In modern boxing, it’s not good enough to be merely outstanding. You must be popular too.
This is the position WBO super-lightweight champion Terence Crawford finds himself in. He is one of the best fighters in the sport, but he remains little-known beyond boxing’s hard-core followers.
That could change this weekend when he steps out of his Omaha stronghold to fight Hank Lundy at Madison Square Garden.
The tournament will be broadcast live on SS7 from 4am on Sunday.
Crawford is unbeaten in 27 fights and can lay claim to being one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in boxing. He can box and brawl and is one of the most natural, effective switch-hitters in the game.
He was in the mix to fight Manny Pacquiao recently, but Pacman opted for the safer option against Tim Bradley.
Crawford, Fighter of the Year in 2014, has defeated a slew of top contenders, including Raymundo Beltran and Yuriorkis Gamboa.
Remarkably, his toughness has been proven outside rather than inside the ring. Eight years ago he was caught in the crossfire of a gang-shooting and took a bullet in the head. Somehow, he drove himself to hospital.
Lundy is as tough as they come, but it is significant that his losses all occurred when he stepped up in class.
“What’s going to happen when Crawford faces someone who can do the same things he can do?” asked Lundy. “He’s nothing special. Most of these guys get confused (by switching stances), but I’ve been watching him since he popped up on the scene. Nothing has changed for me. He doesn’t impress me.”
If Crawford represents the current, co-main event fighter Felix Verdejo represents the future.
The Puerto Rican is one of the most dynamic young fighters on the scene and will be looking to do a job on unbeaten William Silva of Brazil on the undercard. Look out for Verdejo; he figures to be a champion before long.
