Truth told, the Terence Crawford entourage could probably use a wardrobe stylist.
But when it’s come to handling matters in the ring, the group’s unbeaten 27-year-old namesake has yet to run into a challenge he’s not been able to deal with all by himself.
A pro since March 2008 who became a champion almost exactly six years later, Crawford will risk both his World Boxing Organization (WBO) lightweight title belt and his standing as one of the sport’s premier young stars when he faces No. 1 challenger Ray Beltran atop a two-bout HBO card Saturday night.
?They’re going to bring 110 percent, 120 percent that night. My job is to bring 200 percent to make sure I keep my title,? said a confident, albeit sartorially-challenged, Crawford at Wednesday’s final pre-fight press conference — while somehow decked out in a knit hat, long-sleeved plaid button-down shirt and high-top sneakers.
?I’m going to come Saturday and lay it all on the line like I do any other time. It’s going to be special.?
The broadcast will begin at 10 p.m. from the CenturyLink Center in Omaha, Neb., where Crawford drew 10,900 fans in his first hometown appearance five months ago, for a stirring ninth-round TKO defeat of former 126-pound world champion Yuriorkis Gamboa. The show’s initial TV bout will match Evgeny Gradovich and Jayson Velez for the former’s International Boxing Federation (IBF) title at 126 pounds.
Top Rank publicist Lee Samuels said ticket sales for this weekend’s card are ?tracking ahead? of the Crawford’s inaugural watermark, with much of the arena’s lower bowl already sold out, thanks in part to the reasonable ticket prices — ranging from $25 to $125 — set after consultation with the fighter himself.
?We went to Terence,? Samuels said, ?and he told us, ?It’ll work. I can get people. But you’ve got to keep the ticket prices low.’ So that’s what we did, and the response has been tremendous.?
Crawford was 22-0 upon venturing to Scotland on March 1 and emerging with a unanimous decision over incumbent native title-holder Ricky Burns, winning eight of 12 rounds on two official scorecards and nine of 12 rounds on the third. Burns had retained his title six months earlier with a controversial draw against Beltran in which the champion was knocked down once and suffered a broken jaw.
Crawford’s defeat of Gamboa was his first successful title defense, while Beltran returned to score a unanimous 12-round decision over Arash Usmanee for the WBO’s North American belt on the Manny Pacquiao-Tim Bradley rematch undercard in April in Las Vegas. Two of his six career losses have come by split decision, in addition to the draw with Burns that many media members thought he’d won.
Brian McIntyre, Crawford’s trainer, likened his man to some of the sport’s all-time greats because of his eagerness to take on a rugged foe like Beltran on the heels of a match with the then-unbeaten Gamboa.
?He’s like Hagler and Hearns and those guys in the ’80s. He never turns down an opponent,? McIntyre said. ?Anyone we say, he’s like ?Yeah, let’s do it.?
The mindset could pay off in a big way — literally — if he’s able to stay unblemished a while longer.
Promoter Bob Arum has suggested Crawford as a potential opponent for global superstar and seven-division champion Manny Pacquiao, whose trainer, Freddie Roach, said will be returning full-time to 140 pounds and could still get down to 135 if needed. Pacquiao defeated Chris Algieri in an HBO pay-per-view bout last weekend that will be shown prior to the airing of the Gradovich and Crawford fights.
?It’s amazing what (Crawford) has done,? Samuels said.
?He’s a fighter who does a lot of in-ring thinking and he’s one of the great fighters in the game today. He will be a guy who’s nominated for 2014 fighter of the year, without question.?
Weekend Watch List Fox Deportes — Saturday, 10 p.m. Ramon Alvares vs. Vivian Harris — 12 rounds, junior middleweights
HBO — Saturday, 10 p.m. Terence Crawford vs. Ray Beltran — WBO lightweight title Evgeny Gradovich vs. Jayson Velez — IBF featherweight title
