSON (2-0, 1 KO), from Newark, NJ, in a six-round featherweight bout; against DAVID PAZ (4-3-1), of La Plata, Argentina

Promoted by Top Rank®, in association with Matchroom Boxing, remaining tickets to the Crawford vs. Indongo world championship event are priced at $128, $78, $53, and $28. They can be purchased online via www.ticketmaster.com, by phone at 1-800-745-3000 and at the Pinnacle Bank Arena main ticket office, located in the south lobby, Monday -Friday, 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. CT. Doors will open at 5:00 p.m. CT.

The undercard, which will be streamed live via the ESPN app, will feature former WBO junior welterweight world champion “Mile High” MIKE ALVARADO (37-4, 25 KOs), of Denver, in a 10-round welterweight bout; two-time world heavyweight championship challenger BRYANT JENNINGS (19-2, 10 KOs), from North Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in an eight-round bout; MIKE “Yes Indeed” REED (22-0, 12 KOs), from Waldorf, MD, in a 10-round junior welterweight bout and Omaha favorites STEVE NELSON (7-0, 6 KOs) and KEVIN VENTURA (6-0, 5 KOs), fighting in six-round light heavyweight and junior lightweight bouts, respectively.

For more information visit: www.toprank.com, www.espn.com/boxing; Facebook facebook.com/trboxing, facebook.com/trboxeo, facebook.com/espndeportes; Twitter twitter.com/trboxing, twitter.com/trboxeo, @ESPN @ESPNBoxeo
@ESPNDeportes. To join the conversation on Twitter use the hashtag #CrawfordIndongo.

EDMONTON, Alberta, Canada (Aug. 15, 2017) – Continuing its strong efforts as the television destination for viewing world-class boxing in Canada, Super Channel subscribers will be able to watch this Saturday night’s World Junior Welterweight Unification Championship between undefeated world champions, Terence Crawford and Julius “Blue Machine” Indongo, starting at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT, live from Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, Nebraska.

The winner of Crawford-Indongo will hold all four-major junior welterweight world titles, plus The Ring magazine’s prestigious strap.

Crawford (31-0, 22 KOs), fighting out of nearby Boise (NE), is a two-time champion who has won six of his last eight fights by stoppage. The 2014 Fighter of the Year, Crawford is the reigning World Boxing Council (WBC) and The Ring magazine world champion.

Terrence Crawford
(photo courtesy of Top Rank).
In his 2017 debut this past May 30 at New York City’s famed Madison Square Garden, Crawford successfully defended his crowns by way of a 10th round knockout over former Olympic gold medalist Felix Diaz.

Arguably one of the top five pound-for-pound fighters in the world today, Crawford unified the world titles July 23, 2016, winning a 12-round unanimous decision over then undefeated WBC super lightweight titlist Viktor Postol.

His triumph against Postol also earned Crawford The Ring title and designated him as the 140-pound division lineal champion. Crawford has also defeated John Molina, Jr., Thomas Dulorme, Hank Lundy, Ricky Burns, Yuriokis Gamboa and Ray Beltran among the more notables.

Namibia-native Indongo (22-0, 11 KOs) has become a unified world champion — International Boxing Federation (IBF) and World Boxing Association (WBA) – the most difficult way as a true road warrior. He captured the IBF title by knocking out defending champion Eduard Troyanovsky in the opening round of their December 3, 2016 title fight in Russia, and he unified the world titles this past April 15, when he took a dominant 12-round unanimous decision over Ricky Burns in Scotland.

The 34-year-old Indongo was a 2008 Namibia Olympian.

Three exciting fights on the loaded “Crawford vs, Indongo” card, promoted by Top Rank, will air exclusively in Canada on Super Channel.

Super Channel has recently aired major boxing events live like Brook vs. Spence Jr., Pacquiao-Horn, Eubank, Jr. vs. Abraham, and Lomachenko vs.Marriaga.

Other fights on the Crawford-Indongo card also airing live on Super Channel include a 10-round light heavyweight clash between unbeaten North American Boxing Federation champion Oleksandr “The Nail” Gvozdyk (13-0, 11 KOs), ranked No. 2 by the WBC, and upset-minded Texan Craig “El Gato Negro” Baker (17-1, 13 KOs). Gvozdyk is a former Ukrainian amateur standout who lives and trains in Oxnard, California.

The televised opener on Super Channel will feature 2016 Olympic silver medalist Shakur Stevenson (2-0, 1 KO), fighting out of Newark (NJ), against Argentinian featherweight David Paz (4-3, 0 KOs) in a six-round bout.

Bouts and order are subject to change. Additional fights recorded earlier may be added as needed to fill purposes. All fights will be proceeded by a “coming up graphic.

To see the “Crawford vs. Indongo” live, as well as more exciting boxing to come, fight fans in Canada can contact their local cable provider to subscribe to Super Channel and all that it offers, including premium series, movies and much more, for as low as $9.95 per month.

INFORMATION:
www.superchannel.ca
Twitter: @SuperChannel
Instagram: @SuperChannelTV
Facebook: /SuperChannel
About Super Channel:

Super Channel is a national premium pay television network, consisting of four HD channels, four SD channels, and Super Channel On Demand.

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Light Heavyweight Oleksand Gvozdyk takes on Craig Baker on August 19th on the Terence Crawford – Julius Indong undercard in Lincoln. Nebraska according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

“Gvozdyk needs to sustain the momentum he has garnered over the last couple of fights,” Top Rank’s Carl Moretti said. “He can’t afford a letdown here on national TV.”

“Baker has bounced back nicely after his loss to Edwin Rodriguez with a win over undefeated Steve Lovett,” Moretti said.

LINCOLN, NEBRASKA (July 10, 2017) — Undefeated 140 pound world champions TERENCE “Bud” CRAWFORD and JULIUS INDONGO, will collide in a world title unification battle, Saturday, August 19, at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, Nebraska.

The rumble between Crawford, the two-division world champion and the holder of the World Boxing Organization (WBO), World Boxing Council (WBC) and The Ring magazine world titles and Indongo, the International Boxing Federation (IBF) and World Boxing Association (WBA) world champion, making his U.S. debut, will be televised live and exclusively at 10 p.m. EDT on ESPN and ESPN Deportes and stream live on the ESPN app.

Promoted by Top Rank®, in association with Matchroom Boxing, tickets to the Crawford vs. Indongo world championship event go on sale This Saturday, July 15, at 11 a.m. ET / 10 a.m. CT. Priced at $128, $78, $53, and $28, tickets can be purchased online via www.ticketmaster.com, by phone at 1-800-745-3000 and at the Pinnacle Bank Arena main ticket office, located in the south lobby, Monday -Friday, 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. CT. Doors will open at 5:00 p.m. CT.

“On any other day Lincoln is known for being the capital of Nebraska, but on August 19, it will be the capital of the boxing world,” said Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum. “Thanks to ESPN, all eyes will be on the Crawford-Indongo fight which will not only determine the king of the division but will serve as a coronation for boxing’s best pound for pound fighter.”

“Julius Indongo is a champion with a lot of confidence right now being that he went over to Russia and took the title from Eduard Troyanovsky and then went to Scotland and took Ricky Burns’ title,” said Crawford. “Now he’s coming to the U.S. to challenge me. He’s a bigger threat now than at any other time because he has all the confidence in the world. A lot of people are going to see me fight on ESPN and I’m excited to perform for them.”

“I’m ready for Terence to solidify his name into boxing history and for me to show the world what I can do as his head trainer,” said Brian McIntyre, Crawford’s co-manager and trainer.

“Me and my team went to New York City – a trip of 20 hours from Namibia –
to watch Terence Crawford against Felix Diaz. I will tell you this – Crawford is a real champion. He had a big impressive win over Diaz. Crawford showed me real character in that fight.,” said Indongo. “On August 19, Crawford’s skill and power will bring out the best of me. I am ready and prepared to face him.”

“I’m delighted to get this fight over the line and help create one champion in the 140 lb division,” said Eddie Hearn, Indongo’s promoter. “There were plenty of offers for Julius but this was always the fight he wanted …the chance to become the undisputed champion. He has had back to back hugely impressive wins on the road and although he faces one of the P4P top fighters in world boxing, Julius is full of confidence ahead of this important fight for the sport”

Crawford (31-0, 22 KOs), of Omaha, Neb., is a two-division world champion who has won six of his last eight bouts by stoppage. In his 2017 debut which took place on May 20 in the main arena at Madison Square Garden, Crawford successfully defended his titles via a 10th-reund stoppage of former Olympic gold medalist and top-rated contender Félix Díaz. It is premium cable’s most-watched fight for 2017. Crawford unified the 140-pound titles in a battle between consensus Top-10 pound-for-pound fighters on July 23, 2016, successfully defending his WBO junior welterweight title for the third time by winning a unanimous decision over previously undefeated WBC super lightweight champion Viktor Postol. That victory also garnered him The Ring title, designating him the lineal champion. He made his first defense of his unified titles on December 10, 2016, stopping No. 1 contender and one-time world title challenger John Molina Jr. in front of a record crowd at the CenturyLink Center in Omaha. The consensus Top-Five pound-for-pound fighter continues to build on his star-making 2014 which featured three world championship victories as well as Fighter of the Year honors from the Boxing Writers Association of America and major media alike. Crawford, 29, captured the vacant WBO junior welterweight crown on April 18, 2015, via a devastating sixth-round knockout of once-beaten No. 2 world-rated contender Thomas Dulorme. His title defenses include stopping No. 2 world-rated contender Dierry Jean in front of a packed house at the CenturyLink Center in Omaha on October 24, 2015, knocking out Top-10 contender Hank Lundy in the fifth round on February 27, 2016, at a sold-out Theater at Madison Square Garden, and headlining his first pay-per-view on July 23, where he totally dominated Postol. Crawford began his world championship era on March 1, 2014. He captured his first world title, the WBO lightweight title, dethroning defending champion Ricky Burns on Burns’ home turf of Glasgow, Scotland. Scoring a powerful and unanimous decision, Crawford put the boxing world on notice with his virtuoso performance as he pulled out all stops in dismantling Burns, rocking the defending champion throughout the fight, while switching back and forth between orthodox and southpaw stances. He followed that with a dramatic and critically-acclaimed knockout victory of undefeated former world champion and Cuban Olympic gold medalist Yuriorkis Gamboa on June 28, 2014, in a Fight of the Year nominee. It was one of the most-watched fights of the year with over 1.2 million viewers catching the live, first-time airing of the fight, according to Nielsen Media Research. He concluded 2014 on November 29 with a thorough shellacking of one-time world title challenger and No. 1 contender Ray Beltran, winning 11 of the 12 rounds. Crawford, who is friendly with Warren Buffet, is only the second Nebraska native to be recognized as a boxing world champion. Perry “Kid” Graves, from Rock Bluff, captured the welterweight crown, knocking out Johnny Alberts in Brooklyn, in 1914, according to the Omaha World-Herald.

Indongo (22-0, 12 KOs), from Windhoek, Nambia, has become a unified world champion in true road warrior fashion. The 5’11 southpaw captured the IBF junior welterweight title on December 3, 2016, via a spectacular first-round one-punch knockout of previously undefeated defending champion Eduard Troyanovsky. In his next fight, on April 15, he unified the titles by shellacking defending WBA world champion Ricky Burns via a dominant 12-round unanimous decision. Both victories took place in Russia and Scotland, the home countries of Troyanovsky and Burns, respectively. Three of his last four victories have been by stoppage. An amateur standout, Indongo, 34, represented Nambia in the 2008 Olympics.

For more information visit: www.toprank.com, www.espn.com/boxing; Facebook facebook.com/trboxing, facebook.com/trboxeo, facebook.com/espndeportes; Twitter twitter.com/trboxing, twitter.com/trboxeo, @ESPN @ESPNBoxeo
@ESPNDeportes

Two more high profile championship bouts will be televised on ESPN in August, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

WBO Super Featherweight champion Vasyl Lomachenko will take on Miguel Marriaga on August 5th in Los Angeles, while Terence Crawford and Julius Indongo will meet for all four major belts in the 140-lb division on August 19th in Lincoln, Nebraska.

“ESPN is thrilled to bring these two new title fights to fans,” Burke Magnus, ESPN’s executive vice president of programming and scheduling, said Thursday. “There is a lot of buzz around boxing right now, and much of it centers around these two great champions — Lomachenko and Crawford. We are excited and proud to showcase these two great events on all of our platforms.”

Top Rank president Todd duBoef, who worked closely with Magnus to finalize the deal, was also excited about the exposure his two champions will get on ESPN.

“Pound for pound, no one can match the talent of Vasyl Lomachenko and Terence Crawford,” duBoef said. “They drew the best ratings on premium cable this year, and now everyone will be able to see them when they defend their world titles in all-action fights in August, live on ESPN.”

Lomachenko had hoped to face former two-division titleholder Orlando Salido in a rematch of Salido’s split-decision win in 2014 in Lomachenko’s second pro fight. However, after much discussion, Salido ultimately rejected an offer of $720,000, and Top Rank moved on to Marriaga for Lomachenko’s third title defense.

“When the financial requests were met suddenly there were other issues like a hand problem, which led to a weight problem, which led to Marriaga. Funny how that happens,” Top Rank vice president Carl Moretti said. “So we moved on to trying to secure the best possible opponent at the time, and Miguel Marriaga stepped up to the plate as did [previous Lomachenko opponents] Jason Sosa and Rocky Martinez in the past.”

“If you put Marriaga, Salido and Sosa in a round-robin, I think they’re all excellent fights, and who knows who would win,” Moretti said. “Obviously, Lomachenko is at a different level, but in the ring we know what Marriaga brings — heart, determination, a big right hand, size and no intimidation.”

“Indongo went to Russia to knock out Troyanovsky, and then he went to Scotland and beat Burns. Does he actually have the audacity to come to Nebraska and beat Crawford for the other two titles? We’ll find out Aug. 19.”

“The willingness and cooperation from all four organizations certainly reflects their concern and desire to do what’s right for the sport,” Moretti said.

PARK CITY, Kansas (June 1, 2017) – Wichita-native Nico Hernandez (1-0, 1 KO), a 2016 Olympic bronze medalist, is on a mission to establish his home as a real “fight town” like world champion Terence Crawford has done in Omaha, Nebraska.

The 21-year-old Hernandez returns to action Saturday, June 17, in the six-round main event against Mexican-born flyweight opponent Jose Rodriguez (2-0, 2 KOs), headlining “KO Night Boxing: Rapid Fire”, which will air (10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT) on CBS Sports Network live from Hartman Arena in Park City, Kansas.

“KO Night Boxing: Rapid Fire” is a presentation of KO Night Boxing LLC.

Hernandez drew nearly 3,200 fans for his professional debut, March 25, in nearby Mulvane (KS), in which he knocked out Patrick Gutierrez in the fourth round of the main event, which was also televised live on CBS Sports Network.

Hernandez’ promoter, KO Night Boxing, LLC, is committed to showcasing Hernandez at home on national television, as well as provide a platform for young Kansas boxers for them to develop their skills and build intra-state rivalries as evident on this card.

“My plan is to do it like Terence Crawford has done in Omaha,” Hernandez explained. “I’m hoping it works out as well for me. It means so much for me to bring boxing to Wichita, to all of Kansas, for these fans and all the good, young boxers we have here.”

“This is a good opportunity for fighters from Wichita, across Kanas, to showcase their skills to the boxing world,” promoter John Andersen said. “Nico is giving all these other fighters a chance to do that by headlining our shows on CBS Sports Network. They need to fight to develop; otherwise, they’d have to travel far from home just to fight. They can build fanbases close to their hometowns.

“We’re an up-and-coming promotional company, much like Nico as a pro fighter, and together we want to build boxing across Kansas and build natural rivalries like we have on this card. Nico is the perfect fighter to do this because, in addition to being an Olympic medalist, he’s a great role model for young people in Wichita, and Kansas as a whole, to emulate. We’ve planted the boxing seed in Wichita, through Nico, and we feel that boxing is going to grow across the state where Nico is bigger than life.”

Unbeaten Canadian featherweight Marc “Gwapo” Pagcaliwangan (10-0-1, 8 KOs) meets Angel “Terrible” Monrreal (10-8-1, 3 KOs), of Mexico, in the eight-round co-feature, while Wichita junior middleweight Noel Esquada (7-3-2, 5 KOs) takes on 2012 Chicago Golden Gloves champion Limberth “El Gallito” Ponce (12-3, 9 KOs) in the six-round match,

A prime example of a budding intrastate Kansas rivalry will be displayed in the televised opener as Garden City (KS) featherweight prospect Eric Vargas (2-0, 1 KO) takes on pro-debuting Humberto “Tito” Tellez, fighting out of Winfield (KS).

The non-televised “KO Night Boxing: Rapid Fire” undercard is loaded with local talent: pro-debuting Topeka (KS) junior welterweight Brian Clements vs. Bryan Montalvo (1-9, 1 KO), of Garden City (KS); Winfield light heavyweight Juan Hollingsworth (1-0, 1 KO) vs. Oklahoman Matt Dixon in his pro debut, and pro-debuting middleweights Eddie Chavez, of Wichita, and Garden City’s Fernando Jasso throw-down in the opening bout.

All fights and fighters are subject to change.

Tickets are on sale at the Hartman Arena box office and http://www.ticketmaster.com/event/060052A193761C74. Prices are $175.00 (VIP ringside package ticket which includes a limited-edition event T-shirt and a ticket to the official after-party with a meet-and-greet opportunity), $150.00 (floor seat which includes a limited-edition event T-shirt), $75.00, $35.00 and $20.00. Tickets will also be sold in Wichita at Angela’s Café (2119 W. 21st St. N, or call Team Nico (Jeremiah @ 316. 393.3743 or Lewis @ 316.806.0144).

This is an all-ages show. Doors open at 6:00 p.m. CT with the opening bout scheduled at 7:00 p.m. CT.

INFORMATION:

Twitter: @KONightBoxing

Follow @Nicomhernandez on Twitter and Instagram.

About Neon Star Sports & Entertainment (NSSE)
NSSE is a content company whose focus is creating original and joint venter media properties – unscripted, scripted, events and digital programming – for cross-platform distribution. In this highly competitive digital age, NSSE specializes in the development and production of corporate branding designed with your target audience and accelerated consumer growth in mind. Visit us on Twitter @Neonstarmedia or Facebook www.facebook.com/Neon-Star-Media. KO Night Boxing, LLC, REV Sports Entertainment Inc. (MAVTV Canada) and Neon Star Media LLC are subsidiary companies of Neon Star Sports & Entertainment Inc.

About Hartman Arena
Hartman Arena, with a total seating capacity of 6,750, is the home to great live entertainment, indoor sports and community events, and is managed by VenuWorks, America’s emerging leader in venue management.

About VenuWorks
VenuWorks is a leader in venue management, providing customized solutions for multi-purpose sports, entertainment and recreation facilities, theatres and conference and convention centers throughout the country, offering full service management services including operations, event booking and marketing. VenuWorks is headquartered in Ames, IA and was founded in 1996. For more information, please visit www.venuworks.com.

By Bart Barry-

Saturday at Madison Square Garden, Nebraska junior welterweight champion Terence Crawford beat Dominican Felix Diaz by corner stoppage after 10 rounds in a fight enabled by HBO. If it wasn’t dreary neither was it masterful, and if shifting the onus of entertainment from punchers to writers was Crawford’s strategy he’ll find it an open failure in what follows: As Crawford was insufficiently inspired to entertain Saturday neither was his performance sufficiently inspirational to engender any imaginative explanations.

Terence Crawford is bored with boxing. And boredom leads to something like contempt, and I can relate because I’m bored with Terence Crawford and it’s leading me to watch Crawford and his fights with increasing contempt.

Why Saturday’s match had to be stopped is very hard to say; an Olympic gold medalist signs for a championship chance and without being dropped or even buckled needs his corner to rescue him before the championship rounds even commence, in Madison Square Garden? We might as well return to open scoring if we’re going to use this mercy rule, and stop broadcasting such tripe.

A number of times Saturday, in a championship fight, mind you, the combatants had to be instructed by referee Steve Willis to mill, as each scowled his opponent’s way and drew some sort of line with his glove and bade his opponent cross it. Neither man cared to make combat badly enough to forgo exact terms, and this led Crawford to show Diaz increasing contempt, something, once more, Crawford partisans outside Nebraska now begin to share.

Watching the contest with volume muted, as I do whenever possible, I set myself in the seat of an imaginary viewer who flipped to HBO, or was already there for some other reason, because somewhere he’d heard or read about this Crawford dude, son of Omaha’s meanest streets (boxing alone could find their intersection), and saw tentative tapping early and good footwork and something like a bitter countenance and quite a lot of confidence that did not manifest as action. Crawford engaged when threatened and did things technically and well enough, but there was no excitement, and these things, over and again, cannot be argued for; nobody had to talk himself into finding Crawford’s signature match against Yuriorkis Gamboa thrilling.

Saturday’s attendance number in Manhattan appears unavailable, or at least not included in any official reports, not unlike the way Crawford’s pay-per-view number against Viktor Postol went untallied for a good long time: no announcement is indeed an announcement.

Crawford remains in a sticky place with his promoter, Bob Arum – who was ornery as hell Saturday after his champion’s supposedly impressive knockout victory – not wishing to bid goodbye his one reliable revenue stream, Manny Pacquiao, till no hope remains of a last gigantic payday (not to be found in Australia or Nebraska), and Crawford entertaining evidently no pressing desire to move to welterweight till a unification is achieved, as if that were still meaningful to anyone. Part-time Pacquiao is still good enough to buzz Crawford if he catches him at 147 pounds, and there’s a good chance their match might be a good one – while Pacquiao’s days of entertaining fights ended with Juan Manuel Marquez’s right fist years ago, he’s fought better competition since the Shoulder Match with Money May than Crawford has – good enough even to resuscitate interest in Crawford.

Would anyone who watched Saturday’s match believe Crawford made the fight of the year in 2014, when he . . .

And like that, writing about Crawford, once more, has gotten dull (notice how short on words ringside accounts were for a championship match that lasted 30 minutes). Enough then.

Let’s address Gary Russell’s dominating win over hardhitting . . . just kidding. Let’s not.

That leaves this week’s noteworthy match, Englishman Kell Brook (1-1 in career defining fights) against American Olympian Errol Spence who might be genuinely special and is taking the sort of risk a genuinely special fighter takes (not unlike Crawford’s 2014 trip to Scotland to beat Ricky Burns) in a fight so good, so potentially exciting, experts can’t help but interpret it as a sign of PBC’s financial woes, even if this will be the second such welterweight fight PBC has made in the first half of 2017.

Brook has not punched professionally since his illadvised September vacation in the middleweight division, and some combination of Brook’s necessary weightloss and reconstructive facial surgery does raise some questions about his fitness for the Spence fight. Brook will enjoy British scoring, though, and a well-lubricated Yorkshire crowd when the bell rings on this match, and his experience is such Spence should be unable to unscrew him quickly as he’s done to most other men set across from him.

I was ringside for three of Spence’s first 12 prizefights and entirely skeptical of anyone off that 2012 U.S. Olympic team (by medal count, the worst in American history), but Spence appeared kinda special. He moved better and hit with more commitment than the rest of a team that, in yet another bit of eye-for-talent foreshadowing, Al Haymon signed and shepherded into the professional ranks.

What’s much more important than the likelihood of Brook-Spence being an excellent match is that it will open without a winner already established in the mind of every aficionado, unlike last weekend’s curdled fare. That’s a special occasion. And if the winner fights Keith Thurman, in a true welterweight unification match in the fall, PBC may well have turned a corner.

Bart Barry can be reached via Twitter @bartbarry

Follow all the action as Terence Crawford defends the WBC / WBO Super Lightweight world titles against former Olympic Gold Medal winner Felix Diaz from New York’s Madison Square Garden.  The action starts at 10:15 PM ET  with a Lightweight elimination bout between Ray Beltran and Jonathan Maicelo.

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Round 1: Body shot from Crawford..Right hook from Diaz..Left from Crawford..

Round 2 Right hook from Crawford..Counter right..uppercut..Big right hook from Diaz..

Round 3 Straight left from Diaz..Hard 1-2 from Crawford…Right hook..Left to body..uppercut..

Round 4 Right hook from Diaz..Straight left from Crawford…Crawford lands an uppercut..Straight left from Diaz..

Round 5 Good uppercut from Crawford..Combination..Straight left..Jab from Diaz..Jab from Crawford,,

Round 6 Jab from Crawford..Big right from Crawford..Hard uppercut.

Round 7 Crawford lands a hard right but Diaz lands a hard right hook..Hard combo from Crawford..2 good shots from Diaz…Crawford lands a hard right..Big right from Diaz..They are smiling at each other.

Round 8 3 punch combination from Crawford..2 right hooks..2 shots drive Diaz back…Jab..2 hard lefts..Big right hook at end of round

Round 9 Jab from Crawford..Good counter uppercut..left in corner..Right hook inside

Round 10 Doctors looking hard in the corner at Diaz right eye….Jab from Crawford..Hard combination…Crawford clowning Diaz..Left around the guard..2 big counter uppercuts and a right hook..THE FIGHT IS STOPPED IN THE CORNER–CRAWFORD WINS VIA TKO AFTER ROUND 10 

Round 1 Body work from Maicelo and straight right..jab..RIGHT TO BODY AND DOWN GOES BELTRAN…Maicelo cut on his forehead…(Headbutt)..Beltran cut over the left eye..Left from Beltran..

Round 2 Right from Maicelo…2 lefts and a right back Beltran on the ropes..HUGE LEFT AND DOES MAICELO…HE IS COMPLETELY KNOCKED OUT,,,THE STRETCHER IS COMING IN 

NEW YORK CITY -Inside the main arena at Madison Square Garden, Terence “Bud” Crawford proved why he’s king of the lightweight mountain.  For ten consecutive rounds, Omaha’s favorite son delivered a thorough beating to former Olympic Gold Medalist, Felix Diaz.  At the end of the tenth, Diaz’s trainer Joel Diaz, intervened and stopped the contest, resulting in a TKO victory for Crawford.

Beltran One-Punch Kayos Maicelo, Stuns Garden Crowd

Brick City Bomber: Stevenson Scores First Round KO

In his second professional fight, former Olympic Silver Medalist Shakur Stevenson scored a first round TKO victory over fellow featherweight, Carlos Suarez of Argentina.  Newark’s Stevenson found his range immediately, connecting with short right hooks and straight lefts that clearly demonstrated his power.

In the third stanza of the opening round, Stevenson unleashed a barrage of punches that concluded with a left hook to the chin that sent Suarez tumbling forward until his stomach lay flat on the mat.  While the ten count was being administered by referee Arthur Mercante Jr., Suarez attempted to get to his knees, but stumbled backwards.  At that time, the 2:35 mark of the first round, Mercante decided to call a stop to the contest.

“I hit him with a straight left to the chin. That’s my money punch,” Stevenson said after the fight.   “I only wish this fight could have gone longer for my fans here.”

The perfect start to Stevenson’s pro career continues as he improves to 2-0, 2KO. Suarez’s resume now reads 6-4-2, 1 KO

Tong Hui Cruises Past Calzada

Chinese super welterweight Li Tong Hui easily outpointed veteran Daniel Calzada to earn a unanimous decision victory.

Round after round Tong Hui peppered Calzada with lefts and rights born from all angles, hardly taking any punches in return.  To his credit, Calzada, a fighter with more than 160 professional rounds in his rearview, took Hui’s punches well and never stopped trying to land something significant.

In the end, it was all Tong Hui, though.  All three judges scored the fight a shutout for the man from China, 60-54.

Tong Hui improves his record to 9-1, 6KO, while Calzada’s record now reads 14-17-3, 2KO

Lopez Knocks Rivas Out Cold

In a lightweight matchup slated for six rounds, Brooklyn-born Honduran Olympian, Teofimo Lopez, scored a scary one-punch KO victory against Ronald Rivas.  The definitive punch came courtesy of a counter left hook that exploded on Rivas chin.  The punch immediately collapsed shut down Rivas system, and collapsed him to the canvas.  Clearly out cold upon impact, referee Arthur Mercante Jr. wasted no time in calling a halt to the contest.  The official time of the stoppage came at 2:21 of the second round.

Lopez keeps both his undefeated and knockout streak intact and now boasts a professional record of 5-0, 5KOs.  Rivas drops below the .500 mark to 5-6-2, 3KO.

Ponomarev Remains Unbeaten With UD Victory

In an eight round battle between two veteran super welterweights, Abel Sanchez-trained and regular Triple G sparring partner, Konstantin Ponomarev, scored a hard-earned unanimous decision victory over Ed Paredes.

Ponomarev started slow and initially kept his distance, but as the fight progressed began to wear down and impose his will on Paredes.

In the sixth round, Ponomarev seemed to stun Paredes with a straight right and kept the pressure on, stalking his injured opponent and connecting with more clean shots.  Just when it felt like Ponomarev was about to pump up the pressure even more, Paredes landed a clean left counter-hook, stopping the Russian in his tracks and thwarting his attack.

In the eighth and final round, Paredes landed his most successful shots of the match, courtesy of two straight rights.  Before the final bell sounded, Ponomarov answered those punches with vicious rights of his own, one of which momentarily wobbled Paredes.

At the end of eight, all three judges scored the bout 78-72 in favor of the Russian.

In fairness to Paredes, the wide scorecards don’t accurately reflect the closeness in which some rounds were fought.  15rounds.com scored the bout 79-73, Ponomarov, but noted four close rounds, three of which were given to Ponomarov.

With the win, the Ponomarev runs his already impressive record up to 32-0, 13KO, while Parades drops 37-7-1, 24KO.

Uzbekistan’s Olympic Hero Stays Perfect

Former Rio Olympic Gold Medalist, Fazliddin Gaibnazarov, battered Massachusett’s Agustine Mauras around the ring, three minutes at a time, for eight rounds.  In front of about fifty or so fellow Uzbekistanis cheering on their fighter, the super lightweight showcased his superior skills, rhythmically landing one punch at a time before slipping away from anything Mauras would attempt to land.

It was a near flawless performance for the southpaw as he fought nearly every minute of every round on his terms.  Perhaps the only knock against him would be that he seemed to lack a killer instinct.  Gaibnazarov was content to hit and move — which works, no question — but rarely did the ex-Olympian piece together effective combinations, save for two in the opening moments of the final round.

At the end of eight rounds, all three judges scored the bout a shutout in favor of Gaibnazarov, 80-72.

Gaibnazarov’s professional record now reads 2-0, 2KO, while the hard-nosed Maraus’ record falls to 6-3-3, 3KO.

Lebron Dominates Estrada – Scores A Second Round TKO Stoppage

In a contest slated for four rounds, Puerto Rican super featherweight Henry Lebron scored an impressive TKO victory over New Mexico’s Johnny Estrada.  After dominating the first five minutes of the match, Lebron landed a perfectly thrown left that knocked Estrada out on his feet.  Lebron instinctively followed up and connected with a straight right that would have sent Estrada to the mat if not for referee Arthur Mercante Jr.’s intervention to keep the flailing fighter upright. The fight was stopped at the :52 mark of the second round.

Lebron stays perfect with the win, moving to 2-0, 2KO, while Estrada drops to 0-2.

Nelson Makes Quick Work Of Rubio 

In a light heavyweight contest slated for six rounds, the night’s opening bout saw Terence Crawford stablemate Steven Nelson make quick work of his Mexican counterpart, Gilberto Rubio.  In just under four minutes, Nelson sent Rubio to the canvas three time en route to a second round TKO victory.

The first knockdown came courtesy of a left-hook, right-uppercut combo as the round neared conclusion.  In the second round, Nelson dug two meaty left hooks to Rubio’s liver, forcing him to a knee each time — the second of which resulted in referee Shawn Clark calling a halt to the contest at the :36 mark of the second round.

Nelson continues his ascent in the light heavyweight division and improves his record to 7-0, 6KOs. The Mexican, Rubio, sees his record drop to 7-6, 5 KOs.

NEW YORK (May 18, 2017) — Undefeated World Junior Welterweight Champion and top pound for pound fighter TERENCE “Bud” CRAWFORD (30-0, 21 KOs), of Omaha, Neb., will make his 2017 debut, This Saturday! May 20, at the Mecca of Boxing, Madison Square Garden. This will also be his debut headlining in the big room — a testament both to his talent and his growing popularity. Crawford will be defending his unified World Boxing Organization (WBO) / World Boxing Council (WBC) / Ring magazine titles against former Olympic gold medalist and top-rated contender FÉLIX DÍAZ (19-1, 9 KOs), of Brooklyn by way of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, in a marquee all-action fight. It will be televised live on HBO World Championship Boxing®, beginning at 10:15 p.m. ET/PT.

Crawford, Díaz, the Pride of Newark and 2016 U.S. Olympic silver medalist SHAKUR STEVENSON, world-rated lightweight contenders RAY “Sugar” BELTRAN and JONATHAN “The Last Inca” MAICELO hosted a Final Press Conference at Madison Square Garden. Here is what they had to say:

TERENCE CRAWFORD
“I‘m excited to be fighting in The Garden’s main arena and following in the steps of great fighters – legends. I am proud to continue the tradition. I don’t feel any pressure fighting at The Garden. The ring, no matter where it is, always feels like home to me. I just have to keep winning. If I keep winning then the opportunities for even bigger fights will present themselves. But this is a really big fight to me. Diaz is a worthy challenger and you can’t bring just any fight to The Garden. I didn’t get this far without winning. I ‘m ready for any opportunities at 140 or 147 pounds. I want to put a show on for everyone on Saturday night. I WILL make a statement.”

FÉLIX DÍAZ
“I‘m up for this challenge. I really believe this will be a war on Saturday night. I’m going to have massive support from my fellow Dominicans. I have a great chance of winning this fight. I see a lot of weaknesses in his game that I know I can take advantage of. He is one of the best, but I have fought at welterweights and he hasn’t. I believe I have the power to hurt him.”

RAY BELTRAN
“This fight is so important to me. It’s for a shot at world title and for my Green Card. If I win this fight, my next stop is Trump Tower where I can wave my Green Card at the building for everyone in there to see it. I’ve had so many struggles to get here today. My family’s future depends on my winning the fight. Everything is riding on this.”

JONATHAN MAICELO
“The Garden will feel like Peru to me on Saturday night. I have a lot of Peruvian fans coming to the fight to root for me. With a world title shot at stock I’m going to give it everything I’ve got on Saturday night.”

SHAKUR STEVENSON
“I’m excited and ready to put on a show. I want to prove to everyone that I’m the best prospect to come out of the 2016 Olympics. The Olympics was a great experience because I was seen by a lot of people. It was great being in training camp with Terence [Crawford]. I learned a lot from sparring with him. Every punch he threw, even the narrow misses were like, ‘WOW!’ It’s been a long time since I have fought this close to home. Newark will be in The Garden in a big way on Saturday”

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The HBO telecast will open with Beltran (32-7-1, 20 KOs), of Phoenix, AZ by way of Los Mochis, Mexico, and Maicelo (25-2, 12 KOs), of North Bergen, New Jersey by way of Callao, Peru, going mano a mano in a high-stakes battle of world-rated lightweight contenders. Sanctioned by the International Boxing Federation (IBF) as a world lightweight title elimination bout, the winner of the 12-round rumble will also lay claim to the vacant World Boxing Association (WBA) International and the NABF and NABO lightweight titles, currently held by Beltran. The world championship event will also feature the Pride of Newark and 2016 U.S. Olympic silver medalist SHAKUR STEVENSON (1-0) on the non-televised undercard. All the non-HBO televised undercard bouts will be streamed live exclusively via www.toprank.tv.

Promoted by Top Rank®, in association with DiBella Entertainment, Tecate and Madison Square Garden, remaining tickets to the Crawford vs. Díaz world championship event are priced at $250, $150, $100, $75, $50 and $35. They can be purchased at the Madison Square Garden Box Office, all Ticketmaster outlets, Ticketmaster charge by phone (866-858-0008), and online at www.ticketmaster.com and www.thegarden.com.

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For fight updates go to www.toprank.com, or www.hbo.com/boxing, on Facebook at facebook.com/trboxing, facebook.com/trboxeo Facebook.com/dibellaentertainment, https://www.facebook.com/felixmanuel.diazguzman, https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100014790258442 or facebook.com/hboboxing, and on Twitter at twitter.com/trboxing, twitter.com/trboxeo, www.twitter.com/LouDiBella, www.twitter.com/felixmldiaz or twitter.com/hboboxing. Use the Hashtag #CrawfordDiaz to join the conversation on Twitter.

It will be a hot night of world-class boxing action in the Big Apple when WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING: TERENCE CRAWFORD VS. FELIX DIAZ AND RAYMUNDO BELTRAN VS JONATHAN MAICELO is seen SATURDAY, May 20 at 10:15 p.m. (live ET/tape-delayed PT) from Madison Square Garden in New York, exclusively on HBO. The HBO Sports broadcasting team will call the action, which will be available in HDTV, closed-captioned for the hearing-impaired and presented in Spanish on HBO Latino.

The fight will also be available on HBO NOW, HBO GO, HBO On Demand and affiliate portals.

The main event features the talented rising superstar from Omaha, NE, Terence Crawford (30-0, 21 KOs) as he returns to Broadway to take on Felix Diaz (19-1, 9 KOs), from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, and now living in New York City, in a scheduled 12-round junior welterweight title contest. 29-year-old Crawford has become a force in the junior welterweight division and a standout star in the sport. Known for his knockout power and ring dominance, the 2014 BWAA Fighter of the Year is coming off a knockout title defense victory over John Molina, Jr. and is determined to dominate the 140-pound division. Diaz, a crafty 33-year-old southpaw, with only one blemish on his record, is a 2008 Olympic gold medalist seeking to pull off an upset by demonstrating that his formidable and seasoned ring skill set can outfox the reigning undefeated champion.

Crawford’s New York debut was a year ago when he handled Hank Lundy in the Theater at Madison Square Garden. Now, Crawford gets to showcase his dazzling skills in the big room at the Mecca of Boxing.

The evening’s opening bout features a lightweight match and 12-round title eliminator between Raymundo Beltran (32-7-1, 20 KOs) from Los Mochis, Mexico, now living in Phoenix, AZ going against Jonathan Maicelo (25-2, 12 KOs) from North Bergen, NJ originally from Callao, Peru. Beltran, 35, is looking to continue his climb in the division after his previous loss to Terence Crawford in November of 2014. He has won his last three bouts, while Maicelo, 33, is in on a four-bout winning streak. Beltran was profiled last December on the HBO State of Play series from FILM 45 (“Fighting Chance”) and on May 9 it was recognized with the Sports Emmy® Award for Outstanding Short Documentary.

Follow HBO boxing news at hbo.com/boxing, on Facebook at facebook.com/hboboxing and on Twitter at twitter.com/hboboxing.

All HBO boxing events are presented in HDTV. HBO viewers must have access to the HBO HDTV channel to watch HBO programming in high definition.

The executive producer of WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING is Rick Bernstein; producer, Dave Harmon; director, Johnathan Evans.

® WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING is a registered service mark of Home Box Office, Inc.

By Jimmy Tobin-

This Saturday, undefeated American, Terence Crawford, meets Dominican, Felix Diaz, in a fight that is likely to only confirm junior welterweight supremacy. There should be an impassioned crowd on hand in Madison Square Garden that night too, at least in the rows that fit in the frame of a television screen, close enough to the production tables to mask the empty silence sprawling toward the exits.

The question of whether Diaz is a worthy challenger feels almost as out of place as the question of whether he is a deserving one. His lone loss, a disputed majority decision to Lamont Peterson, is respectable enough; his best win, a decision over Sammy Vasquez, was utterly complete. Diaz seems very much to fit into the modern contender mold: there is nothing especially remarkable about the southpaw, but he is capable. And should that assessment prove insufficient to glorify Crawford’s unmaking of him, rest assured the talking heads ringside will reference Diaz’ Olympic gold medal to buttress his professional credentials. Crawford however, knows no threat at 140 pounds, and efforts to fashion those members of the herd he culls into anything but his next opponent feel, if not insincere, then tedious, the product of too much abstraction.

Diaz may pocket a round or two if Crawford lets him, his confidence bolstered by the pyrrhic victories that begin him down the path to his doom. Crawford will measure, switch southpaw both frivolously and with purpose, decide at some point it is time to establish his dominance, and then thoroughly, maliciously, strip Diaz of his illusions. Quietly or otherwise, on his feet or his back, Diaz will go the way of his thirty predecessors; a fact that reflects matchmaking, yes, but also Crawford’s peerlessness. Few—if any—are the Crawford fights where the victor and not the manner of victory is in question.

It should surprise no one then, that Top Rank boss, Bob Arum, has been speaking of his obligation to pit the past against the future, and finally set Manny Pacquiao across the ring from Crawford. And for those who see impatience in the use of “finally” here, ask yourself this: after Crawford defeated Viktor Postol, was there any real challenge to his throne? There will always be opponents—Arum can spit shine a John Molina or Felix Diaz to delay in perpetuity the obvious—but since beating Postol last July there has been only one opponent for Crawford. Arum knows this, which explains his current enthusiasm: dangling a future opponent to distract from the present one is a tactic he has long employed. The bait is set, now await the switch.

There is a catch, of course, which can only mean further delays. Before making Pacquiao-Crawford, Arum would first like to see Crawford unify the division against Namibia’s, Julius Indongo. (And what does it say of Crawford’s next two fights that Arum is making plans beyond them?). Indongo may be a fine fighter, but a fight with Crawford would present aficionados the same uninspiring challenge: discerning how, not whether, Crawford will win (and if that is selling Indongo short, let him prove it first against someone better than Ricky Burns). The unification route makes some sense for Arum in that multiple titles means multiple mandatory defenses. When Crawford unifies he could be hogtied by mandatory defenses, none of which would accomplish more than further establishing the obvious, but each would be financed by HBO (which has already endorsed one fighter’s fetish for titles). For Arum, that is probably justification enough.

And then there is Pacquiao, who might be the underdog against Crawford but who retains enough athleticism and guile to flummox every welterweight on the planet. He is certainly too good for Jeff Horn, who owes his July fight with Pacquiao to his being Australian and little else. If Arum can successfully package Pacquiao elsewhere (and he recently stated he expects the 55,000 seat Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane to sell out), he will do so for as long as he can. He is acting like the retiree who burns through what he could have left to his heirs, living indulgently at the expense of a future he could reasonably be expected to preserve.

That bodes poorly for the future—because Pacquiao can ratify Crawford in a way titles cannot—but also for the present in that Pacquiao is being squandered. Perhaps asking him to immolate himself—even in the name of exposing recency bias—after a career that leaves so few questions is being unfair to a fighter who has earned a relatively tranquil twilight to his career. But such considerations must be made in the context of the price tag attached to his non-events and the obvious ability he retains. Mind you, talk of Pacquiao being squandered might be overly generous to a 38-year-old with 67 professional fights, one who could run aground against a fighter like Kell Brook or Errol Spence or Terence Crawford. But his undoing—so long as it is violent—remains a spectacle to behold, and Pacquiao in something other than a foregone conclusion is an event that need not be transported to Australia. That explains part of the appeal of a Crawford fight: if Crawford is fighter enough to defeat Pacquiao, he will set upon the aged icon with a healthy disdain, ensuring more than a twelve round transaction.

The hope then, is that this time Arum is being genuine and that he indeed intends to make the best fight he can. Crawford has had recent legal troubles and his relationship with the media is fragile at best. He could certainly use the right kind of attention, the right kind of opponent, because he too is being squandered. And in a year that is delivering a number of quality fights, perhaps a little forgotten too.

By Bart Barry-

Saturday the world’s best junior welterweight, Nebraska’s Terence Crawford, will fight on HBO at Madison Square Garden against a 33-year-old Dominican named Felix Diaz. Saturday the world’s second best featherweight, Maryland’s Gary Russell Jr., will fight on Showtime against a Colombian named Oscar Escandon. These are important fights, one supposes, featuring very good fighters, one of whom may even prove great.

And yet Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. is more fun to write about than both of them, and maybe that’s the point of his popularity, a magnetism everyone wishes attribute to Canelo in his assignment of credit for what appears a post-Mayweather-Pacquiao pay-per-view record, but Canelo just sold more with Chavez than he vended in a combination of Amir Khan and Liam Smith, which indicates his opponent’s ethnicity and charisma make more of a difference than his opponent’s resume and Gennady “160,000 buys” Golovkin may not actually make any more dollars for Canelo come September than he makes sense.

Canelo was marketed better than this weekend’s main event fighters and marketed to a better demographic, too, and luck is luck, but as a prizefighter he appears to’ve been developed somewhere between the two men, with Crawford obviously in the front and Russell behind. Russell’s handlers knew from the moment they signed him he was the future of boxing, which, it turns out, is a problem when those handlers don’t know what they’re looking at and have much less an idea how to develop it. Crawford’s promoter, meanwhile, treated Crawford’s talent with the same skepticism Top Rank and its ace matchmakers treat every prospect they sign:

Can he sell tickets in his hometown? However fast his hands or feet, does he hit hard enough to keep world-class competitors off him? How pesky are his parents and manager? Is his childhood trainer a benefactor or beneficiary? How are his whiskers in a shootout? And most importantly, how does he comport himself afterwards – or in Bob Arum’s actual words, “Does he dissipate between fights?”

Whatever criteria PBC uses it is not that criteria and probably comes closer to a criterion like: How many people say he reminds them of Floyd Mayweather, or at least Sugar Ray Leonard?

Russell and Crawford are about the same age and have about the same number of fights, and yet Crawford is multiples more accomplished than Russell, and it wasn’t that way six years ago when HBO, as Al Haymon’s pre-PBC affiliate, began to shine Russell highlights and matches at its viewers. The details of what happened to Russell after that aren’t important, though surely there were contract issues and a dearth of opponents for a man of such otherworldly handspeed, the usual “nobody will fight him” gambit used by cheap or incompetent managers and promoters everywhere. Then Russell met Vasyl Lomachenko three years ago and got conclusively outclassed, which was not shameful but an indictment of all things said about him before that match.

Too, it was an indictment of what development happened to Russell before his match with Lomachenko: Russell’s two preceding opponents shared 20 losses in their 60-fight collective. It was the usual Haymon-managed concern with building an attraction rather than a fighter, and it went the way things with Haymon-managed prospects usually do when a return-on-investment alarm rings somewhere and their competition gets improved by a few hundred percent overnight. His unblemished record now blemished, a mortal sin in the Haymon stable, Russell went back to whupping guys who, for one reason or another, hadn’t much chance against him. One suspects the same ideal’ll be in play Saturday against Escandon; PBC’d not risk another Russell loss on Showtime when CBS and HBO are willing to pay substantially more to broadcast PBC superstars being beaten.

Terence Crawford, while more accomplished than Russell, now risks being considered a box office dud outside Nebraska if he doesn’t sell a respectable number of tickets at Madison Square Garden against Felix Diaz the same way he didn’t sell a respectable number of pay-per-views against Viktor Postol in July. According to Madison Square Garden’s website Diaz (19-1, 9 KOs) is a “hard hitting southpaw” with an Olympic gold medal, but when one sees a gold medal round the neck of a fighter with less than a 50-percent knockout ratio as a pro, well . . .

Know what? This is dull. Watch the fights or don’t, but nothing historic will happen Saturday, so let’s go back to Chavez Jr.

A video leaked online last week that besmirched Chavez’s spotless character by depicting the fallen champ enjoying his loss a bit too much. Someone, it seems, believed a wedge might be driven between Chavez and his fans. But no. Chavez is a circus act no one can stop from plying his craft to a ripe older age. He doesn’t appeal to slackers and potheads the way his detractors insist he must. Rather he appeals to anyone who’s ever been told to do something he didn’t want to do and then done it well enough to be mistaken for someone capable of doing it before ecstatically sabotaging the whole damn thing in a flurry of shrugs. Chavez neither called in sick nor told his boss to go pound sand; Chavez continued showing up at a job for which he was illsuited, played videogames on the clock, took extended breaks and giggled his way through quarterly evaluations; Chavez didn’t shout “I quit” but sat in his cube wondering “When are they going to fire me?”

If there are Mexicans actually enraged by Chavez, I’ve not found them. Mostly my interviews have gone like this.

Bart: “Did you see the Chavez fight?”
Mexican aficionado: (Laughing) “Yes.”
Bart: (Laughing harder)
Mexican Aficionado: (Laughing harder still)
Bart: “Think he’ll retire?”
Mexican aficionado: “No.”
Bart: (Laughing)
Mexican aficionado: (Laughing harder)

Remember this when the hyperbole reaches a boil on HBO and Showtime this weekend: To date Chavez has sold about 1.5 million more pay-per-views than Crawford and Russell combined. It is kind of funny.

Bart Barry can be reached via Twitter @bartbarry