Unified junior welterweight champion Terence ?Bud? Crawford gave fight fans in Omaha both the expected and unexpected on another memorable night of boxing at the CenturyLink Center on Saturday.
His one-sided, eighth-round technical knockout of John Molina Jr. was fairly predictable given that the challenger?s straight-forward style and lack of defense were suited perfectly for the champ?s skill set.
The surprising move came afterward, when Crawford answered questions from local reporters for the first time in months, sharing insight on his status in boxing and plans in the near future.
The universally recognized top 140-pound fighter in the world thinks his body of work during 2016 was good enough to earn him fighter of the year honors for the second time in three years.
Crawford also explained why unifying all of the titles in his division is of interest to him in the event that a megafight with one of the big names around his weight class doesn?t materialize during 2017.
As far as the end-of-year honors go, Omaha?s undefeated champion is competing at such an elite level that he should be in the running for the fighter of the year award every year. The problem for Crawford is he dispatches highly ranked opponents so easily that he makes them look ordinary.
Former pound-for-pound king Roy Jones Jr. faced similar issues in the 1990s. The current HBO analyst was named the top fighter of that decade, but he never won fighter of the year honors.
Interestingly, Jones did a one-on-one interview with Crawford that aired before Saturday?s fight in which the boxing legend compared his time on top to that of the 29-year-old two-division world champ.
In the case of both fighters, their opponents were often praised leading up to the fight and then picked apart by critics after they were beaten decisively by a champion with superior, once-in-a lifetime skills.
While Crawford got plenty of credit for his two biggest victories to date, his foes in those fights ? expected to give him problems going in ? were disparaged afterward for their perceived flaws. Yuriorkis Gamboa was too small for Crawford at 135 pounds while Viktor Postol was too stiff and robotic at 140.
Crawford questioned the critics while speaking to Jones.
?When can I get a break?? he said. ?They?re always going to have something negative to say.?
Crawford stated his case for the 2016 award late Saturday.
In February, he blew out crafty Hank Lundy, whose only previous knockout loss came at the hands of Molina six years ago, in five rounds in New York. Five months later, Crawford easily outpointed Postol, whom other 140-pounders had avoided, in Las Vegas to unify the WBO and WBC titles. Then he drilled Molina, ranked among the top three contenders, Saturday without dropping a round.
Only two fighters can legitimately claim they had a better 2016 than Crawford. And their arguments are debatable considering each fought twice. WBA super bantamweight champ Carl Frampton of Northern Ireland beat two previously undefeated beltholders in two weight divisions. And WBO super featherweight champ Vasyl Lomachenko of Ukraine stopped one elite fighter and forced another to quit.
Frampton is likely the front-runner, but a selection of Crawford or Lomachenko wouldn?t be a surprise.
As for Crawford?s future, he?s willing to take on all comers, as always. HBO analyst Max Kellerman, as he has previously, asked the Omahan (30-0) about facing future hall of famer Manny Pacquiao. Crawford has privately always said he?d welcome that bout, but publicly called out the legend for the first time.
?Of course, I would love to fight Pacquiao,? he said. ?But, you know, it?s a business.?
It?s a potential fight that makes sense for all involved except Pacquiao. The 37-year-old eight-division champion and Filipino senator is nearing the end of his illustrious career. He doesn?t need Crawford.
If that bout doesn?t materialize, the Omahan wants a shot at the other junior welterweight belts. But putting together unification fights with WBA champ Ricky Burns, whom Crawford beat for his first world title, and new IBF beltholder Julius Indongo doesn?t seem to be of much interest to promoter Top Rank.
