Terence Crawford has officially reached the level Frank Sinatra used to sing about.
He?s made it there. And now it appears he might make it anywhere.
The amiable Nebraskan took his Midwestern act to midtown Manhattan on Saturday night and emerged one step closer to superstardom after a fifth-round TKO of rugged Philadelphian Hank Lundy in defense No. 2 of the WBO share of the 140-pound title he won 10 months ago.
?With this level of fighter,? gushed HBO?s Max Kellerman, ?if you put a regular fighter in front of them, there?s simply nothing they can do to keep level of fighter off of them.?
Indeed, Lundy, who?d lost just three of 20 fights ? all by close decision ? as a junior welterweight, was a worthwhile challenger. And the brash 10-year pro had some success early while forcing Crawford to adjust to his frenetic, roughhousing style.
But once the adjustment was made, the difference is skill sets was quickly evident.
Crawford widened the competitive gap in rounds two through four, then finished the display in the fifth with an overhand left that wobbled Lundy, a straight left that dumped him and a follow-up volley that forced Willis? hand ? and commenced similar raves from Kellerman?s partner, Roy Jones Jr.
?Terence Crawford is ready for anybody in the world, in any weight class right now,? Jones said, brushing off a suggestion by Freddie Roach that the 28-year-old couldn?t handle the likes of Manny Pacquiao. ?For him to say he?s not ready for Manny Pacquiao, I think that?s very wrong. To me, Terence Crawford is ready or anybody on the planet that?s close to his weight class.?
Crawford, now unbeaten in six title fights with four stoppage wins, agreed.
?I told everybody,? he said. ?I?ve got power in both in both hands and I?ve been blessed with an IQ and boxing ability. They?re going to take me a long way.?
Given the promotional and network divides that are the signature element of modern boxing, it?s always something of a crapshoot to predict what a guy will do going forward.
But regardless of how the politics fall out, there?s no question the kid?s got options.
None of which are more attractive than a guard-changing duel with Pacquiao himself, which seemed completely feasible ? if not downright likely ? before the imminently retiring Filipino opted instead to pursue a third go-round with Timothy Bradley for his April 9 swan song.
It?s a fight that?s generated lukewarm interest at best. And if Pac-Man wakes up April 10 with what most would consider a third straight win over Bradley, perhaps he?ll reconsider it as his pre-Canastota exit.
Promoter Bob Arum started making statements about Crawford and Pacquiao a while back ? the way he used to do about Brandon Rios when Bam Bam was an unbeaten lightweight champion.
?Down the road ? and it’s very possible ? that a year from now we put him in with Pacquiao,? the Top Rank czar said, after Crawford ripped Yuriorkis Gamboa in June 2014.
?That would be a huge fight and a great fight. If you really think you have a great fighter with superstar qualities, you move him that way; you don’t protect him. You move a superstar into the biggest fights you can make for him, and that’s what we are going to do.?
And after Crawford chopped down former sparring mate Ray Beltran in a 135-pound farewell and now Thomas Dulorme, Dierry Jean and Lundy in three title-worthy performances at 140, it?s far less difficult to perceive him actually competing with Top Rank?s most prized financial property.
Roach?s opinions notwithstanding.
And after finishing off Jean four months ago, Crawford made it clear he’d be available.
“I’m ready,” he told Max Kellerman. “Bob, make it happen.”
Retirement chatter or not, it?s a safe bet that mindset still holds.
