TERENCE Crawford looks invincible, and Manny Pacquiao must be wary of him.
That?s how Crawford appeared on October 14, when he fought fellow American Jose Benavides Jr. in Omaha, Nebraska.
While both were unbeaten when they climbed the ring, Crawford (34-0, with 24 knockouts) had more cunning and skills than Benavides (27-0, 18 Kos).
Result? Crawford, 31, knocked Benavides, 26, out in the 12th round.
Did it help that Crawford fought before his adoring fans?Omaha being his birthplace to make him a town mate of Warren Buffett, one of the world?s richest men?
While the win solidified Crawford?s grip of the WBO (World Boxing Organization) welterweight crown he captured by knocking Jeff Horn out in the 9th round on June 9, it also unmasked Benavides?s supposedly glowing record as suspect.
Were Benavides?s 27 previous victims worthy opponents?
?Hindi kaya katumbas lang sila ng magtataho rito sa atin? [Were Benavides?s foes merely the equivalent of taho vendors in our country?],? said Jake P. Ayson, my good neighbor.
Early in the fight, I could see the knockout coming.
While Crawford busied himself throwing punches at every opportunity, Benavides did nothing but crouch.
Benavides also did a lot of raising his arms as if to attack, only to balk.
Oh, yes, Benavides loved to shake his head when he got hit, as if telling Crawford his shots were but powder-soft punches.
Not true, of course.
While Benavides might have blocked some hits, most of Crawford?s body blows had found their mark.
Clearly, they were jarring shots. Absolutely, too, they weakened the body.
And, as the sweet science credo tells us, when the trunk is constantly chopped, the arms would fall leading to a collapse in defense.
For absorbing body blows unrelentingly for 11 rounds, Benavides, obviously waiting to land his haymaker that never came, got himself virtually reduced to a pulp.
Thus, going to the fateful 12th, Crawford saw clearly that Benavides was ready for the slaughterhouse.
In a rare infight that a desperate Benavides had hoped he could connect his knockout shot, Crawford crushed his foe?s jaw with a well-time right to end it at the 2:42 mark of the final round.
I just couldn?t understand Benavides.
Was ?Waiting for Godot,? the classic theater of the absurd, a favorite of his?
In practically the entire first 11 rounds, Benavides did nothing but cock his fists and aim?only to abort pulling the trigger at the last minute.
Were his 18 knockout victims patsies, or did he simply have too much respect for, or fear of, Crawford?
It might also have something to do with Crawford switching to southpaw starting in the second round?when he is officially listed as an orthodox fighter from Day One?
Did that confuse Benavides no end?
Ah, befuddling or not, Benavides was simply not in the fight this time. And to think that he is monikered ?Merciless.?
THAT?S IT A true-to-life drama worthy of a Hollywood script unfolded in Davao City last week when my buddy, multiple Toyota dealership owner Boyet Lim, survived a scuba accident that many deep-sea divers said was a work of God. More of it in my future columns. Meanwhile, all I can say at the moment is, God answers prayers?truly. I was one of the many prayer warriors when Boyet, a jolly good fellow and a bosom friend of both President Duterte and SAP Bong Go, went missing in the deep. Hail God!
