WBO World super lightweight champion Terence Crawford successfully defended his title by stopping Dierry Jean at 2:30 of round 10?
Saturday night at the CenturyLink Center in Omaha, Nebraska, in a fight televised live on HBO, WBO World super lightweight champion Terence ?Bud? Crawford (27-0, 19 KOs), hailing from Omaha, successfully defended his title by stopping Dierry Jean, from Montreal, Quebec, Canada, by way of Haiti, at 2:30 of round 10.
Fighting out of the red corner in orange and brown trunks, Crawford was as methodical and effective as usual. He did what he needed to do. He slowly but surely broke his man down with a clever array of punches. But whatever his gifts, which are not off the chart, a scintillating performer he is not.
Jean, fighting out of blue corner in black trunks with white trim, is at best a gatekeeper. He had no business fighting for a title. At the age of 33, his best years are behind him, and there?s a sneaking suspicion that he was given the shot to make the 28-year-old Crawford look good.
Much was made of the fact that Jean sparred with Manny Pacquiao in advance of the fight and presumably it was fruitful. Jean said of Pacquiao, ?He taught me how to fight a southpaw.? But when Crawford switched from orthodox to a southpaw stance, Jean was clueless as to what to do.
If nothing else, Jean brought Pacquiao into the discussion, which is apparently where he belongs. With the final fight of his career tentatively scheduled for April 9, Crawford is being groomed to be the opponent, whether he deserves to be the opponent or not. Despite Max Kellerman?s gushing over Crawford and his pound-for-pound ranking and viability as a pay-per-view attraction, he has a long way to go before he becomes a marquee fighter, and maybe even a longer way to go before he defeats Pacquiao.
I?d rather see him fight Viktor Postol or Broner or Mauricio Herrera or Provodnikov. I?d rather see him fight someone in his weight class who is also in his prime, rather than move up in weight to fight a fighter who may or may not be damaged goods but who will nonetheless provide a handsome payday.
Boxing is a business, that?s obvious, and a dirty business at that. But it is also a sport that demands competitive matches if it?s meant to be taken seriously. Crawford vs. Jean didn?t come close to meeting that criterion. Maybe, if we?re lucky, Pacquiao vs. Crawford will succeed where the fight with Dierry Jean did not.
Should Pacquiao defeat Crawford, he?ll get a nice check and pat on the back as he bids boxing a fond farewell. If Crawford defeats Pacquiao, he?ll be crowned king of the ring, even though he will not have earned that appellation.
