June 29, 2014 – Terence Crawford may not be the most highly touted fighter of the new, mid-2010s generation of boxers. He?s basically a low-key kind of guy, not given to the kind of shameless self-promotion that builds reputations. On Saturday night, however, Crawford proved without a doubt that he is one of the ? if not the ? best of the coming stars with a ninth-round stoppage of Cuban legend-in-the making Yuriorkis Gamboa.
At stake was Crawford?s WBO lightweight belt, which he won by decision from Ricky Burns last year. Gamboa held the WBA?s ?interim? lightweight title, and had previously won full and ?interim? titles at junior-lightweight and featherweight. Both contestants went into the bout with similar undefeated records ? Gamboa at 23-0, with 16 knockouts, and Crawford at 24-0 (17). It was Gamboa?s ?0? that became history.
Probably because the bout took place in his hometown of Omaha, Nebraska, Crawford was uncharacteristically aggressive in the lead-up to fight time, talking smack in press conferences and staring hard at Gamboa during the weigh-in. The shine from Gamboa?s stellar reputation probably had something to do with Crawford?s belligerence as well. An Olympic gold medalist, the Cuban was considered a coming superstar before managerial problems detoured slowed his career. Still, Gamboa?s amateur credentials and his success as a pro overshadowed Crawford?s accomplishments.
And for the first four rounds, it looked as though that shadow would eclipse Crawford?s title tenure as Gamboa used his speed to build up a substantial lead. Crawford, however, showed patience and skill, and in the fifth round his adjustments paid off when Gamboa hit the canvas. Gamboa got up and continued to give a good account of himself before going down again in the eighth.
Even with the second knockdown, Gamboa wasn?t done yet. In the ninth, he staggered his tormentor, and for a split-second, it looked as though he was about to pull off a Rocky Balboa-style comeback kayo. However, Crawford stayed on his feet and proceeded to deck Gamboa twice more in the round, prompting the referee to stop the fight.
So now Crawford?s star is on the rise, and Gamboa?s is on the wane. The praise pouring in for Crawford?s spectacular victory is well-deserved. There are, however, a few caveats. Caveat Number One is that Gamboa was the smaller man, having fought at lightweight only a few times. Caveat Number Two is that Gamboa my have been a bit rusty. He hadn?t fought in a year?s time, and had only one fight each in 2012 and 2011. Caveat Number Three is that Gamboa?s concentration might have been disrupted by his personal and managerial problems.
Yet even taking those caveats into account, Crawford was still full value for the win. He?s a formidable talent in his own right, and his only real competition at lightweight now is IBF champion Miguel Vazquez.
As for Gamboa, he can still be a force in the lower junior-lightweight division, or even featherweight if his body allows him to go down that far. Talent like his doesn?t disappear after one setback. But he should avoid another long layoff. That?s the main lesson his defeat on Saturday should have taught him.
