With 41 fights, 41 wins and not a single defeat, American Terence Crawford is emerging as one of the greats of contemporary boxing.
At 37 years of age, he is about to face what could be the most significant – and difficult – fight of his career: a clash against Mexican Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, the undisputed super middleweight champion.
Above its usual weight
Crawford, who currently fights in the super welterweight division (154 pounds), will face Canelo at 168 pounds, two divisions above his usual weight. Even so, this would not be the first challenge that the Omaha, Nebraska, fighter has faced in adverse conditions.
With victories over champions such as Errol Spence Jr, Shawn Porter, Amir Khan, Viktor Postol and Kell Brook, Crawford has proven to have the tools to overcome the best. However, none of those names figure as the one he considers his biggest challenge in the ring.
During a recent visit to Australia, where he appeared at a fan event at Sydney’s Bondi Boxing Club, a young fan asked him directly what his toughest fight was and in which division it happened. “My toughest fight was against Gamboa. It was at lightweight,” Crawford replied quickly and clearly.
Olympic champion
Crawford was referring to the 2014 fight against Cuban Yuriorkis Gamboa, Olympic champion at Athens 2004 and then undefeated with a record of 18-0. That fight was Crawford’s first major test on the main stages of professional boxing, and left an indelible mark on his memory.
“Gamboa was fast, he was experienced, he was explosive. He put me in a bind in that fight, I had to stay focused, keep calm and stick to the fight plan,” Crawford recalled during the event.
Although the American ended up winning by technical knockout in the ninth round, the beginning of the fight was clearly favorable for the Cuban, who even managed to shake Crawford in the fourth round. It was not until the fifth round that the American managed to knock Gamboa down and take definitive control of the fight.
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