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LAS VEGAS: Terence Crawford has long held a place in the mythical pound-for-pound rankings that boxing folks like to argue about when all the fights of the day are over.
What Crawford is still waiting for is the one fight that will put an end to all those arguments.
Crawford won’t get that on Saturday (Sunday in Manila) when he defends his share of the welterweight title against England’s Kell Brook. But he believes he will face a tough challenge, along with a yardstick of the state of his many talents, when he faces the former champion in a fight that is risky and necessary for Crawford.
“I always felt like I’m number one pound for pound in the world,” Crawford said this week. “This is what I do.”
Crawford returns to the ring for the first time in nearly a year in a scheduled 12-round bout since the Top Rank bubble at the MGM Grand hotel. The fight will be televised on ESPN, with the undercard starting at 10 p.m.
For Crawford it’s both an opportunity to get back in the ring again and to make a statement. At the age of 33 he is still in his prime, but he has yet to fight the great fight that could end up defining his career.
Promoter Bob Arum says he could come next spring with a possible fight against Manny Pacquiao in Qatar, something Arum said he has been pursuing despite not promoting Pacquiao.
“I’m optimistic that if Terence wins, we can put up a fight and if Terrence doesn’t win and Kell Brook wins, maybe I’ll do Kell Brook with Manny,” Arum said.
Crawford, who has never been defeated in 36 fights, has been more successful inside the ring than creating a stir outside of it. His skills are excellent and he has power, but his subdued personality and the fact that he lives and trains in Omaha, Nebraska, has made it difficult for him to become a rising star.
Meanwhile, one of the other fighters who can claim pound-for-pound status, Errol Spence Jr., has other pieces of the 147-pound title and is scheduled to defend his belts on Dec. 5 against Danny Garcia in Texas. A fight between the two undefeated title holders could be difficult to pull off as they are with different promoters and would likely have to wait until more fans are brought in.
Crawford is a huge favorite at Las Vegas sportsbooks to beat Brook, who is dropping from his recent 154-pound weight to challenge Crawford. Brook (39-2, 27 KOs) is a former 147-pound champion whose only losses are to Spence and middleweight champion Gennadiy Golovkin.
“I think Terence knows I’m not an easy fight,” Brook said. “I want him to get the best of me. I’m trying to do my best. ”
Brook, who fought at 160 pounds when Golovkin stopped him in the fifth round in 2016, said he started losing weight early for this fight so he wouldn’t have to starve himself late. But there are questions not only about his weight loss, but also about the wear and tear he’s had in his years in the ring.
At the age of 34, it could be his last hurray if he doesn’t pull off the best performance of his life against Crawford.
“I’m in the best condition of my life and I’m ready to become a two-time champion,” Brook said. “I am like a good wine. I am getting better as I get older. I’m ready.”
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