NEW YORK (May 12, 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, Next 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 and Díaz, along with their respective promoters, Bob Arum and Lou DiBella, made themselves available in training camp on Thursday for a pre-fight week Q&A Session. Here is the transcript.

TERENCE CRAWFORD: I am very excited for this fight and looking forward to fighting in the big arena where all of the greats have fought. I am looking to put on a great show next week.

Most boxers do not call you out. Diaz has been calling you out for the last couple of fights. How do you feel about that? Do you get annoyed?

TERENCE CRAWFORD: When you are at the top of the division, everyone wants to fight the guy at the top, especially when they can get their name out there to boost their ratings. I didn’t take it as nothing really.

So it didn’t take much to get the fight done?

TERENCE CRAWFORD: Yes, of course, I never ran away from any challenge. He’s got the skills, he’s a good fighter, he is an Olympic Gold Medalist and this is the fight that a lot of people were calling for, and we are here now.

Diaz lost a razor close decision to Peterson that a lot of people thought he won. Did you see the fight and what did you think?

TERENCE CRAWFORD: It was a real close fight. Lamont was the favorite in that fight and he did what he had to do to get the job done, and this fight could be different.

Is Diaz the type of opponent that can bring out the best in you? Unlike Molina and Postol, do you think Diaz can give you a better challenge?

TERENCE CRAWFORD: We shall see. A lot of people look a the fights and ask who will bring out the best in Terence Crawford, who is going to bring out this in Terence Crawford – we want to see Terence Crawford in these types of fights. But again, I make my adjustments and it’s just that. So we are going to have to see how the fight is going to go or what is going to happen. I just fight the fight.

Bob, what are your thoughts about going up against Diaz, and maybe he is the guy that can bring out the best in Terence?

BOB ARUM: Felix Diaz in an Olympic Gold Medalist and that means something. A Gold Medalist has a lot of confidence and a lot of credentials and ability. I am delighted that he stepped up to the plate. His promoter Lou DiBella was very helpful in making the fight and very cooperative. It is going to be a terrific fight for the fans and Terence only wants to fight the best. Whoever is the best that steps up is the one Terence is going to fight. Terence has never ducked anybody. The whole time he has been with Top Rank he has never ducked an opponent. It’s not a question of matching him correctly. It’s not a question of being cautious. Terence will fight anybody who steps up to the plate.

Are you looking forward to the day where you get in a big like, a la Chavez-Taylor or Hagler-Hearns where you have to dig deep? Would you like that kind of fight?

TERENCE CRAWFORD: That’s what training is for. That’s what you train hard for. That’s what you prepare for because again, you never know what is going to happen in the ring. You have to prepare yourself for whatever your opponent might bring. I am prepared to go to hell and back to get the win. I train to prepare for whatever.

Even though Diaz is a Gold Medalist – there have been many Gold Medalists before him that didn’t make it as a pro such as Gamboa – do you think he can bring this out of you?

TERENCE CRAWFORD: We have to see. Like I said I have never fought the man yet, so I can’t say if he is my toughest opponent or not.

When you look at Diaz’ resume, what stand out to you?

TERENCE CRAWFORD: I don’t look at a fighter’s record. If a fighter can fight, he can fight, and that’s that.

Do you feel as though he has enough power to make you worry?

TERENCE CRAWFORD: I never underestimate any opponent. I just go in there and make sure I don’t get caught with anything – I don’t want to go in there and be careless.

If you were to give a report on his strengths and weaknesses, what would you say?

TERENCE CRAWFORD: I don’t know if I can give that because every fight is different. Each fighter fights every opponent different. If he had one weakness in his previous fights that might be different when he fights me. I have to make sure that I am prepared 110% for whatever he brings to the table.

You have been moving up in the P4P lists – do you pay attention to that? What do you think about the Canelo-GGG fight?

TERENCE CRAWFORD: I pay a little bit of attention to it but at the same time I look at it as status playing a big part in ratings but at the same time I just worry about winning and everything else will fall into place. GGG and Canelo – that is going to be a tremendous fight. I am looking forward to watching it whenever it happens, and yes, I think my name should be mentioned up there with theirs.

What do you think fighting in the big room will do to elevate your status in the boxing world?

TERENCE CRAWFORD: For me, going from the Theater to the big arena right now – that says a lot right now. I have to keep winning and putting on great performances and eventually my name is going to be bigger than it is right now.

Is there anything new in preparation for this fight?

TERENCE CRAWFORD: Nothing really new. Just trying to get better and working on the things that we know that we have to do to be the best.

RED SPIKES: I have no concerns. Terence trains hard. He listens. We get better in each camp. We make the proper adjustments to adjust to the opponents – his size his strength, his speed – and just making sure that Terence is the best person himself and properly prepared for the fight and after all the hard work is done in training camp there is nothing to be concerned about.

Gamboa has never been the same since you fought him – what do you think about that?

TERENCE CRAWFORD: I don’t know what I may have done to him in the fight. I can’t say I did this to him or I did that to him – you will have to ask him that.

Have you notice in his performance that he hasn’t been the same fighter?

TERENCE CRAWFORD: He’s been going through a lot of promotional battles and he can’t seem to stay active – that is one thing that I have noticed.

Bob, what does it mean for Crawford to fight in the big arena?

BOB ARUM: Obviously fighting in the main arena as the main event makes a statement and it’s what our plans are, and our plans are that Terence Crawford, before he hangs up his gloves, will be recognized as the greatest fighter of his time. That’s going to be up to Terence but he has the tools, the personality and the ability to reach that goal. And our job as a promoter is that he has every opportunity to show the world that he is the best fighter of his era. Fighting on the big stage that is Madison Square Garden where Ali fought and where Marvin Hagler fought, where Oscar De La Hoya fought and now where Terence Crawford is fighting is a step in that direction. It’s clear – obviously we could have taken the fight to Omaha and have a massive sellout like we always do, but we decided that we wanted to showcase Terence at the Mecca of Boxing, Madison Square Garden. We are going to have a tremendous crowd – tickets are going extremely well and we have dressed up the card with really great young fighters – like Shakur Stevenson; like Fazliddin Gaibnazarov the Olympic Gold Medalist in Rio who comes from Uzbekistan; Teofimo Lopez, a rising star in the sport; and it will all come down to the main event, which will feature Terence Crawford and it will be a statement that he will make in his quest to become the best fighter of our era. Simple as that – there is no place else in boxing, with all due respect to Las Vegas and other arenas, there is no place in boxing that has the symbolism and the history of Madison Square Garden. Now Terence will have the opportunity to perform on the biggest of all stages – the Mecca of Boxing.

Terence, can you speak about fighting outside of Omaha and becoming a draw in other places?

TERENCE CRAWFORD: Yes, I have been fighting away from home all of my career – basically all of my life, that I never really had a lot of amateur tournaments in Omaha, Nebraska, so it says a lot. I have been traveling and traveling and traveling to fight here and there. The first time I had the privilege to fight in Omaha, it was a big turnout, so big that everybody that came in felt like this was the only place that I ever fought at – in Omaha. So for me to go to other cities and being able to sell out, and have a lot of people from Omaha follow me, shows the type of career that I am having – and it’s a tremendous career.

What do you think people will learn about you in the “Camp Life” video?

TERENCE CRAWFORD: You can learn that I train real hard and that I am a real humble guy. You should watch the “Camp Life” and you can be the judge.

The fight many would want to see is Pacquiao-Crawford, is that a fight you could see happening if they get through their opponents?

BOB ARUM: I don’t like to project too far ahead, but I would agree with you. I am not content with guys fighting once or twice a year. That is BS. Guys have to fight regularly. Terence will fight in May and Manny is fighting in July. Terence would I think if he gets through this fight well, to get back in the ring again in the summer and then we will look to the fall. Would Pacquiao and Crawford be a good fight, a big fight, a big attraction? You bet your ass it will and we will, all things being equal, we will do our best to make that fight. I think the public wants to see it and the public will support it. Manny Pacquiao has been a great fighter and a great attraction. I love Manny Pacquiao. Manny Pacquiao is the kind of guy who is not afraid to step up and fight anybody. Terence Crawford is the rising star in boxing. Everybody would love to see that fight, but that’s all I can say about it. I agree with your assessment, that it’s a fight that the fans want to see, and if it’s a fight that the fans want to see, a promoter has the obligation to make it happen.

Would that fight, if it came about, be at 140 or 147? Terence, do you have thoughts about moving up in weight?

TERENCE CRAWFORD: Well, right now I am fighting at 140 and that is my main focus right now and who knows what the future may hold. If I need to fight at 147, I’ll fight at 147 and if I need to fight at 140 I’ll fight at 140. Right now I am focused more on Felix Diaz than anything else.

Is Pacquiao on your radar? Is that somebody you’d like to fight?

TERENCE CRAWFORD: No question Pacquiao is someone I would like to fight, but if it’s not in front of me then I am really not worried about it.

Barring Pacquiao and assuming you get by this fight, who else is at 140 that you could fight that could bring you A) the kind of money that you could make (B) the kind of attention hat you would like and (C) in your weight class. Is there anyone?

TERENCE CRAWFORD: Julius Indongo is.

So you would like to unify the titles?

TERENCE CRAWFORD: Of Course

CARL MORETTI: Indongo will be at the fight.

BOB ARUM: He is a good fighter this kid. That’s a guy that people haven’t heard of because he hasn’t fought in the United States but our matchmakers say he is a damn good fighter and apparently looking forward, down the line. I disagree that there are not any fighters at 140 that want to fight. Mikey Garcia keeps shooting his mouth off about going up to 140 to fight Terence – I mean that’s a possibility. Again, if we put him in with Manny – Manny is a 147 pound champion, but Manny goes into the ring at 144 pounds and to even go in the ring at 144 he has to eat about 5000 calories a day, or more, when he is training, because Manny is not a big welterweight.

How about besides Pacquiao?

BOB ARUM: Besides Pacquiao, there is this kid, Julius Indongo that is coming on that is a very good fighter that I think holds the other two titles now at 140 – that’s a possibility and there is the possibility of Mikey Garcia.

There was an announcement with Indongo after he beat Ricky Burns, that his promoter was going to work with Eddie Hearn – have you spoken to them?

BOB ARUM: Indongo is coming to the fight and we will all talk to him when he comes to the fight. If the kid wants to fight Terence, then that’s the time to talk to him. If he doesn’t want to fight Terence then Eddie Hearn or the African promoter or any other promoter, then there is no sense talking. If the kid says he wants to fight Terence, and that’s the fight, then we’ll make it happen. And you will have the opportunity, I assume, to interview this kid on Saturday at The Garden.

Would he be coming to the fight if he wasn’t interested in fighting Terence?

BOB ARUM: Well, there you go.

There has only been one other time in boxing history where the fighter has unified all four titles so it is extremely rare…

BOB ARUM: For people that think that’s important, that would be a great thing.

TERENCE CRAWFORD: Well, I never kept track of how many people have ever had held all four titles, but it is one of my goals to say that I am undisputed champion.

Bernard knocked out Oscar to unify the four middleweight titles and then Jermaine won to win those four titles, so those were the two guys but only the one fight to unify the four titles. Did you watch the Indongo-Burns fight and what did you think?

TERENCE CRAWFORD: I watched the fight and he put on a great performance. He did what he had to do to get the job done. He’s tall and rangy and he can box. It would be a good fight.

Stylistically it seems like it would be a crowd pleaser – do you think?

TERENCE CRAWFORD: Of course.

This will be the first time in a long time you have fought a true left-hander. Did it change preparation?

TERENCE CRAWFORD: I prepare for whatever. I have fought left handers before in both the amateurs and pro and it won’t be any different come Saturday night.

RED SPIKES (Assistant Coach): Just what Terence said. He was No. 1 in the amateurs for three years in a row and fought all over the world against, Cubans, Canadians, Venezuelans, left hand, right hand, tall, short – he is one of the best in the game at adapting. He’ll be OK Saturday night.

LOU DiBELLA: I am really looking forward to what I think is a really good fight and I am really happy with all of the karma coming out from the media with this fascination with Indongo who has never fought in the US and does not have the resume that Felix does because the more you talk about Indongo, the more mojo is thrown in our direction. I know how good Crawford is. Felix knows how good Crawford is. The media knows how good Crawford is, but he is not G_d, he is not unbeatable. He’s had tough fights and I think he’s had tough fights with guys like Gamboa, who was a little guy who gave him a tough fight for a while and Diaz has a lot of the same attributes when it comes to pressure and style which could make it a very difficult night for Bud. Felix has wanted this fight forever. This is a kid that grew up with nothing. A poor kid from the Dominican Republic that became a top amateur and became the Dominican’s only Olympic Gold Medalist in the history of the country in 2008. The only gold medal for boxing in the Dominican. This is the culmination of a professional boxing career that began in 2009. Joel Diaz in California trains him. He moved up to welterweight and had a big win against Sammy Vazquez. He had to move up to welterweight to get that opportunity. He’s got a lot of other quality wins and I thought he beat Lamont Peterson. He’s beaten Emmanuel Lartey and Adrian Granados and Gabriel Bracero before he lost to Peterson. I think this is the toughest challenge that Terence Crawford has ever had and I’m looking forward to it – it is going to be in New York and there will be a nice Dominican contingent there to support Felix.

Felix, you worked hard to call out Terence, which a lot of people do not do. How do you feel now that you have the fight?

FÉLIX DÍAZ: I called out Terence because Terence is the best in the division. It is a big opportunity for me to fight at Madison Square Garden against Terence Crawford.

What is it about Crawford that you think you can beat him?

FÉLIX DÍAZ: With his style, I know I can beat Terence Crawford. Crawford has fought no one like me. Stylistically, I can beat him.

Indongo is going to be ringside for the fight and Bob Arum hopes that if all goes well they can set up that unification fight.

FÉLIX DÍAZ: I am definitely motivated that I am being overlooked and that I am the underdog. But I have my own plans. I am going to destroy Top Rank’s plans.

What could you take away from the Lamont Peterson fight – that many people thought you won?

FÉLIX DÍAZ: I learned a lot in that fight and got the experience of fighting one of the great fighters in the division. It is great to have the experience to go in there and go 12 rounds with that guy. Adapting to each fighter is different for each fight but having that experience of 12 tough rounds will really help me.

Do you feel that you have the power to scare Crawford at all?

FÉLIX DÍAZ: There is going to be a difference. I feel a lot stronger at 140. If you look you will notice that every person I fought at 140, I knocked them out, except for Granados, who I knocked down twice (rounds 9 & 10).

What did you see in the Postol fight that impressed you?

LOU DiBELLA: I didn’t see much about Postol that impressed me at all. Postol was fighting a really good fighter and that may have had something to do with it, but I don’t care if he was fighting Bozo the Clown, Postol brought nothing to that dance.

FÉLIX DÍAZ: I saw nothing from Crawford in the Postol fight – he did not impress me.

What were you not impressed with the Postol fight?

FÉLIX DÍAZ: I did not get to see the whole Postol fight but the parts I did see I was not impressed.

Do you think Crawford is overrated?

LOU DiBELLA: I think he is a damn good fighter. Do I think he is overrated? I think he has fought some smaller guys. I don’t think his resume screams of the best in the world but in this day and age not a lot of resumes do. Until someone proves otherwise he is a terrific fighter and Felix wanted this fight because he views Crawford as the best. I do believe that now he will be in there with a guy with real credentials who is a real 140-pounder. He has maybe fought a lot of guys that were smaller and not at the level of Felix. But I take nothing away from the guy – he is certainly one of the top pound-for-pound fighters in the game today. Unfortunately we don’t have a lot of resumes that look like Hearns, Leonard, Duran, Whitaker or those kinds of situations any more because we have to do a better job of getting the best in with the best. I think the people should come out to The Garden on May 20 because this is an example of the best fighting the best.

How much do you think Crawford will switch back and forth to southpaw?

FÉLIX DÍAZ: It all depends on Crawford. When he sees what I am bringing in, he is going to have to adjust to me. I really can’t answer that question until we get in the ring to really see. I cannot anticipate what he is going to do until we get in the ring.

What does it mean to fight at The Garden?

FÉLIX DÍAZ: It is great to be able to fight at Madison Square Garden, the Mecca of Boxing and the Mecca of history. I know that a lot of the Dominicans from Manhattan and the Bronx and the Dominican communities will be coming out to support me.

What did you take away from the Peterson fight in Virginia?

FÉLIX DÍAZ: I don’t feel that I lost the fight. I did everything possible to win that fight. The judges were not on my side, maybe it was because of the style of the fight, but I feel I did enough to beat Lamont Peterson. I regret that I didn’t knock him out but

LOU DiBELLA: I think we learned that it’s not an ideal situation to fight a Virginian fighter in Virginia.

In Closing…

LOU DiBELLA: It took a long time to make this and maybe not under all of the terms we would have liked, but thank you to Top Rank and Terence Crawford’s team for giving Felix the opportunity and Felix is going to make the most of it on May 20.

FÉLIX DÍAZ: I would like to thank everyone that has made this fight possible and you will see on May 20 what I am able to bring to the table and I hope that people take notice.

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

The HBO telecast will open with RAY “Sugar” BELTRAN (32-7-1, 20 KOs), of Phoenix, AZ by way of Ahome, Mexico, and JONATHAN “The Last Inca” 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). Stevenson’s bout and all the 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.

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.

LAS VEGAS, NEV. (May 10, 2017) — CAMP LIFE, the new digital series produced by Top Rank®, will make its debut later this week with a four-part feature on undefeated two-division world champion and top pound for pound fighter TERENCE “Bud” CRAWFORD. Designed to give a behind-the-scenes look at training camps of fighters in the Top Rank stable, CAMP LIFE gives fans a real taste of training camp as fighters prepare for their battles. CAMP LIFE will be distributed on various platforms, including Facebook, Top Rank’s You Tube channel, Twitter and Top Rank’s website..

In CAMP LIFE: TERENCE CRAWFORD, viewers take a journey to Colorado Springs, where Crawford, surrounded by family, trainers and sparring partners, prepares for his May 20 defense of his unified World Boxing Organization (WBO) / World Boxing Council (WBC) / Ring magazine titles against former Olympic gold medalist and top-rated contender FÉLIX DÍAZ in a marquee all-action fight.. The fight will take place at Madison Square Garden’s main arena and will be televised live on HBO World Championship Boxing®, beginning at 10:15 p.m. ET/PT.

Here’s a preview of the Top Rank-produced four-part series CAMP LIFE: TERENCE CRAWFORD. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZHdiKTCHM2Y.

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

Promoted by Top Rank, in association with DiBella Entertainment, Tecate, Antonio Leonard Productions 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.

The HBO telecast will open with top-rated contenders RAY “Sugar” BELTRAN and JONATHAN “The Last Inca” MAICELO going mano a mano in a 12-round International Boxing Federation (IBF) world lightweight title elimination bout with the vacant World Boxing Association (WBA) International and Beltran’s NABF and NABO lightweight titles also at stake. The non-televised undercard will feature Pride of Newark and 2016 U.S. Olympic silver medalist SHAKUR STEVENSON.

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.

NEW YORK (May 9. 2017) — Two-time world title challenger RAY “Sugar” BELTRAN and heavy-fisted JONATHAN “The Last Inca” MAICELO will go 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. Beltran vs. Maicelo will be the co-main event to the TERENCE “Bud” CRAWFORD – FÉLIX DÍAZ World Junior Welterweight Championship, Saturday, May 20, at the Mecca of Boxing, Madison Square Garden. Both fights will be televised live on HBO World Championship Boxing, beginning at 10:15 p.m. ET/PT. The world championship event will also feature the Pride of Newark and 2016 U.S. Olympic silver medalist SHAKUR STEVENSON on the non-televised undercard.

Beltran and Maicelo, who hail from Mexico and Peru, respectively, have a combined record of 57-9-1 (32 KOs), — a winning percentage of 85% with over half their victories coming by way of knockout. Both boast unbeaten streaks dating back to 2015..

“We are ready for this fight. It is a very important fight for the whole team, because it will be the fight that will take us to the opportunity of battling for a world title,” said Beltran. “We are focused on winning. We are coming to fight and give a great show to all the fans. I don’t just want to win. I want to look good and win convincingly. Little by little I am making my dreams come true. I have battled a lot in my career. We have fulfilled many of our goals, like now that we are going to fight at Madison Square Garden. Being able to fight in a historical place, where all the greats have fought, is a dream come true.”

“This is a very important fight for my career. This fight means everything to me because I will be able to display my skills in front of a big audience and on a big stage like Madison Square Garden,” said Maicelo. “Right now I’m at my best and on May 20 everyone will see the best of me. I’m working very hard in the gym because everyone knows that Beltran is a tough fighter, but I’m focused on winning because this is a world title elimination bout that will take me straight to the opportunity of fighting for a world title.”

Beltran (32-7-1, 20 KOs), a native of Ahome, Mexico who resides in Phoenix, AZ., enters this fight having won his last three fights by knockout. A two-time lightweight world title challenger and a former sparring partner of eight-division world champion Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao, Beltran still trains at Freddie Roach’s Wild Card Boxing Club in Hollywood, Calif. In his last fight, in the co-main event to the Crawford John Molina Jr. world title fight on December 10, Crawford scored a sensational one-punch seventh-round knockout of once-beaten Mason Menard in an NABF-NABO lightweight title fight. Beltran is currently world-rated No. 2 by the World Boxing Organization (WBO), No. 3 by the IBF and No. 4 by the World Boxing Council (WBC).

Maicelo (25-2, 12 KOs), a native of Callao, Peru who fights out of North Bergen, New Jersey, is riding a two-year four-bout winning streak. His most impressive victory was his in his last fight, against Jose Felix, Jr. on February 17. Felix, who entered the fight with a 35-1-1 record and world-rated No. 3 by the WBO, was knocked down five times by Maicelo. Maicelo’s upset unanimous decision victory over Felix has propelled him to No. 7 in the IBF.

Promoted by Top Rank®, in association with DiBella Entertainment, Tecate, Antonio Leonard Productions 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.

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.

NEW YORK (May 3, 2017) — Hot off his high-profile pro debut, 2016 Olympic silver medalist SHAKUR STEVENSON will soon return to the ring for his second professional bout. The crown jewel of the U.S. Olympic boxing team and the Pride of Newark, New Jersey, will be featured in a six-round featherweight bout on the undercard of the TERENCE “Bud” CRAWFORD – FÉLIX DÍAZ World Junior Welterweight Championship, Saturday, May 20, at the Mecca of Boxing, Madison Square Garden. He’ll be facing Carlos Suarez (6-3-2, one KO), from La Plata, Argentina. This will be the first time Stevenson has fought close to home since the New Jersey Golden Gloves in early 2015. Crawford vs. Díaz will be televised live on HBO World Championship Boxing®, beginning at 10:15 p.m. ET/PT.

Stevenson, 19, made his pro debut, on April 22, defeating Edgar Brito via a six-round featherweight technical decision. The fight was stopped just after the beginning of the sixth round with the ringside doctor ruling that Brito was cut too badly from an earlier clash of heads to continue. Stevenson won every round on every judge’s scorecard. The fight was featured on a world championship tripleheader pay-per-view telecast at StubHub Center in Carson Calif. Stevenson has been training for this fight in Colorado Springs with Crawford.

“It’s been a long time since I fought so close to home and I can’t wait to perform in front of my friends and family,” said Stevenson. My city has always supported me and I know that Newark is going to come out on May 20. There have been so many huge fights at Madison Square Garden and I’m excited to fight in the Big Room where so many greats have fought before. I’m training out in Colorado with Terence Crawford and I’m happy I get to fight on his card in such a historic arena. I’m going to make sure everyone comes out and supports us both. It feels good to have my first pro fight under my belt. My pro debut was great, I had two Olympic gold medalists walk me out and my hero Andre Ward ringside yelling instructions to me. My opponent was tough and tried to make it dirty but I learned a lot and am going to put that knowledge to good use on May 20 in my first east coast professional fight.”

“I have to admit, I’m a little jealous. Shakur has the opportunity to fight at The Garden in his second fight, where as I’ve fought over 30 times and have yet to have a fight on that sacred ground,” said two-division world champion Andre Ward, who co-manages Stevenson. “Actually, I guess that’s the way it’s supposed to be. The next generation going further than the older generation. I’m super excited for him, he shines the brightest on the biggest stage. There are not too many bigger stages than The Garden in boxing, and really all of sports.”

“My first fight there was exciting being that it was Madison Square Garden, but it was in The Theater. I didn’t get to fight in the Big Room in my first fight like Shakur,” said Crawford. “I’m excited to fight in the Big Room being that there hasn’t been a Top Rank show there since Miguel Cotto. I’m glad Shakur will be on the card with me.”

“It’s only his second professional fight, but Shakur is more than ready to make his debut on boxing’s biggest stage, Madison Square Garden,” said Todd duBoef, president of Top Rank.. “He is made for the bright lights of the Big Apple and he will shine like a diamond on May 20.”

In last year’s Summer Games, Stevenson sailed though every stage of his Olympic competition in Rio De Janeiro before losing a close split decision in the bantamweight championship fight to 2012 flyweight Olympic gold medalist Robeisy Ramirez of Cuba. Ramirez swept the judges’ scorecards in round one with Stevenson returning the favor in round two. In the third and final round, the closest of the three rounds, two of the three judges gave the round to Ramirez and the gold medal, by the slimmest of margins. It was the best finish for an American male boxer since Andre Ward captured the gold medal in the Athens Games of 2004. Newark came to a standstill each time Stevenson stepped into the ring in his quest to win Olympic gold. On the day he fought Ramirez, “Stevenson Fever” was at its peak. Barry Carter, columnist for the Star-Ledger, reported the following: “At Broad and Market streets, the city put its ’24 Hour of Peace’ rally on hold and set up a big screen for residents to watch the fight.” At the CityPlex 12 Theater in Newark, hundreds of fans and family members wearing t-shirts emblazoned with “In Shakur’s Corner,” crammed in to see the fight, all sitting on the edge of their seats, to watch the live-streamed fight and cheer for their man.

Ward is now part of Stevenson’s management team along with James Prince and attorney Josh Dubin. The only boxer to make Forbes “30 Under 30” in its Sports category, Stevenson was selected by a panel of judges comprised of James Harden, shooting guard for the Houston Rockets, Phil Knight, Chairman Emeritus of Nike and Casey Wasserman, Chairman and CEO of the Wasserman Group.

The oldest of nine children, Stevenson, who is named for the late rap star Tupac Shakur, was introduced to boxing by his grandfather, Willie “Wali” Moses, at age 5. Now based in northern Virginia, Stevenson is trained by Moses and Kay Koroma.

Promoted by Top Rank®, in association with DiBella Entertainment, Tecate, Antonio Leonard Productions 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.

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.

LONDON (5 April) – One of the world’s best pound-for-pound boxers Terence Crawford will be back exclusively live on BoxNation when he defends his WBC, WBO and Ring Magazine super-lightweight world titles against the slick Felix Diaz on May 20th as part of the channel’s exclusive output deal with promoters Top Rank.

‘The Channel of Champions’ will be the only place to watch the undefeated Omaha native as he looks to carry on his momentous rise when he meets Olympic gold medalist and top-rated contender Diaz at the iconic Madison Square Garden.

Dominican Republic ace Diaz has only lost once in his career, that being a majority points decision against Lamont Peterson in 2015, but he has since enjoyed back-to-back wins and will be relishing his chance on the big stage.

29-year-old Crawford has dazzled ever since his impressive win against Breidis Prescott in 2013 and has gone on to beat a host of world champions including Scotland’s Ricky Burns, Yuriorkis Gamboa and Viktor Postol.

Diaz will represent a different challenge with his southpaw stance and boxing ability but Crawford is determined to shine under the lights at the ‘Mecca of Boxing’ and prove why he is so highly-rated live on BoxNation.

“Come May 20th, I will be ready for whatever Felix Diaz brings to the ring that night,” said Crawford. “It’s going to be a great experience fighting at Madison Square Garden in the big arena where all the greats have fought. I’m looking forward to that night.”

“We’ve got our work cut out for us fighting against another Olympic gold medalist,” said Brian McIntyre, Crawford’s trainer and co-manager. “It’s an honour to fight in the arena at Madison Square Garden. It’s a step up going from The Theater into the big room.”

33-year-old Diaz was in equally upbeat mood and is out to seize his opportunity of stardom.

“The time has finally come. I will share a ring with one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world and I tip my hat to Crawford for accepting me as an opponent on May 20th because I am no pushover,” said Diaz.

“I’m coming to bring my A-game and I couldn’t be more grateful to be able to showcase my skills at Madison Square Garden, which is just 15 minutes from where I live. I will take full advantage of this opportunity. I respect Crawford and believe he is a great fighter, but every king can be dethroned.”

Jim McMunn, BoxNation Managing Director, said: “Terence Crawford is undoubtedly one of the very best fighters on the planet and we are delighted to be able to showcase his next fight exclusively live on BoxNation. Felix Diaz is a well schooled and respected fighter who will be looking to make his breakthrough by beating Crawford. This is certainly Crawford’s toughest task to date and BoxNation subscribers will not miss a minute of the action on May 20th from Madison Square Garden.”

BoxNation is available on Sky/Freeview/Virgin/TalkTalk/EE/Apple TV/ online at watch.boxnation.com and via apps (iOS, Android, Amazon) for just £12 a month. Buy now at boxnation.com.

– ENDS –

About BoxNation
BoxNation, the Channel of Champions and proud partner of Rainham Steel, is the UK’s first dedicated boxing channel. From £12* per month with no minimum term customers can enjoy great value live and exclusive fights, classic fight footage, magazine shows and interviews with current and former fighters.
Previous highlights have included Haye vs Chisora, Mayweather vs Maidana, Saunders vs Eubank Jr and Khan vs Canelo.
The channel is available on Sky (Ch.437), Freeview (Ch.255), Virgin (Ch.546), TalkTalk (Ch.415), online at watch.boxnation.com and via apps (ios, Android, Amazon, Apple TV). BoxNation is also available in high definition on Sky (Ch. 490), at no extra cost to Sky TV subscribers, providing they are already HD enabled.
Available on selected internet-connected Freeview products only, subject to coverage. Visit freeview.co.uk/availability.
BoxNation is also available to commercial premises (inc. pubs, clubs and casino’s) in the UK and Ireland, for more information on a commercial subscription please call 0844 842 7700.
For more information visit www.boxnation.com
*Plus £8 registration fee for Sky TV customers

NEW YORK (April 4, 2017) — Undefeated World Junior Welterweight Champion and top pound for pound fighter TERENCE “Bud” CRAWFORD will make his 2017 debut, 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 in a marquee all-action fight. It will be televised live on HBO World Championship Boxing, beginning at 10:15 p.m. ET/PT.

Promoted by Top Rank®, in association with DiBella Entertainment, Tecate and Madison Square Garden, tickets to the Crawford vs. Díaz world championship event will go on sale Tomorrow! Wednesday, April 5, at 10 a.m. ET / 7:00 a.m. PT. Priced at $250, $150, $100, $75, $50 and $35, tickets 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.

“Crawford vs. Díaz was made for The Garden and I anticipate a battle between these two warriors worthy of its moniker as the Mecca of Boxing,” said Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum.

“Come May 20, I will be ready for whatever Félix Díaz brings to the ring that night,” said Crawford. “It’s going to be a great experience fighting at Madison Square Garden in the big arena where all the greats have fought. I’m looking forward to that night.”

“We’ve got our work cut out for us fighting against another Olympic gold medalist,” said Brian McIntyre, Crawford’s trainer and co-manager. “It’s an honor to fight in the arena at Madison Square Garden. It’s a step up going from The Theater into the big room.”

“First, I would like to thank the man upstairs for making my dream come true. I would also like to thank Lou DiBella, Al Haymon, HBO and my manager Jose Nuñez for working around the clock to get me to this point,” said Díaz. “The time has finally come. I will share a ring with one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world and I tip my hat to Crawford for accepting me as an opponent on May 20 because I am no pushover. I’m coming to bring my A-game and I couldn’t be more grateful to be able to showcase my skills on HBO and at Madison Square Garden, which is just 15 minutes from where I live. I will take full advantage of this opportunity. I respect Crawford and believe he is a great fighter, but every king can be dethroned.”

“Félix Díaz is an Olympic gold medalist, a seasoned professional and the best fighter Terence Crawford has ever fought. We have been chasing this fight for a year because Felix and our team believe we can win. The fans will win when they see a terrific, competitive fight on May 20th,” said Lou DiBella, the promoter of Díaz.

“On May 20, unified champ Terence Crawford faces gold medalist Félix Díaz in a fight to light up Madison Square Garden,” said Peter Nelson, Executive Vice President, HBO Sports. “Holding two belts and a place on any top pound for pound list, Terence Crawford looks to have his 2017 debut make a big statement in the Big Apple. Fans will see both fighters’ mettle tested at the Mecca of Boxing.”

Crawford (30-0, 21 KOs), of Omaha, Neb., is a two-division world champion who has won five of his last seven bouts by stoppage. He 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, 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 will be looking to keep building 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 career-best year on March 1, 2014, just 13 days short of the sixth anniversary of his professional debut. 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.

Díaz (19-1, 9 KOs), from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, now living in New York, ended his outstanding amateur career with an exclamation point — winning the 2008 Olympic light welterweight gold medal. He was the first Dominican fighter to win Olympic gold and only the second Dominican athlete, joining Félix Sánchez, who won gold in the 400 meter hurdles in the 2004 Summer Games. A natural junior welterweight, Diaz has been forced to campaign at welterweight because viable opponents in the in 140-pound division have been running from him. The only blemish on his record was a disputed 12-round welterweight majority decision loss to two-division world champion Lamont Peterson in 2015, a fight most observers thought Díaz deserved to win. Díaz bounced back from that loss with a dominant unanimous decision victory over previously undefeated contender Sammy Vasquez and sixth-round stoppage of Levis Morales, both in 2016. A southpaw with excellent skills and movement and strong punching power, Díaz, 33, is world-rated No. 3 by the WBC. He is very experienced against very good opposition.

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.

World Super Welterweight champion Terence Crawford’s May 20th title defense against Felix Diaz will now take place on May 20th at Madison Square Garden instead of The Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

“When we were in town for the Conlan fight they asked us why we were going to the Prudential Center,” Top Rank president Todd duBoef told ESPN. “We know how hard it is to get a Saturday night at the Garden at that time of year. We assumed the Garden was off limits because they always have so many dates they have to hold for the NBA and NHL playoffs. But they said, ‘Listen, there may be an opportunity. Would you be open to shifting the fight to the Garden? I said, ‘We love going to the Garden.’ They said, ‘Are you interested? We think we can pull it off.'”

Top Rank looked to Newark in part because featherweight Shakur Stevenson, the 2016 U.S. Olympic silver medalist, is from Newark and will have his second professional fight on the card and figured to bring a crowd.

“But for Crawford there was no magic to fighting in Newark,” duBoef said. “We want Shakur to fight in Newark and we expect to have him fight there, but it will be bigger when he’s a more developed fighter. I think going to Madison Square Garden is a great platform for Crawford as well as for Shakur.

“I think it’s the best of both worlds for the event. The fans from Newark who want to come out and see Shakur fight can easily come into New York. It’s about a 15-minute train ride. And Terence has fans throughout the area and whether he was going to fight in Newark or New York or Las Vegas his fans are great about traveling from his hometown (Omaha, Nebraska).”

“Felix Diaz has Dominican roots and there is a strong Dominican presence in New York,” he said. “The Garden said they will be very aggressive in marketing the fight and we were able to work something out.”

“I think he’s had a terrific last couple of years, including getting fighter of the year in 2014 and he has a wonderful fan base that travels,” he said. “I think the timing is right. It all came together nicely. We know he did terrific fighting in Omaha and Las Vegas. A lot of his fans traveled to Las Vegas for the Viktor Postol (unification) fight in July. It’s a natural progression to build his brand by bringing him to the most prestigious arena in the world.

“It just makes a lot of sense. At the end of the day, we were able to come together and get creative in the structure of the deal with Madison Square Garden. They were proactive and they worked with us. The Garden came in kind of at the 11th hour, but we’re thrilled.”

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, unified 140-lb champion Terence Crawford will be back in his hometown of Omaha, Nebraska on May 20th, possibly against Felix Diaz.

“I want to do the fight with Felix Diaz. That’s the best fight for us to make,” said Crawford promoter Bob Arum, who added that some of his closest advisers in the company are against it. “Lou DiBella (Diaz’s promoter) calls me every day about it. That’s the fight I want to make.”

“I’m about to call him again today,” DiBella told ESPN. “My guy is ready, willing and able to go May 20 and Omaha would be fine with us. I know there are people within Top Rank that like the fight very much and also I know there are people within Top Rank that don’t. That’s the way it usually is with a really good, competitive fight. I’ve been in this business a long time and I gave Bob a number that’s fair and he didn’t balk. I’m going to continue calling him every day until we hopefully close the deal.”

“I know how good Terence Crawford is and I don’t think for a second he is scared of anybody,” DiBella said. “But that being said, given his recent fight the fans want him to be challenged and there’s no question Felix Diaz brings a challenge. There are guys out there screaming for a fight with Manny Pacquiao or to get Floyd Mayweather out of retirement, but there aren’t guys screaming they want to fight Terence Crawford. But Felix Diaz wants Terence Crawford. He believes Crawford is his measuring stick to see how good he is. He thinks, ‘You’re good, the public thinks you’re good, so I want to fight you.'”

New York, NY (1/20/17) – Dominican Felix Diaz (19-1, 9 KOs) ended a successful 2016 as a world ranked junior welterweight contender with another two impressive victories added to his ledger. He is determined to continue that momentum this year by facing the biggest challenges. The top name on his hit list remains WBC/WBO junior welterweight world champion Terence Crawford.

“I spent half of last year calling out Crawford. He went the easy route, facing John Molina, who entered their December title fight three pounds above the weight limit and was way overmatched. Now, it is time for Crawford to face a real challenge,” said Diaz.

“It doesn’t look like he’ll be fighting Pacquiao any time soon. I am highly ranked by the WBC and WBO, and I am willing to go to Omaha, if that’s what he wants. I respect Crawford as a champion and would love the opportunity to knock him out in his hometown. My promoter Lou DiBella is ready and willing to talk to Bob Arum to get a deal done. It would be a great fight for boxing fans. Let’s get it on.”

Diaz closed out last year fighting in his native Dominican Republic for the first time in three and a half years, breaking down his opponent en route to a TKO victory, on December 16, in Santo Domingo.

Prior to that, Diaz won a thrilling 10-round war against highly regarded, undefeated contender 21-0 Sammy Vasquez in Birmingham, AL. The bout was shown live on FOX, and served as the co-main event to Deontay Wilder’s heavyweight title defense versus Chris Arreola.

The Vasquez fight came just nine months after Diaz lost a questionable majority decision to former IBF 140lb. champ Lamont Peterson in his adversary’s backyard. Wins over 15-1-1 Emmanuel Lartei, 13-2-2 Adrian Granados, and 23-1 Gabriel Bracero earned Diaz the shot against Peterson.

Following the win over Vasquez, Diaz, the only boxer to win an Olympic gold medal for the Dominican Republic, signed a long-term promotional agreement with DiBella Entertainment. Ranked no. 5 by the WBC, no. 13 by the WBO and no. 15 by the IBF, Diaz is anxious to prove that he belongs among boxing’s elite.

“Arum and I have worked together for a long time,” said Lou DiBella, President of DiBella Entertainment. “Diaz facing Crawford is a very attractive fight, one that promises a lot of action, and I am confident that we can get it done. We’d be happy to fight on HBO and in Omaha, or anywhere else. While many fighters are avoiding Crawford, Diaz is ready for the challenge. The question is, does Crawford want it?”

“Terence Crawford is someone we’ve been going after for a while,” said Diaz’ manager Jose Nunez. “We would love the opportunity to fight for the world title. Diaz wants to face the best and the best at 140 pounds is Crawford. He continues to maintain his conditioning and will be ready when called, hopefully in April. It all depends on whether Crawford wants to step up to the challenge.”

It’s a holiday treat for HBO Boxing fans. Over four consecutive nights in late December, HBO will present six of the year’s standout fights, spotlighting some of the biggest names in the sport. Featured are signature wins by Canelo Alvarez, Terence Crawford, Gennady Golovkin, Roman Gonzalez and Andre Ward plus a leading candidate for “Fight of the Year.”

Starting Tuesday, Dec. 27, HBO will replay six major league showdowns from this year sprinkled over four consecutive nights. All the fights will also be available on HBO ON DEMAND® as well as the HBO NOW and HBO GO® services.

The “Boxing’s Best” lineup includes:

Tuesday, December 27 Canelo Alvarez vs. Amir Khan &
11:00 p.m. ET/PT Sergey Kovalev vs. Andre Ward

Wednesday, December 28 Gennady Golovkin vs. Kell Brook &
11:30 p.m. ET/PT Terence Crawford vs. Viktor Postol

Thursday, December 29 Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez vs. Carlos Cuadras
11:00 p.m. ET/PT

Friday, December 30 Francisco Vargas vs. Orlando Salido
11:00 p.m. ET/PT

*Winners names are in italics, Vargas-Salido ended in a majority draw.

By Bart Barry-

Saturday in Omaha junior welterweight Nebraskan Terence “Bud” Crawford (29-0) spiralsnuffed Californian John Molina (29-6) in the eighth round of their match for Crawford’s 140-pound championship for which only Crawford was eligible. The fight happened on Crawford’s network, HBO, but not along his network’s pay-per-view branch because of how quickly receipts from Bud’s PPV debut got tallied in July – as HBO’s search for someone to rediscover its millionth (or 500,000th) buyer continues along: Not Gennady, nor Terence, nor Andre and Sergey.

Rarely do a prizefighter’s trunks do the work of premonition but Molina’s did with uncanny precision at CenturyLink Center. Molina and his cornermen all wore a garish ensemble covered in question marks of varying shapes and positions, like Halloween store runway models doing The Riddler. There were ?s and ¿s everywhere to ensure no semblance of certainty and that’s how Molina fought, outquestioned and unanswered from the opening bell till he hit the canvas in round 8. Every question about the fight’s quality, beginning with those raised at the Friday weighin when Molina missed weight aggressively, persisted and persist.

Everyone already knew Bud Crawford was special – after all, no one who wasn’t special’d be allowed to fight John Molina on HBO in Nebraska – and nothing Molina brought Saturday undermined anyone’s opinion of Crawford, even if it didn’t genuinely enhance it either. On the roster of happenings that make a fighter lessen in his prime, certainly, poor competition is well well below inactivity, but poor competition still makes the list, and a perusal of Crawford’s opponents since his signature win 30 months ago against Yuriorkis Gamboa should induce a tremor of concern to his handlers. He’s selling tickets in Omaha and that’s great and he’s staying active and that’s still better but he’s staying active against whomever his promoter can get at Black Friday rates and that’s not the same as improving: It’s brand management more than career management.

But there weren’t any cracks in Crawford’s game Saturday, were there?

There were a few, actually, yes.

The main one is his increasingly vaunted footwork, and having your footwork noticed by pundits and commentators and casual fans, come to think of it, might be an alarm every fighter should set going forward – though while we’re treating footwork referee Mark Nelson garners mention of his own as, in the busyness of his inexplicable but unceasing half orbits round the combatants, Nelson spends an absurd amount of time directly behind one fighter or the other, where he can see nothing just before he gets bumped into.

Fighter footwork fascinations go like this: The sort of hyperbolic character who fetishizes handspeed and footwork never praised Juan Manuel Marquez like he celebrated Erislandy Lara – while Marquez’s footwork, Marquez’s everything, was much much better; the type of fan who dizzied himself with glee as Amir Khan dizzied himself with jumping jacks from corner to corner to corner can’t often be found on Twitter hashtagging Roman Gonzalez’s footwork – which is, like everything else Chocolatito does in a prizefighting ring, nigh perfect. Once a fighter’s footwork becomes exaggerated enough for some people to start talking about it, in other words, it’s probably gone from a bit much to a mark of inefficiency to a cause for concern.

But you see Bud Crawford can switch from orthodox to southpaw!

Well gee golly.

Such switching is often a mark of anxiety, a means of stating loudly to one’s opponent you cannot figure him out, and Crawford knows this – which is why he began orthodox till he figured out Molina, which took about a round, and then Crawford went southpaw and stayed that way because Molina held no mysteries and Crawford sells tickets in the Midwest in some part by not being a frilly dude. Crawford used his footwork as a southpaw mostly to keep himself from getting hit by Molina until Molina figured this out, sort of, and started lead-hand corralling (clotheslining really) Crawford about the seventh round, at which point Bud came to a quick realization the show needed closing because however obviously confused Molina was he wasn’t so properly dissuaded as to stop whacking Crawford when given the chance.

Crawford is starting to take three steps where he need only take one, and it’s a mark of his recent competition more than carelessness: Against an equal you worry about fatigue and conserve motion by parrying a cross with your shoulder or ducking a hook, but when you haven’t a fear in the cornfields about what capacity for violence the man across from you bears, you get too cute by half and make disco circles in lieu of L-steps.

When he wants to be, Crawford is among the sport’s best closers, and his triple right hook – head, body, head – thrown after his initial hesitation brought Molina’s left glove off his cheek, was gorgeous a finish as any aficionado has a right to demand. Molina crumpled, and Mark Nelson crumpled on top of him, and one of Top Rank’s guys in a Cowboys jersey somehow decided he needed to be the first to congratulate the victor – which was both unseemly and uncharacteristic of a Top Rank employee. Alas.

Whosoever will Bud fight next? Preferably Manny Pacquiao before he retires again or at least someone whom Antonio DeMarco didn’t stop in 44 seconds 51 months ago.

Bart Barry can be reached via Twitter @bartbarry

LONDON (9 December) – Pound-for-pound star Terence Crawford has vowed to make a statement against John Molina as he looks to be crowned the 2016 ‘Fighter of the Year’.

29-year-old Crawford clashes with the teak tough Molina this Saturday night, exclusively live on BoxNation, at the CenturyLink Center in his hometown of Omaha, Nebraska.

The undefeated WBC and WBO light-welterweight world champion has enjoyed a fruitful year and is ready to end it with a bang as he looks to continue from where he left off following wins over Viktor Postol and Henry Lundy.

“I will do what I do best and that’s to make a statement in the ring just as I did in the summer against Viktor Postol,” said Crawford.

“I unified the belts and became the lineal champion by dominating and beating a fellow undefeated champion in Postol. That’s when boxing is at its greatest – when the best fight each other and risk it all,” he said.

Molina will be no easy pickings as his unanimous points win over Russian assassin Ruslan Provodnikov proved in the summer.

The slick Crawford, however, feels a victory this weekend will propel him into the number one spot to be named the best fighter of 2016.

“Do I think I should be the fighter of the year? I do,” said Crawford.

“A win on Saturday will give me three televised world championship victories in three different cities. I beat Hank Lundy at Madison Square Garden. No one put the dents into Hank Lundy that I did. I stopped him in the fifth round.

“In the Postol fight, I went to Las Vegas and scored several knockdowns against an undefeated champion trained by Freddie Roach and unified the titles. Now I’m back in Omaha against a number one contender in Molina,” he said.

Having been in tough wars before, including a thriller against Argentine knockout artist Lucas Matthysse, 33-year-old Molina knows he will need to dig deep if he is to overcome a man regarded as one of boxing’s finest talents.

“It’s the opportunity of a lifetime for me and the fans are going to see a great fight. I got into this game to fight the best and Terence Crawford is one of the best,” Molina said.

“It was a great training camp. We did all our homework and we are prepared. Hank Lundy was an enormous help as a sparring partner. It will be important to take Terence into deep water.

“It will be a great crowd because Terence Crawford fans are fans of boxing. But we will disrupt their enthusiasm by upsetting the apple cart,” he said.

Earlier in the day BoxNation will also be exclusively live from New Zealand as undefeated heavyweights Joseph Parker and Andy Ruiz battle it out for the vacant WBO world title.

BoxNation will be live on air from 8am this Saturday as it brings subscribers the enthralling showdown to see who will be the new face of heavyweight boxing, before turning attentions to Crawford and Molina later that night.

Crawford v Molina / Parker v Ruiz is exclusively live on BoxNation (Sky/Freeview/Virgin/TalkTalk/EE/Apple TV/Online & App) this Saturday. Buy now at boxnation.com.

– ENDS –
About BoxNation

BoxNation, the Channel of Champions and proud partner of Rainham Steel, is the UK’s first dedicated boxing channel. From £12* per month with no minimum term customers can enjoy great value live and exclusive fights, classic fight footage, magazine shows and interviews with current and former fighters.

Previous highlights have included Haye vs Chisora, Mayweather vs Maidana, Saunders vs Eubank Jr and Khan vs Canelo.

The channel is available on Sky (Ch.437), Freeview (Ch.255), Virgin (Ch.546), TalkTalk (Ch.415), online at watch.boxnation.com and via apps (ios, Android, Amazon, Apple TV). BoxNation is also available in high definition on Sky (Ch. 490), at no extra cost to Sky TV subscribers, providing they are already HD enabled.

Available on selected internet-connected Freeview products only, subject to coverage. Visit freeview.co.uk/availability.

BoxNation is also available to commercial premises (inc. pubs, clubs and casino’s) in the UK and Ireland, for more information on a commercial subscription please call 0844 842 7700.

For more information visit www.boxnation.com

*Plus £8 registration fee for Sky TV customers

OMAHA, NEB. (December 8, 2016) — Undefeated World Junior Welterweight Champion and top-rated pound-for-pound fighter TERENCE “Bud” CRAWFORD (29-0, 20 KOs), of Omaha, Neb., will make his bid for 2016 Fighter of the Year honors (to go with his 2014 award) when he makes the first defense of his unified World Boxing Organization (WBO) / World Boxing Council (WBC) / Ring magazine 140-pound world titles. Crawford rumbles with one-time world title challenger and current No. 1 contender JOHN MOLINA JR. (29-6, 23 KOs), from Covina, Calif., on This Saturday! December 10, at CenturyLink Center Omaha (455 North 10th St., Omaha, Neb. 68102.)

Promoted by Top Rank®, in association with TGB Promotions, the Crawford vs. Molina world title tilt will be televised live on HBO World Championship Boxing, beginning at 9:35 p.m. ET/PT. The telecast will open with the same-day delay telecast of the Joseph Parker vs. Andy Ruiz, Jr. WBO heavyweight championship in New Zealand, followed by the live telecast from Omaha, featuring a 10-round lightweight battle for the NABF and NABO titles between Top-10 world-rated contenders Ray Beltran (31-7-1, 19 KOs), of Phoenix, AZ , and Mason Menard (32-1, 24 KOs), of Rayne, LA, and concluding with the Crawford – Molina world title fight.

Today’s Final Press Conference will be streamed live, beginning at 1 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT, via:
· www.toprank.com
· www.Youtube.com/trboxing
· www.Facebook.com/trboxing

WORKOUT QUOTES

TERENCE CRAWFORD

“It’s been a great training camp in Colorado Springs. I always spar with bigger men to prepare myself. I know he is going to bring his A-plus game. There is no reason to overlook an opponent who is willing to step into the ring with me. Not many are willing to do that anymore. Molina is coming off a great victory over Ruslan Provodnikov and a Fight of the Year performance against Lucas Matthysse. I know he’s dangerous. He has shown versatility and guts. He is a legitimate No. 1 contender – tough and rugged. He has my respect.

“I will do what I do best and that’s to make a statement in the ring just as I did in the summer against Viktor Postal. I unified the belts and became the lineal champion by dominating and beating a fellow undefeated champion in Postal. That’s when boxing is at its greatest – when the best fight each other and risk it all.

“Do I think I should be the fighter of the year? I do. A win on Saturday will give me three televised world championship victories in three different cities. I beat Hank Lundy at Madison Square Garden. No one put the dents into Hank Lundy that I did. I stopped him in the fifth round. In the Postal fight, I went to Las Vegas and scored several knockdowns against an undefeated champion trained by Freddie Roach and unified the titles. Now I’m back in Omaha against a No. 1 contender in Molina.

“I also think Brian McIntyre should be Trainer of the Year. When I was named the 2014 Fighter of the Year, Brian should also have been honored. How can I be a Fighter of the Year without the Trainer of the Year? He doesn’t get the recognition h deserves. Maybe it’s because we are from a small market in Omaha and we don’t get the national media attention fighters and trainers get from bigger cities like Los Angeles.

“But I’m so happy to have HBO shine a national spotlight on Omaha. It’s a great incentive to the kids here to stay in the gym and out of trouble and to work hard. That’s really what it’s all about to me.”

BRIAN McINTYRE

“We keep hearing about a future fight with Manny Pacquiao but there doesn’t seem to be much interest from his team, especially since Freddie Roach got a good look at Terence from Postal’s corner. What they need to do – Koncz, Roach and Manny — is to hold hands and pray and ask for divine intervention directing them to a fight with Terence.

“Oscar was man enough to accept Manny’s challenge. It’s part of the cycle of life in boxing. Handing off the torch to the successor. Manny should be man enough to do the same thing. There is no excuse. Manny nd Freddie say Manny walks around at 140. Both are world champions. Both are Top-10 pound for pound fighters. It’s a natural. But it takes two to make a fight. Terence only lacks the opportunity to take over the spot that Manny and Floyd Mayweather used to hold as the pound for pound star of the sport.

“Manny is a great fighter but he is limited. Manny is a machine and to beat him you need to offset him. Once an envelope gets stuck in a sorter it jams. That’s what Terence will do to Manny. Offset him. Because once Manny is offset, he cannot adapt.

“Right now our goal is to unify the belts. Terence can still make 140 easily. He is growing as a talent and we are growing as a team.

“Molina is a very tricky fighter coming off an exciting win over Provodnikov. He will try to capitalize on that momentum. It will be am exciting fight. Molina may try to box Terence but when that doesn’t work, he will revert back to his old style. He’s going to get hit with power he has never felt before.”

JOHN MOLINA JR.

“It’s the opportunity of a lifetime for me and the fans are going to see a great fight. I got into this game to fight the best and Terence Crawford is one of the best. It was a great training camp. We did all our homework and we are prepared. Hank Lundy was an enormous help as a sparring partner. It will be important to take Terence into deep water

“I think it’s great to be fighting in Omaha. It’s a great town and everyone here has been great to us I’m used to fighting away from home. I love fighting here. It will be a great crowd because Terence Crawford fans are fans of boxing. But we will disrupt their enthusiasm by upsetting the apple cart. But Omaha has a lot to be proud of in Terence Crawford.”

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

Remaining reserved seat tickets to the Crawford – Molina world championship event, priced at $27, $52, $77 and $127, can be purchased at the CenturyLink Center Omaha box office and all Ticketmaster outlets. To charge-by-phone call (800) 745-3000. To order online, visit ticketmaster.com.

For fight updates go to www.toprank.com, or www.hbo.com/boxing, on Facebook at facebook.com/trboxing, facebook.com/trboxeo or facebook.com/hboboxing, and on Twitter at twitter.com/trboxing, twitter.com/trboxeo, or twitter.com/hboboxing. Use the Hashtag #CrawfordMolina to join the conversation on Twitter.

AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND (December, 8, 2016) – Undefeated heavyweight contenders JOE PARKER (21-0, 18 KOs), of Auckland, and ANDY RUIZ, JR. (29-0, 19 KOs), of Mexicali, Mexico, world-rated No. 1 and No. 3 by the World Boxing Organization (WBO) respectively, will be battling for the vacant WBO heavyweight world title on Saturday. The fight will be televised in the U.S. on a same-day delay opening the HBO World Championship Boxing® telecast at 9:35 p.m. ET/PT, followed by the live telecast from CenturyLink Center Omaha, featuring the 10-round NABF/NABO lightweight championship fight between Top-10 contenders RAY BELTRAN (31-7-1, 19 KOs), of Phoenix, AZ, and MASON MANARD (32-1, 24 KOs), of Rayne, LA, and the Main Event, undefeated WBO/ World Boxing Council (WBC) / Ring magazine junior welterweight champion TERENCE “Bud” CRAWFORD (29-0, 20 KOs), of Omaha, Neb., defending his titles against No. 1 contender JOHN MOLINA JR. (29-6, 23 KOs), of Covin, Calif. This will be Crawford’s first defense of his unified titles and his third televised world chmpionhip fight of 2016.

Below are the comments from Parker, Ruiz and their teams from their final press conference, as reported by intrepid publicist Ed “Kiwi” Keenan, who is on the scene.

BOB ARUM:

Bob, who would you put your money on?
“I don’t put money on fights. I do give Andy a great chance to win this fight. I always tell people, the best way to lose money is to bet on a fight.

“Andy is in sensational shape for this fight.

“Andy has the fastest hands in a heavyweight that I have seen since Muhammad Ali. And he really stands in there and takes the fight to his opponent. The winner of this fight will be the preeminent heavyweight.

“The competition in the heavyweight division will be great in the years to come and these two will lead it. Ruiz and Parker will help make the heavyweight division the premier division in boxing.

“We’re celebrating my (85th) birthday here in New Zealand on December 8, which really isn’t my birthday because back home where I was born it will be December 7.”

BRUCE TRAMPLER:

“This is a historic fight and if I wanted two trainers for a fight I would pick these two – Abel Sanchez (Ruiz) and Kevin Barry (Parker). It’s the perfect storm these two fighting. I can’t imagine a better matchup. Two athletic hard-fighting guys that won’t take a step back. There are two two-weight classes in boxing – the heavyweights and then everyone else.”

ABEL SANCHEZ:

“We have two guys here that are the future of the heavyweight division. They will show us the way heavyweights are supposed to fight like. I am on a streak but that was Russia and this is New Zealand so we have to start a new streak.

“Kevin is an old fashioned kind of trainer like I am. I don’t have strength and conditioning coaches or nutritionists, I do it all myself

“Andy lost 35 pounds and it wasn’t plastics or diet. We ran a gym that made him work hard. And he lost the weight a little bit at a time. The guys in my camp weigh in every day, and they each need to be at same weight or less than they were the day before. So I can tell when they are cheating – eventually it catches up to them.

‘There are 68 world champions out there and all of their coaches are geniuses.

“Key improvements are up here (pointing to his head). He has skills already. My job is to get him mentally prepared to fight.

“Can he stay away from Joe’s jab? “Can Joe stay away from Andy’s jabs, and combinations?”

“The guy that can impose his will to win. Andy is very confident. The game plan will come after imposing his will.

:”There are different ways to lose weight. When you lose the weight you become a sharper puncher. You may lose a little power but gain sharpness.

“Heavy work was don in camp – right now we just wait for the fight. These two guys could fight tomorrow if they needed to.

“We sparred eight 4-minute rounds every day that was the hard part and Andy did 11 the day before I left for Russia. Andy is in the best shape of his life.

“I think Saturday is a tough 12-round fight. We are going to have a fight where they hurt each other. Heavyweights recently have been wrestling. This is going to be a real fight. I know I am going to have to work a full 12 rounds also as well as I know Kevin will too.

“They have treated us great in New Zealand. The people on the streets have been coming up and wishing Andy good luck, even though they aren’t on Andy’s side.”

KEVIN BARRY:

“This is a great fight. This is the best heavyweight fight of the year. They both have a chance to make history here. Joseph is a very confident boxer and that rubs off on a fighter. The crowd will be behind Joseph and that will lift Joseph to new heights. Joe understands the power he has and it will give him the drive and determination that will carry him.”

ANDY RUIZ

“This is my chance and I didn’t come all the way to New Zealand to lose. I know everyone is underestimating me. I know I trained hard for this fight. I hear everyone commenting on how I look physically, but imagine now that I am in great shape, how good I will be on Saturday night. I know I am an exciting fighter – I will use lots of footwork and throw a lot of combinations – and we both hit hard.

Does Parker have more pressure on him since he’s fighting at home?
“Both of us have pressure. I don’t know what Parker thinks about how much pressure he has on him, but I hope he feels like he has more pressure. I am confident in the work that I have done in training.”

“I know we are both prepped for 12 rounds. I don’t talk a lot of trash or anything. But when the bell rings we both flip the switch. I have a family to feed and I fight for them.

“This is a great opportunity for me and I’m not leaving New Zealand without that belt.”

JOSEPH PARKER

“There are two nights to go until the fight and I am very excited for the fight and excited to have it in New Zealand. We are not underestimating Andy Ruiz. We know he is in great shape. We both know that we are in great shape and we each know each other’s strengths and weaknesses.

“Yes, we did spar together. I was in Las Vegas and new to the sport. I went in to spar with him [Ruiz] and thought it would be easy because of his size but when we were sparring he hit me pretty good and he chased me out of the ring and now I have to get him back for that. He’s coming to my backyard. I have to defend my country’s honor.

“We use the same routine for this fight as all the others – it is the one that has always worked.

“I will use the support in the building to motivate me and that will drive me throughout the fight.

“Andy wants to take the belt back with him and I want to keep it here. I want to go out there and win this and win it well.

“I know Andy is a nice guy and there is no hate between us. But when the bell rings on Saturday night we flip the switch and we will each be trying to knock the other guy out.”

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

Promoted by Top Rank®, in association with TGB Promotions, remaining reserved seat tickets to the Crawford – Molina world championship event, priced at $27, $52, $77 and $127, can be purchased at the CenturyLink Center Omaha box office and all Ticketmaster outlets. To charge-by-phone call (800) 745-3000. To order online, visit ticketmaster.com.

For fight updates go to www.toprank.com, or www.hbo.com/boxing, on Facebook at facebook.com/trboxing, facebook.com/trboxeo or facebook.com/hboboxing, and on Twitter at twitter.com/trboxing, twitter.com/trboxeo, or twitter.com/hboboxing. Use the Hashtag #CrawfordMolina to join the conversation on Twitter.

HBO Boxing presents an action-packed tripleheader from two sites when WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING: TERENCE CRAWFORD VS. JOHN MOLINA JR. AND RAYMUNDO BELTRAN VS. MASON MENARD AND JOSEPH PARKER VS. ANDY RUIZ JR. is seen SATURDAY, DEC. 10 at 9:35 p.m. (live ET/ tape-delayed PT) from CenturyLink Center in Omaha, Neb. and Vector Arena in Auckland, New Zealand 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.

Other HBO playdates: Dec. 11 (8:50 a.m.) and 12 (12:45 a.m.)

HBO2 playdate: Dec. 11 (3:40 p.m.) and 13 (midnight)

Omaha native Terence “Bud” Crawford (29-0, 20 KOs), 2014’s Fighter of the Year, defends his junior welterweight title for the third time in 2016 before enthusiastic hometown supporters when he meets John Molina Jr. (29-6, 23 KOs) of Covina, Cal. in a 12-round bout.

The 29-year-old Crawford enjoyed an impressive 2015 with knockout victories against top 140-pound contenders Thomas Dulorme and Dierry Jean. Known for speed, precision, defense and power, he defeated Hank Lundy last February and returned to the ring in July to score a dominating victory over the highly regarded, undefeated Viktor Postol in a junior welterweight unification title bout that had the boxing community buzzing. Unafraid of trading blows at close range, Crawford has won four of his last six bouts by thrilling stoppages.

The Omaha showdown marks the third time HBO Sports has traveled to the city for a Crawford fight and is his ninth live fight on HBO.

Molina Jr. is a hard-hitting, high-pressure brawler who challenged for a world title in 2012, and returns to the ring after a career-best upset of heavily favored former junior welterweight champ Ruslan Provodnikov in June. Using skills not seen in previous fights, Molina won a unanimous decision while skyrocketing up the rankings, with some organizations now rating him as high as number one in the world.

The evening’s co-feature is ten-round lightweight battle between two rugged veterans eager to compete for a title shot in 2017. Raymundo Beltran (31-7-1, 19 KOs), a native of Mexico now living in Phoenix, will square off with Mason Menard (32-1, 24 KOs) of Rayne, La. in a crossroads fight for both competitors. Since losing a unanimous decision to Terence Crawford in 2014, Beltran, 35, has notched two impressive knockout wins, while Menard, 28, has also defeated his last three opponents via knockout.

Opening the tripleheader is a world heavyweight title bout from Auckland, New Zealand between hometown favorite Joseph Parker (21-0, 18 KOs), 24, and Mexico’s Andy Ruiz (29-0, 19 KOs), 27, in a 12-round affair. Presented on same-day delay, the fight marks the first world title shot for two fast-rising undefeated competitors, both of whom aim to become their country’s first world heavyweight titleholder.

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.

OMAHA, NEB. (November 10, 2016) — Undefeated World Junior Welterweight Champion and top-rated pound-for-pound fighter TERENCE “Bud” CRAWFORD will make the first defense of his unified World Boxing Organization (WBO) / World Boxing Council (WBC) / Ring magazine 140-pound world titles when he rumbles with one-time world title challenger and current No. 1 contender JOHN MOLINA JR. Promoted by Top Rank®, in association with TGB Promotions, the Crawford vs. Molina world championship event will take place on Saturday, December 10, at CenturyLink Center Omaha (455 North 10th St., Omaha, Neb. 68102), and will be televised live on HBO World Championship Boxing, beginning at 9:35 p.m. ET/PT.

Reserved seat tickets to the Crawford – Molina world championship event, priced at $27, $52, $77 and $127, go on sale Today at 3:00 p.m. ET. They can be purchased at the CenturyLink Center Omaha box office and all Ticketmaster outlets. To charge-by-phone call (800) 745-3000. To order online, visit ticketmaster.com.

“Molina is a tough opponent who has been in the ring with the best of the division,” said Crawford. “I can’t wait for December 10 because Molina is really a good puncher and I will be going in there to fight as well. For me, fighting in Omaha means so much. There is no place like home.”

“I am thankful for the opportunity,” said Molina. “I am training hard for what I know will be a great fight.”

“It’s an honor to bring a warrior like Molina to Omaha and to test Terence Crawford at his best,” said Brian McIntyre, Crawford’s trainer and co-manager. “This is also a great opportunity for people who haven’t seen Terence in the ring live before, to do so.”

“This is another great opportunity for Terence to showcase his pound for pound ability,” said Cameron Dunkin, Crawford’s co-manager. “John Molina is a very tough contender who is coming off some terrific wins. It’s a wonderful opportunity for Terence to get back into the ring to make another great statement!”

“The Omaha fans will be packed to the rafters in support of their favorite son Terence Crawford,” said Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum. “John Molina will provide a great test for Terence but I think it’s a test Terence will pass with flying colors. A victory on December 10 will make a strong argument for Terence to be named Fighter of the Year.”

“This is a just an overall great match up. John is coming off a huge victory over Ruslan Provodnikov and is prepared to shock everyone again by beating Crawford on December 10th,” said Tom Brown, president of TGB Promotions, Molina’s promoter.

“Terence Crawford has established himself as an elite world champion who is seeking and earning pound for pound respect,” said Peter Nelson, executive Vice President, HBO Sports. “When Crawford fights in his native Omaha, he becomes that city’s one-man hometown team. In a career punctuated by upset victories, John Molina Jr. now has the opportunity to spoil the holiday season in Omaha and take home Crawford’s super lightweight titles.”

Crawford (29-0, 20 KOs), of Omaha, Neb., is a two-division world champion who has won four of his last six bouts by stoppage. He unified the 140-pound titles in a battle between consensus Top-10 pound-for-pound fighters on July 23, 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. The consensus Top-Five pound-for-pound fighter will be looking to repeat 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 last February 27, 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 career-best year on March 1, 2014, just 13 days short of the sixth anniversary of his professional debut. 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.

Molina Jr. (29-6, 23 KOs), a hard-hitting, high-pressure brawler from Covina, Calif., who challenged for a world title in 2012, returns to the ring from a career-best victory over the heavily-favored former WBO junior welterweight champion Ruslan Provodnikov on June 11. Using excellent boxing skills not seen in previous fights, Molina pulled off the upset, winning a unanimous decision and sending Provodnikov into retirement while skyrocketing up the rankings where he is currently world-rated No. 1 by the World Boxing Association (WBA) and No. 3 by the WBC and the WBO. He unsuccessfully challenged for the WBC lightweight title in 2012, losing to defending champion Antonio DeMarco. Career highlights include knockout victories over former world champion Mickey Bey and one-time world title challenger Hank Lundy in 2013 and 2010, respectively, when they were both undefeated contenders. He is trained by Shadeed Suluki.

For fight updates go to www.toprank.com, or www.hbo.com/boxing, on Facebook at facebook.com/trboxing, facebook.com/trboxeo or facebook.com/hboboxing, and on Twitter at twitter.com/trboxing, twitter.com/trboxeo, or twitter.com/hboboxing. Use the Hashtag #CrawfordMolina to join the conversation on Twitter.

WBC/WBO 140 lb. champion Terence Crawford will fight John Molina on December 10th in Omaha, Nebraska and will broadcasted live on HBO, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

“Molina is a tough opponent who has been in the ring with the best of the division,” Crawford said. “I can’t wait for Dec. 10 because Molina is really a good puncher and I will be going in there to fight as well.”

“This is another great opportunity for Terence to showcase his pound-for-pound ability,” co-manager Cameron Dunkin said. “John Molina is a very tough contender. It’s a wonderful opportunity for Terence to get back into the ring to make another great statement.”

“For me, fighting in Omaha means so much,” said Crawford, who is friendly with billionaire businessman and Omaha native Warren Buffett. “There is no place like home.”

“I am thankful for the opportunity,” Molina said. “I am training hard for what I know will be a great fight.”

Tom Brown, Molina’s promoter, hopes Molina can continue the momentum from the win against Provodnikov.

“John is coming off a huge victory over Ruslan Provodnikov and is prepared to shock everyone again by beating Crawford on Dec. 10,” Brown said.

The Omaha fans will be packed to the rafters in support of their favorite son Terence Crawford,” Top Rank promoter Bob Arum said. “John Molina will provide a great test for Terence but I think it’s a test Terence will pass with flying colors. A victory on Dec. 10 will make a strong argument for Terence to be named fighter of the year.”

Said Brian McIntyre, Crawford’s trainer and co-manager: “It’s an honor to bring a warrior like Molina to Omaha and to test Terence Crawford at his best.”

Although not signed yet, WBC/WBO 140 pound champion and John Molina have agreed to a fight that will take place on December 10th in Omaha, Nebraska and live on HBO, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

“We cleared out the basketball game and Molina has agreed to the fight,” Crawford’s promoter Bob Arum said. “We’ve sent the contract. Everything is agreed to. Molina is a tough dude as he proved in the [Ruslan] Provodnikov fight [in June]. He’s a quality opponent.”

The nuts and bolts of the deal were negotiated by Top Rank vice president Carl Moretti and Tom Brown of TGB Promotions, but Arum and Haymon had to first sign off.

“I have absolutely no problem making fights with Haymon now. I respect him as a very smart guy, and I would do business with my fighters on his cards and I have no problem offering his fighters opportunities to fight my fighters on my cards,” Arum said. “That wasn’t true when we were in litigation, but the litigation is over now.”

Molina was one of four opponents HBO approved for Crawford. There was also interest in a unification fight with Eduard Troyanovsky (25-0, 22 KOs), 36, of Russia; Antonio Orozco (25-0, 16 KOs), 28, of San Diego; and 2008 Dominican Olympic gold medalist Felix Diaz (18-1, 8 KOs), 32, a top contender. Arum said they tried to get Troyanovsky but there was not enough time to get it done with the fight so close. Orozco and promoter Golden Boy turned down the fight. Diaz, who very much wanted the fight and was seen by many as the most worthy available opponent, was never offered the bout.

“My [matchmakers] said Diaz is a stinker and that it would not be a good fight to watch,” Arum said.

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, WBO/WBC Super Lightweight champion Terence Crawford will return to the ring on December 10th in Omaha, Nebraska.

“We’re hoping to get it done and hoping to get a good opponent,” Crawford’s promoter Bob Arum said. “We’re working on Dec. 10 for Crawford, but we and HBO only want to do it if it’s a significant fight.”

“We had a date on HBO in January, and they asked us if Crawford could move to December once they lost the Golovkin fight, and Crawford was OK with that,” Arum said.

“We’ll see what happens. We’re talking to them about trying to clear the date,” Arum said. “If they can’t do it, we’ll have to look to see where else we can go, but Terence is a great draw in Omaha.”

“He wants to fight,” Dunkin said. “He down (in San Juan, Puerto Rico) for the WBO convention and he ran into (Top Rank vice president) Carl Moretti and said he is ready to go. So he wants to fight. Right now it’s about getting an opponent and working out the money with everyone. Terence has never been a guy who doesn’t want to fight.”

New York, NY (9/14/16) – Top-rated junior welterweight Felix Diaz wants a fight against Terence Crawford, and the Olympic gold medalist wants it bad. Earlier this week, Diaz called out the undefeated two-division world champion Crawford, and it doesn’t seem as though he is planning on quieting down anytime soon.

“I said it earlier and I am going to keep saying it, Crawford is the fight I want,” said Diaz. “There was a ton of positive responses throughout the industry after I called him out the other day, and rightfully so. Stylistically, this is a can’t-miss fight. Everyone knows it, including him. I have no problem going to Omaha for it either. He is the champion. I have no issues going into his backyard and taking his belt from him. We can fight in his mother’s kitchen if that’s where he is most comfortable. My bags are packed for Omaha. I’m ready. Terence, are you?”

Diaz (18-1, 8KO’s), the only boxer to win an Olympic gold medal for the Dominican Republic, is coming off a career-changing performance back in July. He dominated highly regarded, undefeated welterweight contender Sammy Vasquez, though he is a true super lightweight. Following his victory over Vasquez, Diaz signed with promoter Lou DiBella, with the goal of fighting the biggest names in the sport, and Crawford is at the very top of his list. DiBella has a longstanding working relationship with Crawford’s promoter Bob Arum and Top Rank, and the two have promoted numerous events together over the years.

“I have no problem working with Bob to make this fight happen on any network. Bob and I have been making deals for a very long time and I know that we can get something done here. It is really up to Terence if he wants to accept this challenge. This is a fight that any network committed to great boxing would want to televise. The ball is in Terence’s court,” proclaimed DiBella.

For additional information, you can visit www.dbe1.com, follow us on Twitter @loudibella @DiBellaEnt or like our fan page on facebook/DiBellaEntertainment.

New York, NY (9/12/16) – There aren’t many fighters these days calling out undefeated two-division world champion Terence Crawford, one of boxing’s pound-for-pound best. Felix Diaz is, though. This is a fight that should be made.

Diaz (18-1, 8KO’s), the only boxer to win an Olympic gold medal for the Dominican Republic, is coming off a career-changing performance back in July. He dominated highly regarded, undefeated welterweight contender Sammy Vasquez, though he is a true super lightweight. Following his victory over Vasquez, Diaz signed with promoter Lou DiBella, with the goal of fighting the biggest names in the sport, and Crawford is at the very top of his list.

“I would love to fight Crawford,” said Diaz emphatically. “I believe that our styles match up perfectly and will make for a tremendous fight. I also believe that my style will give him a ton of problems. Gamboa had success against him, but Gamboa was a smaller guy. I am a big, strong 140-pounder. He has never faced someone like me. I fought Peterson in his backyard and I have no problem coming to Omaha. All that yelling, screaming and cheering for the hometown fighter goes out the window when the bell rings. It’s just me and him in the ring, and I would bring it all night long.”

Crawford had hoped to land a shot against Manny Pacquiao, and was rumored to be one of the leading candidates to face the future first ballot Hall-of-Famer. Pacquiao ultimately chose to take on WBO welterweight champion Jessie Vargas, leaving Crawford and Top Rank in search of an acceptable dance partner for Crawford. Diaz believes he is the solution and sees the fight as an easy one to make.

“I am with DiBella now, and I know that he has worked with Bob Arum and Top Rank many times in the past. Also my manager Al Haymon and Bob are able to work together as well, so there are no obstacles to get this fight done. This would be a tremendous fight for boxing and for TV. If he moves around the ring, I will chase him down and force him to fight me. If he wants to stand and trade with me, even better. I will be ready for whatever he brings.”

The Vasquez fight came on short notice, Diaz’ first fight after losing a questionable majority decision to former 140lb. world champion Lamont Peterson. Diaz believes he beat Peterson, having pushed him around the ring in Peterson’s backyard. Diaz adamantly disagrees with that decision and believes he can do the same thing to Terence Crawford in Omaha or anywhere else.

“At the end of the day, Peterson and I both produced a great fight, and now it looks like he is going to be taking on Cotto. For him to get the fight against Cotto shows you the caliber of fighter he is. For me to perform the way I did against him, in a fight that many people felt I should have won, shows you the caliber of fighter that I am. To be the best, you have to fight the best. I believe that I am the best super lightweight in the world and beating Crawford would prove that.”

For additional information, you can visit www.dbe1.com, follow us on Twitter @loudibella @DiBellaEnt or like our fan page on facebook/DiBellaEntertainment.

By Bart Barry-

Saturday at a half-full MGM Grand Garden Arena undefeated American junior welterweight Terence “Bud” Crawford dully decisioned Ukrainian Viktor “The Iceman” Postol on pay-per-view to become the lineal and HBO and non-PBC 140-pound champion of the world. A half-full arena was about right and Crawford is almost certainly the world’s best junior welterweight but this thing had no worldly business being on pay-per-view.

If Bud thinks there’s any appetite remaining for a talented American boxer who safely decisions limited opponents Saturday’s pay-per-view receipts should disabuse him and his promoter and their distributor of it. No good whatever came of Mayweather-Pacquiao 1 including the likelihood of fooling consumers with handspeed and defense in lieu of knockouts for another decade. If you are able to dominate a man in the boxing ring you should snatch his consciousness in a half-hour of trying or you’re not trying hard enough for today’s chastened pay-per-viewer. To box Postol the way Crawford did and satisfy disgruntled consumers Postol would need to be big as Golovkin and feared as Kovalev.

Instead Postol was a rangy counterpuncher with a single speed and dimension who last year caught a once-feared Argentine at the end of a witheringly violent career then bounced enthusiastically round the ring with Crawford for 36 deeply unsatisfying minutes. Postol was a C student Saturday who hoped to score a B- by being early to class and trying real hard. Making Postol look ordinary was not a function of Crawford’s greatness so much as making Postol look remarkable was a function of Lucas Matthysse’s October bankruptcy.

Crawford switches stances often in every match and switched early from orthodox to southpaw Saturday and th’t it seemed to unravel every facet of Postol’s training camp at Coach Freddie Academy does not speak well of preparations done by The Iceman or his trainer. Crawford’s choice to screw with Postol’s lead hand for most of the match was tactically sound but hardly ingenious. One imagines the first three or four times Crawford successfully slapped Postol’s left knuckles with his right palm then rolled his fist forward into a jab Crawford thought: “Sweet! Didn’t think that’d work but let’s do it a few more times until this guy adjusts.” If Crawford wasn’t surprised Postol had no cure all night for such a rudimentary poison he certainly ought to have been.

Rounds 6, 7 and 8 were nigh unwatchable and Crawford deserves the blame for it. He learned everything there was to know about Postol in the fifth round and instead of walking him down and putting the Ukrainian’s lights out Crawford decided to show us a defensive prowess not 50,000 people in a world of 7 billion still wish to see. Crawford was able to keep Postol out of position by changing directions and angles continually and if that was genuinely compelling for a full minute that minute passed in the match’s opening rounds and was no longer welcomed. If Postol was still dangerous – even after Bud clipped him and despite Postol’s negligible KO record – all the better: In history aficionados have been willing to spend more than $50 to see only one man remain undefeated forever and Crawford will not be the second.

Not one financially disinterested person is clamoring for Floyd Mayweather’s return to boxing anyway; whatever one feels about watching a skilled practitioner master a lesser man can be felt in a minute or at most a round of boxing; no one needs to see it done 12 times over. It’s not suspenseful like a tightrope walk unless the lesser man is frighteningly larger or at least frightening in some way. Viktor Postol had 12 knockouts in 28 prizefights.

This was a tryout of sorts, we’ll soon learn, for a chance to welcome Senator Manny Pacquiao back from a retirement he didn’t dignify even with skipping a fight. Is Crawford-Pacquiao a compelling match? Actually yes. But decisioning Viktor Postol anticipates the outcome of Crawford’s match with Pacquiao like a clever Facebook post anticipates a Man Booker Prize. Friday night we didn’t know how Crawford might fare in a match with Pacquiao and Sunday morning we still didn’t know.

What plagues boxing now and will do so for at least a generation is its lack of depth. Chris Algieri decisioned a puncher? Put him in with Pacquiao! Viktor Postol attritioned a puncher? Get him to Crawford! It’s not merely that men with Algieri’s and Postol’s records were prematurely fed to far superior practitioners but worse than that there were few opponents with which to build them properly before cashing them out; Postol and Algieri were sacrificed early because they were not going to become more than sacrifices and at least were marketable.

Empty gyms round the country will not remedy this and neither will USA Boxing’s inevitably poor showing next month in Brazil. We can stop the search for our sport’s next savior, in other words, because even if he crash-landed on the Vegas Strip in a spaceship we wouldn’t know what to do with him – though PBC would offer him an advisory contract and shot at “Son of the Legend” Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.

Once more: Order leads to increasing returns which bring chaos that leads to decreasing returns which bring order and so on forever and ever. We’re in the decreasing-returns part of the cycle now and it behooves none of us to deny it. Paying $60 for Crawford-Postol is denying it worse than charging $60 for Crawford-Postol.

Bart Barry can be reached via Twitter @bartbarry