SONAHR: OMAHA, Nebraska – October 25, 2015 – WBO junior-welterweight champion Terence Crawford continued his rise through the ranks of young boxing stars with a 10th-round TKO on Saturday over brave-but-outgunned challenger Dierry Jean. The setting for the slaughter was Crawford?s home base of Omaha, Nebraska, which he has turned into a mini-Mecca for boxing ? at least during the times he fights there.
Jean was floored in the first, ninth, and 10th stanzas before the referee finally came to his rescue. The challenger could have surrendered after the first knockdown, but he kept on trying to win, and gave Crawford?s hometown fans their money?s worth. A 33-year-old Haitian-born Montrealer, Jean was not the most formidable foe Crawford could have faced. But he is, as the British would put it, a ?useful? contender. Last year, he went the distance in an IBF junior-welterweight title fight with then-champion Lamont Peterson. Crawford?s knockout of Jean is more impressive than Peterson?s points win. In a match with Peterson, Crawford would be the favorite.
But Crawford apparently has his sights set higher ? much higher. With Floyd Mayweather Jr. ?retired,? Crawford is looking to take on none other than Manny Pacquiao sometime next year, perhaps as early as April.
Recovering from the shoulder injury that led to controversy and lawsuits in the wake of his May 2 defeat at the hands of Mayweather, the Filipino is looking to regain some of the luster he lost that night. A Pacquiao-Crawford fight would make for a classic crossroads encounter: young gun against aging superstar. Indeed, Crawford?s style is somewhat reminiscent of the young Pacquiao?s: unbridled aggression combined with underestimated, high-level boxing skills.
Does the older Pacquiao possess enough savvy and skill to hold off a willing warrior like Crawford? That?s an intriguing question. If the fight were held in Macau, where Pacquiao is wildly popular, it would generate a lot of income for both participants. Crawford would come in as an underdog, but given Pacquiao?s decline over the past few years, the Nebraskan would stand an excellent of defeating a fighter who is still one of the world?s pound-for-pound best, though no longer at the very top of the heap.
But if the Pacquiao payday doesn?t come through, there?s another fighter whose surname begins with the letter ?P? who would provide a supreme test for Crawford. That would be Viktor Postol, who demolished the ever-dangerous Argentinean Lucas Matthysse earlier this month in a battle for the WBC title vacated by Danny Garcia, who has moved up to welterweight. A Crawford-Postol clash would do well in Las Vegas, and break the bank in Omaha. Crawford would have to step up his game to cope with Postol?s power-punching attacks. The resulting fireworks would be worthy of the Fourth of July.
With the dominance of Crawford, the rise of Postol, and the resurgence of Adrien Broner, the 140-pounders have become one of boxing?s hottest weight classes. If the right matches are made among those fighters, 2016 could prove to be a banner year for the division. Bring it on, promoters!
Charles R. Saunders is the author of several books including Sweat and Soul: The Saga of Black Boxers in the Maritimes from the Halifax Forum to Caesars Palace, as well as the Imaro series of fantasy/adventure novels. Considered by many to be one of the leading authorities on boxing in Canada, he is the current Vice-President of Boxing for the Society of North American Sports Historians and Researchers. His novels, Imaro, Damballa, and Abengoni: First Calling are available at Amazon.com.
