(October 17, 2020) — The pound-for-pound king is set to reclaim his throne. WBO welterweight world champion Terence “Bud” Crawford will defend his title against former welterweight world champion Kell Brook in a special edition of Top Rank on ESPN Saturday, Nov. 14.
 
In the world championship co-feature, Joshua “El Profesor” Franco will defend his WBA super flyweight title against former world champion Andrew “The Monster” Moloney in a rematch of their June bout, won by Franco via decision.
 
Promoted by Top Rank and sponsored by GEICO, ESPN and ESPN Deportes will televise Crawford-Brook and Franco-Moloney 2 beginning at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT, while a full slate of undercard bouts will stream live on ESPN+ at 7:30 p.m. ET/4:30 p.m. PT.

Venue information for Crawford-Brook will be announced soon.
 
“Kell Brook is one of the elite fighters in the world. He has faced so many of the top boxers,” said Top Rank chairman Bob Arum. “He is a real test for pound-for-pound great Terence Crawford. This is another premium fight that will be available to boxing fans for no extra charge live on ESPN.”
 
Crawford (36-0, 27 KOs), the pride of Omaha, Neb., has reigned as WBO welterweight world champion since June 9, 2018, when he stopped Jeff “The Hornet” Horn in nine one-sided rounds. He has since defended that world title three times, including a sixth-round demolition over former unified junior welterweight champion Amir “King” Khan in April 2019. Crawford has not fought since last December’s ninth-round TKO over Egidijus “Mean Machine” Kavaliauskas and will enter the ring against Brook coming off a career-long 11-month layoff. He has won seven straight bouts by knockout since a one-sided decision over Viktor Postol in a July 2016 junior welterweight unification bout. Prior to his welterweight world title campaign, Crawford was the lineal lightweight and undisputed junior welterweight world champion.
 
Brook (39-2, 27 KOs), from Sheffield, England, is a former welterweight world champion who made three successful defenses of the IBF title he won from Shawn Porter in 2014. His only defeat at welterweight came to Errol Spence Jr. in May 2017, a competitive fight that ended in the 11^th round after he suffered a broken orbital bone. Since the Spence defeat, “The Special One” has won three bouts at junior middleweight, including February’s seventh-round stoppage over Mark DeLuca. Brook has long campaigned for the Crawford bout, and earlier this year, he ran into Crawford at the Deontay Wilder-Tyson Fury II weigh-in.
 
“You gonna make weight?” Crawford asked Brook.
“You’re running out of opponents,” Brook responded. “I’m here.”
 
Brook said, “I would just like to say a big thank you to Bob Arum and his team at Top Rank and to Baz Kandiara and my management team for getting the ?ght made. Thank you also to Terence Crawford and his team. It’s a fantastic ?ght, a proper ?ght for the fans to get excited about. I’m sure it’s one that will have viewers on the edge of their seats, whichever side of the pond they’re from.
 
“I’ve been told there are people writing off my chances, questioning my age, and my ability to make the weight. Well, let them talk. Some people focus on reading headlines, I focus on making headlines. Those people writing me off as a big underdog? No problem. I guess this big dog will be making a few people richer during a difficult time.
 
“Terence isn’t too much younger than me. They know that I’ve never ducked a challenge, and they should know that I’ve never failed to make 147 on the scales. With age comes experience. My knowledge and experience make me a di?erent ?ghter, a more mature ?ghter. Couple that with a happy fighter, and you’ve got yourself a dangerous fighter.”
 
Moloney (21-1, 14 KOs), from Melbourne, Australia, won the interim world title with a knockout over Elton Dharry last November and was subsequently elevated to world champion. In his first world title defense, June 23 from the MGM Grand Las Vegas Bubble, he was upset via unanimous decision at the hands of Franco (17-1-2, 8 KOs), a native of San Antonio, Texas, who was previously best known for his action-packed trilogy with Oscar Negrete.

Said Moloney, “I am extremely excited and motivated for my rematch with Franco. I’m very grateful that Top Rank has given me the opportunity to get my revenge and reclaim my world title. I have been working extremely hard every day to make sure that world title is strapped back around my waist on Nov. 14.”
 
Use the hashtags #CrawfordBrook and #FrancoMoloney2 to join the conversation on social media. For more information, visit www.toprank.com, www.espn.com/boxing; Facebook: facebook.com/trboxing; Twitter: twitter.com/trboxing;twitter.com/ESPNRingside.
 

(March 24, 2020) — Bring out the boxing stars.
 

Terence Crawford, Tyson Fury, Teofimo Lopez, Michael Conlan and the 2015 super-fight between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao will be showcased on ESPN2 Wednesday, March 25 as part of a five-hour fistic marathon.

The action will begin at 7 p.m. ET with WBO welterweight world champion Crawford’s April 2019 tour de force over former unified super lightweight world champion Amir Khan.  

At 8 p.m. ET, there will be a special replay of the tripleheader that preceded the Heisman Trophy ceremony last December from Madison Square Garden. Conlan opened the show seeking revenge over Vladimir Nikitin, the Russian boxer who defeated him via controversial decision in the quarterfinals of the 2016 Rio Olympics. The co-feature saw 22-year-old Brooklyn-born prodigy Lopez challenge IBF lightweight world champion Richard Commey in a classic “changing of the guards” matchup. In the main event, pound-for-pound king Crawford went toe-to-toe with two-time Lithuanian Olympian Egidijus “Mean Machine” Kavaliauskas.  

The big men will take center stage at 10 p.m. ET for lineal heavyweight champion Tyson Fury’s drama-filled 12-round war against Otto Wallin, which took place last September at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.  

The action will conclude at 11 p.m. ET with the most lucrative bout in boxing history, the May 2015 welterweight world title fight between all-time greats Mayweather and Pacquiao.  

ESPN+ also features a collection of some of the greatest fights in boxing history, including dozens of legendary bouts from the Top Rank Library, available on demand. The collection includes legendary heavyweight showdowns like Muhammad Ali vs. Joe Frazier III, Ali vs. George Foreman, Joe Louis vs. Billy Conn, Mike Tyson vs. Larry Holmes, Jack Dempsey vs. Gene Tunney, Max Baer vs. James J. Braddock, Ali vs. Sonny Liston I & II, and many more.  

Wednesday’s Top Rank on ESPN lineup adds to ESPN’s week of programming, which also includes an encore presentation of the Academy-Award winning 30 for 30 documentary “O.J.: Made in America.” The documentary airs over three nights in primetime from March 24-March 26. The film originally premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2016, debuted on ABC/ESPN in June 2016, and won the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature at the 89^th Academy Awards in February 2017. 

ESPN Boxing Schedule, Wednesday, March 25 (All times ET)  

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, UFC star Conor McGregor and WBO Welterweight champion Terence Crawford could be in discussions for a possible two fight (MMA and Boxing) series.

“You’ve got an elite boxer in Terence Crawford fighting an elite MMA guy in Conor McGregor under MMA rules,” Crawford’s promoter Bob Arum told ESPN on Wednesday. “You don’t think that would be interesting and something the public would want to see? I think it’s very realistic.”

Arum said there have been some discussions between the sides but declined to specify which parties had talked.

“Whenever they are ready, we are ready,” Arum said. “We’d do the MMA fight first if that’s what they want.”

“I’m a fighter first. As a fighter, I would entertain it,” Crawford told ESPN. “I just have to have the proper time to prepare myself. It would be a little more than boxing training. I haven’t been in that [wrestling] environment in a long time, but most definitely I feel I can compete with anyone given the proper time to train on the MMA side, being that I have a wrestling background. McGregor would have to worry about my stand-up game as well. It would be interesting. He’s got good kicks and he’s strong. I’d have to prepare myself for those things, but I feel I would be all right.”

“I can’t get none of these top welterweights in the ring to fight me, so whatever is clever. I’m with it all,” Crawford said of a potential major fight in MMA.

“Fighting Crawford would be great for McGregor because he has no chance in a boxing match except to pick up a check,” Arum said. “In an MMA match, he would be the favorite, but Crawford would have a chance because he’s one tough dude and because he has a wrestling background. I think that Crawford is the one boxer that can compete with an elite MMA guy under MMA rules. We’d do two fights so we can level the playing field by fighting in both disciplines. Mayweather and Pacquiao would never fight under MMA rules. Crawford would.”

“I always had the talent for wrestling, but I liked to throw my hands. I liked punching people in the face more than hugging them,” Crawford said. “My dad was a wrestler, my uncle and my grandfather wrestled, and they were always teaching me the moves. I just liked boxing more.

“A lot of people may say if Terence goes into the Octagon he will get crushed, but they don’t know me.”

By Norm Frauenheim-

Fights we want to see.
Fights we won’t see. It’s that time of the year. Old is supposed to give way to
the new. But boxing is a business that has seen it all, or almost all.  We still haven’t seen Terence
Crawford-versus-Errol Spence Jr. and I have a hunch we won’t see it in 2020
either. Hope springs eternal, but old habits make the world go ‘round.

Bob
Arum, who has seen it all, told The Athletic that boxing is poised for a terrific
year. All the fundamentals are there.

“It’s
going to be off the charts,’’ Arum said.

But
then there was the caveat. The if.

“If,’’
Arum said, “everybody doesn’t bleep it up.’’

Bleep
is a boxing habit. For whatever reason, it won’t stay in the spit bucket. It
always seems to be there just when you begin to think the battered game is
about to get up and off the canvas. Let’s face it, 2019 was forgettable.

Sure,
there were some moments. Canelo won at a fourth weight, winning a
light-heavyweight title in a 10^th-round knockout of Sergey Kovalev.
But did anybody really think that wasn’t going to happen?

It’ll
be a night remembered more for the delay in the opening bell. In a misguided
attempt to boost the DAZN audience, the logistics around a good Las Vegas fight
featuring boxing’s biggest draw waited until a UFC card in New York ended. It
was embarrassing and a sure sign that boxing’s place in the market and the
public imagination had further eroded.

That
slide will continue this year without a serious attempt at breaking out of the
same old bleep. The Deontay Wilder-Tyson Fury rematch on Feb. 22 looks as if it
could be a pretty good beginning, a launching pad to what Arum hopes will be an
off-the-charts year. I’d settle for a year that puts 2019 in the rear view
mirror.

Here
are a few predictions, all with the caveat in mind and the tongue in cheek.

• Wilder knocks out Fury. Fury, already a
  betting favorite, promises that Wilder won’t touch him. But the real question
  is this: Can Fury hurt Wilder? Fury is clever, yet he lacks power. Wilder lacks
  skill, but he is tough. He can withstand punishment. The longer the fight, the
  more likely it is that Wilder’s lethal right lands. This time, Fury doesn’t get
  up.
• Canelo, who gave up his light-heavyweight
  belt, fights Gennadiy Golovkin for a third time. DAZN’s investment mandates the
  bout. Canelo agrees, knowing it will generate significant income. There’s no
  debate about the result this time. Canelo wins a dominant decision.
• Mikey Garcia is again reminded of why there
  are weight classes. Garcia faces welterweight Jessie Vargas on Feb. 28, nearly
  a year after Spence easily beat him in a performance that said –round-to-round
  – that Garcia should have stayed at 135. Vargas keeps it close. But Garcia wins
  a narrow decision in a performance that suggests he’s vulnerable. Manny
  Pacquiao sees the fight—and the vulnerability. Pacquiao and Garcia agree to fight
  later in the year.
• Gervonta Davis fights for the second time at 135
  pounds. Misses weight for a second time, too.
• Jose Ramirez blows away Viktor Postol in China
  on Feb. 2 in a junior-welterweight bout. That sets up a unification title fight
  with Josh Taylor in either the UK or Las Vegas. Ramirez shows he can win
  anywhere, unifying the title and then looking to move up the scale to
  welterweight in a fight with Crawford.
• Anthony Joshua talks, talks and talks about
  Wilder-Fury, yet struggles against Kubrat Pulev in a mandatory defense of one
  of his titles in a spring bout. A bout with Wilder gets delayed until early
  2021.
• Emanuel Navarrete defends his
  junior-featherweight title two more times and moves up the scale to 126 pounds.
  But none of the featherweights will fight him. They’re afraid of him.
• Naoya
  Inoue comes back from eye-socket fracture sustained in Fight of the Year
  victory over Nonito Donaire. Inoue re-asserts his pound-for-pound credentials
  and adds another bantamweight belt against either Nordine Oubaali of France or Filipino Johnriel Casimero sometime in
  mid-year in either Los Angeles or Las Vegas.

• Fury fights MMA,
  wrestles, writes another book and gets a television series, The Furys, A Kardashian Look at a Boxing
  Family.

• Floyd Mayweather Jr. says
  he’s coming back. Then says he’s not coming back. Throughout the next year,
  there will be as many rumors about Mayweather-Pacquiao 2 as there are pages in a
  calendar.

• Teofimo Lopez finally
  gets a shot at Vasiliy Lomachenko late in the year. He pulls off a stunner. He
  fights to a controversial draw with Lomachenko, the pound-for-pound No.1 in
  most ratings. But a rematch dictated by the draw never happens. Lomachenko is
  injured in the fight. Then, he decides to move back down the scale to a more
  natural eight, 130 or 126

• Bleep happens. That’s
  the only sure thing in this year or any other year.

By Bart Barry-

Saturday at Madison Square Garden in a fight for the ESPN welterweight title Nebraska’s Terence “Bud” Crawford stopped Lithuania’s Egidijus “Mean Machine” Kavaliauskas in round 9, defending his ESPN-pound-for-pound rating and further burnishing credentials Crawford insists are already hall-of-fame quality. Too, ESPN’s Joe Tessitore called the last minutes of Crawford’s ringwalk “precious”?

Bud Crawford is bored. You are bored. Bud Crawford knows you are bored. (And now, humorously enough, he knows you know he’s bored.) That mutual boredom leads a proud man like Bud to do imprudent things for his own amusement and to a lesser extent your amusement. That’s half the reason for Crawford’s poor start Saturday but not the bad half. Boredom can be remedied, after all.

The bad part of the reason for Crawford’s poor start Saturday is that his skills are gradually eroding in the acid rain of average competition.

Boxing is unique among professional sports in its ability to waste a healthy participant’s prime years. By any measure Crawford’s prime is being wasted. That’s boxing’s fault, the system’s fault, much more than any one person’s or organization’s or broadcast network’s.

Boxing does this to many of its participants, but you rarely notice because the case is never obvious as Crawford’s is right now. Generally these things happen to a 29-year-old stuck in a small market and affiliated with the wrong manager, some fighter either too good or too loyal to get the fights a bigger handler might get him. If ever he breaks-through his story becomes an inspirational one of perseverance and seizing one’s chance on the odd chance it is presented and almost never about bad luck and a system that squanders its participants’ primes.

Bud already did his b-side breaking-through years ago. Now his staybusy mandatory defenses illuminate fundamental flaws in our beloved sport’s meritocracy.

Bud’s promoter, Top Rank, knows all this much better than even Bud does, and so it gives him a semiannual pulpit from which to vent on America’s mostwatched sports network. Bud gets the relief of telling ESPN viewers what he opines of PBC’s keepaway game, and the honor of being called boxing’s best prizefighter despite years of middling competition, and Top Rank and ESPN get promotional rights to the world’s best prizefighter. And everybody gets money enough to endure the arrangement another year longer.

But a crossroads approaches for Bud and his promoter, if not his network. Another couple years like 2019 and age and poor competition’ll’ve eroded Bud’s skills to a point Top Rank’s matchmakers’ll know Bud is no longer great enough to justify the risk of putting him in with the world’s best welterweights – not when another two years of revenues can be milked from the ESPN cow, fighting unification matches with Julius Indongo or title defenses with Jeff Horn.

Annual interviews with the perennially aggrieved Dre Ward will feature a tasting menu of early-retirement threats, PBC callouts, legal misunderstandings explained, and commiserating about what untrustworthy media rated both men world’s best, both before and after they deserved it. In between there will be more close calls explained away by Bo Mack – Bud’s charismatic trainer now enjoying his own synergistic relationship with ESPN – and surliness and sadism. At the end of the run there will be 10 impressionable kids saying Crawford is an alltime great for every one of the rest of us lamenting the career Crawford might’ve had were boxing run like football or hockey. Boxing writers’ll selforganize around Bud’s already B-Hop-like autohagiography and bully themselves into putting Bud in Canastota.

There are some risks inherent in Bud’s early retirement threats, though, especially now that he’s spoken them to the aforementioned and early retired Andre Ward: Sometime in the next few years Manny Pacquiao is going to retire, and the very last thing Bud wants is historians placing those two resumes side-by-side.

Again, little to none of this is Crawford’s fault. But again-again, absolutely none of it is our faults as aficionados.

Crawford is neither talented nor lucky as Pacquiao. Were he as talented he’d be fighting Canelo at 168 pounds in May, and were he as lucky he’d have had a trilogy with Yuriorkis Gamboa and a pair of fights with Vasyl Lomachenko and a tetralogy with Errol Spence. Instead he’s stuck reminding viewers Egidijus Kavaliauskas was still undefeated on Saturday afternoon and reviving Money May’s canard about the boxing media not knowing anything about boxing.

We know enough to know Crawford ate righthands Saturday night he’s not proud of this morning. We know that if he tried to race forward willfully against any of PBC’s top four welterweights the way he did against Kavaliauskas he’d have spent more than a flashing moment on the canvas. We know three years comprising John Molina, Felix Diaz, Julius Indongo, Jeff Horn, Jose Benavidez (on one good leg) and Amir Khan is no one’s idea of a path to enlightenment.

And we know Bud knows we know these things, and all of it pisses him off. He’s a great talent and a true fighter, nevertheless. It’s a stain on our sport he’ll unlikely get his chance to be remembered as more than that.

Bart Barry can be reached via Twitter @bartbarry

NEW YORK CITY — In the main event of a Top Rank on ESPN card from Madison Square Garden, pound-for-pound great Terence “Bud” Crawford (36-0, 27KO) retained his WBO World Welterweight Title, sending Egidijus “Mean Machine” Kavaliauskas (21-1-1, 18KO) to the canvas three times en route to a 9th round TKO victory.  

True to form, the 32 year old Nebraskan Crawford started slow and conceded early rounds and momentum to Kavaliauskas.  In the third round, Kavaliauskas landed a huge right hand that momentarily buckled Crawford. The Lithuanian quickly followed up with a flurry of shots that ultimately collapsed Crawford to the mat, but referee Ricky Gonzalez nullified the knockdown and ruled Crawford was pushed.  

After four see-sawing rounds that witnessed both fighters give and take their fair share of punishment, Crawford began to take control in the fifth.  “Bud” found success by fighting a more defensive fight and staying out of range of Kavaliauskas’s right eye. 

But in the seventh, the switch-hitting Crawford upped the ante and turned up the heat. Time and again Crawford came forward with a high guard and closed the gap between he and Kavaliauskas before letting his hands go.  

Towards the end of the round, Crawford caught Kavaliauskas with a buzzing right hook that offset the Lithuanian’s equilibrium and sent him to the mat.  Kavaliauskas beat Gonzalez’s ten count and was able to ride out the ensuing storm to make it out of the round.  

Just two rounds later, Crawford dropped Kavaliauskas with a vicious uppercut.  Just a few moments later, with Kavaliauskas standing on shaky legs, Crawford missiled a left cross to the ear that dropped Kavaliauskas for the third and final time.  Gonzalez stepped in immediately to wave off the contest at the :44 mark of the ninth round.  

It was the seventh stoppage win in a row for Crawford and tenth in his last eleven contests.

For Kavaliauskas, tonight’s result makes it two straight fights that the tough Lithuanian has exited the ring winless.  He previously fought to a disappointing draw against “The New” Ray Robinson in March.

“I thought I had to entertain ya’ll for a little bit,” Crawford said afterward. “He’s a strong fighter, durable, and I thought I’d give the crowd something to cheer for.”

Referring to the second round knockdown-ruled-push, “Bud” said, “I wasn’t hurt at all. I got up and went straight to him. I wasn’t hurt by no means, I walked through everything he threw all night.”

With regards to what’s next for the WBO champ, Crawford said, “I’ll fight anybody. I’ve been saying that for I don’t know how long…I’m not ducking anyone on the PBC side or Top Rank platform…I want to fight all the top guys.”

Unfortunately for Crawford, he remains somewhat stranded on a welterweight island as much of the division’s top talent are under promotional contracts with Premier Boxing Champions (PBC).

Take Over Continues: Lopez Blasts Out Commey In 2 To Capture First World Title

In the night’s most anticipated contest, 22 year-old phenom Teofimo Lopez (15-0, 12KO) scored an emphatic second round stoppage over Richard Commey (29-3, 26KO), to capture the IBF World Lightweight Title. 

After a close first round that saw little separation between fighters, a straight right by Lopez early in the second caught Commey square on the chin and collapsed the Ghanaian to the canvas.  Commey, 32, tried to get up right away, but stumbled forward to the ground before finally making it to his feet before referee David Field reaches the count of ten.  

Knowing Commey was standing on unsteady legs, Lopez went all-in, backing Commey against the ropes before unleashing a brutal onslaught of punches that had Commey’s head snapping around with each punch, forcing Fields to mercifully jump between fighters to call a halt to the contest at the 1:13 mark of round two. 

It was as impressive and dominating a performance as one could have hoped for Lopez, who now turns his attention to landing a unification bout with lightweight king, Vasiliy Lomachenko.

The emphatic win also quiets Lopez’s detractors, many of whom have suggested that family drama would negatively impact his in-ring performance.  

Partially to get away from the noise, Team Lopez held training camp for this fight in Ringoes, NJ, about 60 miles of west of Brooklyn, where Lopez was born and again resides.  While Lopez is still trained by his father, also Teofimo, Team Lopez brought in former two-weight champion Joey Gamache into his New Jersey camp to work with Lopez. 

Prior to tonight, Commey’s only other losses both came in 2016 when he found himself on the losing end of two close split decisions to Robert Easter, Jr. and Denis Shafikov.  

“I’m at a loss for words right now,” Lopez said post-fight.  “This a dream come true.”

He continued, “{Commey} is a bad man. His shot could’ve done the same to me if he hit me with that shot…You all know who I want to fight next. 2020 is going to be a big year. ‘The Takeover’ has arrived, and you haven’t seen anything yet.”

Lomachenko, who holds three of the four lightweight titles and was seated ringside tonight, also spoke after the fight, saying, “We want to ‘unificate’ all four titles.  Now he’s a world champion and now he’s in position to fight me.”

Sweet Revenge: Conlan Bests Nikitin Via UD 

In the opening bout of the ESPN-televised portion of the card, Irish featherweight Mick Conlan (13-0, 7KO) avenged his controversial 2016 Olympic defeat against Russian Vladimir Nikitin (3-1), defeating him by unanimous decision (100-90, 99-91, 98-92). 

The switch-hitting 28 year-old Belfast native, Conlan, fought entirely out of the southpaw stance in the opening round working well behind a stiff right jab to control the distance and pace of the fight.  

In the second, Conlan fought briefly in the orthodox stance before permanently returning to southpaw.  

After an offensively mute first round for Nikitin, the 29 year-old Russian began to come to life in the second, rushing inside Conlan’s reach and wildly letting his hands fly.  Nikitin did his best work in the early goings when he was able to pin Conlan against the ropes and fire away. 

In the early middle rounds, Conlan — who they’re quick to point out represents all of Ireland — continued to keep Nikitin at arm’s length by continually popping jabs Nikitin’s way.  But the crafty Russian kept finding ways to close the gap and force Conlan to engage.

As the fight bore on, the distance naturally closed, and willing exchanges became the norm.  

In the eight, both fighters dug in, stood their ground, threw caution to the wind, and fired shots from all angles.  Though Conlan bested Nikitin during their exchanges, the Irishman returned to his corner with a gash over his right eye — a cut that continued to leak blood for the remainder of the fight. 

It was the sixth time that the Adam Booth-trained Conlan has fought at inside the walls of Madison Square Garden, which has become a home away from home for the Irishman.  

The two were initially slated to face each other in early August, but an injury to Nikitin’s bicep forced the fight to be postponed.  

Josue Vargas Scores UD Over Noel Murphy 

Twenty-one year old Josue “The Prodigy” Vargas (16-1, 9KO) continued his ascent through the junior welterweight ranks, scoring a ten round unanimous decision (98-92×3) over Irishman Noel Murphy (14-2-1, 2KO). 

It was a slow-to-start southpaw v southpaw affair that eventually lulled into a hypnotic rhythm that time and again saw Vargas walk down a retreating Murphy before the two exchanged fire.  

Neither fighter was particularly hard to hit and by the early middle middle rounds, Vargas sported an ever-growing mouse under his right eye, while a steady of stream of blood trickled from Murphy’s nose.

And though the 25 year-old Murphy was marking up Vargas’s face, it was the Bronx-born Puerto Rican, Vargas, who continually got the better of Murphy during their exchanges.  

Tonight was just the second career loss for the durable Murphy, who lives and fights out of Woodhaven, NY by way of Cork, Ireland.  His only other career loss came against former world title challenger Mikkel Lespierre in February 2018. 

Vargas now has gone the distance three of his last four fights.  His lone blemish remains a 2016 DQ against Samuel Santa.  

Berlanga Continues First Round KO Streak, Stops Nunez In One

Undefeated Brooklyn super middleweight Edgar “The Chosen One” Berlanga (13-0, 13KO) continued to steamroll his opposition, scoring his thirteenth straight first round knockout, this time against the normally durable Spaniard Cesar “Bam Bam” Nunez (16-2-1, 8KO).

As per usual, it was bombs away from the opening bell for the Puerto Rican-blooded Berlanga.  

Roughly fifteen seconds into the fight, Berlanga landed a clipping left hook that sent Nunez to the canvas. The 22 year-old Berlanga kept the pressure on and continued to unload on the staggering Nunez and ultimately sent him to the mat again with a chopping right, but referee Mike Ortega waved it off, ruling Berlanga hit Nunez behind the head.  

Although a foul, the shot had lingering effects, and a foggy Nunez was floored for the third and final time shortly after courtesy of another left hook shortly succeed.  Ortega stopped the contest at the 2:45 mark of the first round.

Tonight marks the second consecutive time Nunez has been stopped inside the distance.  He was TKO’d by Germany’s Vincent Feigenbutz in August. 

Julian “Hammer Hands” Rodriguez Nails Mendez Over Ten, Scores Wide UD

Julian “Hammer Hands” Rodriguez improved to 19-0, 12KO earning a wide eight-round unanimous decision (80-71×2, 79-72) over fellow junior welterweight Manuel “La Tormenta” Mendez (16-7-3, 11KO).   

Rodriguez, 25, wasted no time taking it to California’s Mendez, flooring him with a right cross-left hook combo midway through the first round.  Mendez would recover from that shot, but only to go on to take nine more rounds of punishment courtesy of Rodriguez.  

Rodriguez, a former amateur standout who amassed a record of 221-9 before turning pro, has had a snake-bitten, injury-riddled career thus far.  In addition to battling various hand injuries, tonight marked just the third time back between the ropes for the Hasbrouck Heights, NJ-native since undergoing surgery to repair a torn labrum.

Kambosos Kicks Off Night With MD Over Bey 

Undefeated Australian George “Ferocious” Kambosos, Jr. (18-0, ) passed his toughest test yet, scoring a split decision victory (97-92, 96-93, 94-95) over former world champion Mickey “The Spirit” Bey (23-3-1, 11KO) in a ten round lightweight contest to kick off a seven-fight card from Madison Square Garden.  

It was a bit rocky early on for the Aussie, as the veteran Bey landed a few attention-grabbing left hooks.  But Kambosos, 26, remained composed and patient, took few risks and waited for tiny openings in Bey’s defense before letting his hands go. 

In the final round round, Kambosos finally found that opening and fired off a sneaky right uppercut that caught a leaning-in Bey on the chin, sending him to the mat.  

It was Kambosos’ fourth fight in the US and first at Madison Square Garden.  

For Bey, tonight was only his second fight in the last 42 months and just the third defeat of his career.  His other defeats came against John Molina, Jr. in 2013 and Cuban Rances Barthelemy in 2016.

The main portion of tonight’s Top Rank on ESPN card is set to go live at 9pm when “Irish” Mick Conlan (14-0, 7KO) seeks to avenge his controversial 2016 Olympic defeat against Russian Vladimir Nikitin (3-0).  That fight is set to be followed by the most anticipated contest of the evening, as one of boxing’s hottest prospects, Teofimo Lopez (14-0, 11KO) looks to capture his first world title against IBF World Lightweight Champion, Richard Commey.  Finally, the night will commence when undefeated pound-for-pound great Terence Crawford (35-0, 26KO) defends his WBO World Welterweight title against hard-nosed Lithuanian Egidijus “Mean Machine” Kavaliauskas (21-0-1, 18KO).  

By Norm Frauenheim-

The pound-for-pound debate is nothing more than an argument. It has no promoter. It offers no belt. Win it, and you won’t get a dime. Just another argument. Terence Crawford knows that, of course.

He’s been the argument, front and center, for a couple of years now. By now, Crawford (35-0, 26 KOs) has heard it all, or at least enough of it to understand that the only fight he can win is the one within the ropes. He’s been doing that and doing it masterfully throughout his career.

That figures to continue with efficiency as seamless as it is deadly Saturday (ESPN) against Lithuanian Egidijus Kavaliauskas (21-0-1, 17 KOs) at New York’s Madison Square Garden. Crawford will win. The argument will resume. Only the argument won’t be decisive. Bet on it.

The argument against Crawford at No. 1 is fair enough. It falls under a time-tested category: Beat The Best To Be The Best. In a balkanized business, however, that’s problematic. The game’s promotional entities are like rival kingdoms. They are divided by their ties to different networks and ego. Crawford is aligned with Top Rank. Shawn Porter, Keith Thurman, Errol Spence and Manny Pacquiao are with PBC. A virtual no-man’s land seems to separate the two.

A deal is not impossible, of course. Example: The Deontay Wilder-Tyson Fury rematch on Feb. 22. Wilder is tied to PBC. Fury signed with Top Rank after their dramatic draw a year ago. Business is possible. Top Rank’s Bob Arum is already thinking about Porter as a Crawford possibility in 2020. It’s still not clear what Spence’s plans are since he was thrown from his Ferrari on Oct. 10 in a scary crash in Dallas.

“Spence had that accident and he’s not, I think, going to be around for a while,’’ Arum told Fight Hub TV this week.

So, Arum is considering Porter, who lost a narrow decision to Spence in late September at Los Angeles’ Staples Center.

“The guys who will tell you if a fight will sell are the bookmakers,’’ Arum said. “If they make a fight 50-50, 6-5, 7-5, then you know you got something.

“Now, I think Porter and Crawford will be in that margin, 8-5 or something like that. So that would be interesting. Danny Garcia with Terence Crawford is about 5-1, so that’s not as interesting to me as a Porter fight.”

Porter, tough and smart, would be interesting and might mute some of the Crawford critics. If Crawford beat Porter – and it says here he would – maybe the critics would stop saying that the Omaha welterweight is from the “wrong side of the street.”

It’s a lousy line.

“Deontay Wilder is about to fight Tyson Fury and you never hear about any ‘sides of the street,’ ‘’ Crawford said this week. “It’s just something people say when it comes to Terence Crawford.

“You don’t hear ‘wrong side of the street’ with any other fighter but Terence Crawford. Why do all these other fights get made, but when it’s Terence Crawford, it’s about the ‘wrong side of the street.”

From this corner, Crawford is No. 1 on any side of the pound-for-pound street. His instincts, timing and overall ring IQ are unequalled in today’s generation.

Enough has already been said about his ability to switch from right-handed to southpaw. But it’s still eye-catching. Switch-hitting is often seen as liability. It’s a sign a fighter has no power in either hand. But Crawford has turned a perceived weakness into a strength. Either hand is potent. For Crawford, there’s no wrong side of the street. No wrong hand either.

Only time can beat him. He’s 32. In an interesting radio interview on Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show on ESPN, Crawford was asked about Sergey Kovalev. Kovalev, stopped by Canelo Alvarez in early November, is 36.

“Really, I don’t see myself fighting at 36,’’ Crawford said. “I want to retire from boxing before boxing retires me.’’

No argument there.Attachments area

NEW YORK CITY (Dec. 11, 2019) — The fighters were all business on the press conference dais. The best triple-header of the 2019 boxing calendar didn’t need any pomp and circumstance.

Saturday evening at Madison Square Garden (ESPN, 9 p.m. ET), Terence “Bud” Crawford (35-0, 26 KOs) will defend his WBO welterweight world title against Egidijus “Mean Machine” Kavaliauskas (21-0-1, 17 KOs), while the co-feature will see IBF lightweight world champion Richard Commey (29-2, 26 KOs) hoping to avoid the takeover in Teofimo Lopez (14-0, 11 KOs).

The ESPN opener will see Irish sensation Michael “Mick” Conlan (12-0, 7 KOs) hoping to turn back amateur nemesis Vladimir Nikitin (3-0, 0 KOs) in a 10-rounder at featherweight. Nikitin defeated Conlan twice as an amateur, including in their 2016 Olympic quarterfinal bout, a decision that sparked international controversy.

At Wednesday’s final press conference, this is what the fighters had to say.

Terence Crawford

“I’m starting to get used to fighting on these big stages, so it ain’t nothing new to me. This week is going to be a great, spectacular show. I am well-prepared for whatever he brings to the table, and I’m sure they know that as well.”

“Nothing really changed between me and {trainer Brian McIntyre}. We’re a team. Iron sharpens iron. We added some more great fighters to the team. We’re pushing each other each and every day in camp. If I’m tired, {Maurice Hooker} will talk to me, ‘Come on little guy, you tired?’ And that just motivates each and every one of us to go that extra mile. Either we’re running, sparring, hitting the bag. Everything is a competition when we’re in the camp.” 

“I’m not focused on no other opponent besides the opponent that’s in front of me. My goal is to make sure I get the victory come this weekend, and that’s the only person I’m focused on now. Anyone else is talk. It goes in one ear and out the other. He’s young, hungry and I’m not taking him lightly.”

Bob Arum

“They’re all good fights.The Teofimo-Commey fight, bookmakers have made that a 50-50 fight, so that’s obviously of great interest. And the other two fights are not walkovers. They’re tough, tough matches. Terence is worth the price of admission by himself. He is pound-for-pound the best fighter in the world, and everybody will have an opportunity to watch him fight a very tough Lithuanian in Kavaliauskas, who has fought for us for many years and is a tough, tough Eastern European fighter.”

“Mick Conlan gets his chance for revenge. You all know the story. When most people thought he’d won his fight in the Olympics and Nikitin was given the nod, now they have a chance in professional boxing for revenge, a rematch. And that will be of interest to fans all over the world.”

On Commey-Lopez

“Some young man who has three of the lightweight titles and is looking to fight for a fourth will be on hand. He’s coming in on Friday to watch this match. Vasiliy Lomachenko will be here. A lot at stake in this Lopez fight with Commey. Both great fighters.”

Egidijus “Mean Machine” Kavaliauskas

“Crawford was on my mind from the start of training camp in June. So every day was Crawford, Crawford, Crawford. My mindset is good. I’m happy for this fight. When this fight was made officially, I was super happy. I was smiling all day. I want to fight the best, and we’re fighting in the Mecca of Boxing.”

“We started {training} in June, but we started light. Still, all the tactics, everything was about how Crawford fights, which stance {he’ll use}. Sparring, we had lots of different guys, southpaw, orthodox, guys in different stances. And the training camp, [we worked on} speed, power, sparring, technique and tactics, all in this five, six months.” 

“Going straight ahead to Crawford is not an option because he’s too smart and he showed in his last fight that he’s smart in the ring. So, yeah, we’ll work on my combinations. We don’t want to go very wild at him.”

Richard Commey

“2019 has been a great year. I’ve worked so hard coming from Ghana. You know how it is. To get to this stage, man, just an amazing feeling.”

“How many boxers have come from Ghana with a chance to fight in {The Garden} in the co-main event…God bless us, and I’m ready to retain my title. There is no way I’m going to lose.”

Teofimo Lopez

“It’s a blessing. It’s a breathtaking moment. It’s just something I have to visualize and just know that, 22 years old, I have a great opportunity here to do a lot. I’m excited, man. What better way to finish off the year than fight in the Mecca of Boxing, Madison Square Garden, for my first world title, in New York? This is a moment right here.”

On the criticism from his last fight against Masayoshi Nakatani

“I think everybody needs something like that. I needed that. Everything happens for a reason. I take everything they try to throw at me negatively and turn it into a positive. You can’t faze me. You can’t bring me down. I’m here for a reason. Teofimo is doing what he’s doing come Saturday night. We’re going to go out there and take over. I have vengeance in me. I’m holding that, holding everything. I want to shut everyone up the best way I can, and that’s doing what I do best.”

“God didn’t bring us this far for nothing. I didn’t come out here just to talk my smack and not back it up. We’re gonna do what we have to do. Richard Commey is a {former} world champion for a reason. And we know that it’s going to be a great and exciting fight.”

Michael Conlan

“This is straight business for me. There is no personal or emotional attachment to it. Vladimir, obviously he beat me in 2013 when I moved up to bantamweight. 2016, he got the decision, but he knows deep down he needs to prove something because his career will always be remembered for losing to me in the Olympics. He’s gotta prove something Saturday night. I don’t believe he will. I’ve prepared fully, and I’ve been training for 14 or 13 weeks for this camp. I’m ready for anything Saturday night.”

“It’s very fitting for me to be boxing here, having this rematch in MSG. This is where I re-started my boxing career after the Olympics, and this is where I’ll close the chapter. We’ll put everything in the past and we’ll stop talking about him because I’m fed up with it. I just want to take care of business and move on.” 

Vladimir Nikitin

“I don’t have to prove anything to anyone. I won two bouts against him in the amateurs and, right now, this is just another big step in my professional career.”

“I fought my last fight here at the {Hulu Theater} at Madison Square Garden. I’ve been in the arena. This is the next step in my professional career. I am preparing for every fight {the same}. It doesn’t matter.”

“I’m ready for 10 rounds. We’ll see what will happen in the ring.”

ESPN, 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT

Terence Crawford vs. Egidijus Kavaliauskas, 12 rounds, Crawford’s WBO welterweight world title

Michael Conlan vs. Vladimir Nikitin, 10 rounds, featherweight

ESPN+, 5:45 p.m. ET/2:45 p.m. PT

Josue Vargas vs. Noel Murphy, 10 rounds, vacant IBF North American junior welterweight title

Edgar Berlanga vs. Cesar Nunez, 8 rounds, super middleweight

Julian Rodriguez vs. Manuel Mendez, 8 rounds, super lightweight

George Kambosos Jr. vs. Mickey Bey, 10 rounds, lightweight

For more information, visit: www.toprank.com, www.espn.com/boxing; Facebook: facebook.com/trboxing; Twitter: twitter.com/trboxing.

Promoted by Top Rank, in association with DiBella Entertainment and MTK Global, tickets priced at $506, $306, $206, $106 and $56 (not including applicable fees) are on sale now and can be purchased at the Madison Square Garden Box Office, all Ticketmaster outlets, Ticketmaster charge by phone (866-858-0008) and online at www.ticketmaster.com or www.MSG.com.

Use the hashtags #CrawfordMachine, #CommeyLopez and #ConlanNikitin to join the conversation on social media.

Top Rank on ESPN returns to the big house at Madison Square Garden, the historic “Mecca of Boxing”, this Saturday, December 14, for a live presentation of a special tripleheader headlined by pound-for-pound undefeated king, Terence “Bud” Crawford (35-0, 26 KOs), defending his WBO welterweight world title against mandatory challenger, Egidijus “Mean Machine” Kavaliauskas (21-0-1, 17 KOs). The undercard bouts will stream live on ESPN+ beginning at 5:30 p.m. ET. Main event coverage will air exclusively on ESPN and stream on the ESPN App (in Spanish) starting at 9 p.m. ET. ESPN Deportes will join the event in progress at 10 p.m. ET.   

The tripleheader will also feature IBF lightweight world champion Richard “RC” Commey (29-2, 26 KOs) defending his title against Brooklyn native and rising star Teofimo Lopez (14-0, 11 KOs). In addition, in a 10-round featherweight special attraction, Irish sensation and New York fan favorite Michael “Mick” Conlan (12-0, 7 KOs), will take on the undefeated Russian Vladimir Nikitin (3-0, 0 KOs) in a rematch of their highly controversial 2016 Olympic quarterfinal bout.  

Calling the action for ESPN will be Joe Tessitore (play-by-play), former #1 pound-for-pound two-division world titleholder and 2004 Olympic gold medalist Andre Ward (analyst), and former two-division world titleholder Tim Bradley (analyst). The on-location desk team will feature analysis from Max Kellerman, Mark Kriegel and Bernardo Osuna.  

ESPN’s presentation will feature unique production enhancements to bring fans closer to the ring and deliver views that enhance their experience. The production will feature 25 cameras, including a mini FlyCam, an aerial tracking camera system, five super-slow-motion cameras, a jib camera for unique 360-degree vertical and horizontal shots, as well as bumper corner cameras.  The mini FlyCam and bumper corner cameras were exclusively developed for Top Rank on ESPN telecasts.  

ESPN’s official coverage of fight week continues Wed., Dec 11 with a re-air of “Blood, Sweat & Tears: Countdown to Crawford vs. Kavaliauskas,” (ESPNEWS, 8 p.m. ET) a show that takes fans inside the training camps of the main event fighters. 

Coverage will also include:

Preview here

• Unguarded: Andre Ward with Terence Crawford – in-depth one-on-one interview between ESPN’s Andre Ward and Terence Crawford. 
• Crawford vs. Kavaliauskas official press conference (Wednesday, Dec. 11 at 12 p.m. ET on ESPN+).
• New episode of “The Prospects” featuring Michael Conlan (Available now on ESPN+).
• 17 on-demand replays of Crawford’s past fights, including showdowns with Yuriorkis Gamboa, Amir Khan, Jeff Horn, Julius Indongo and more.  (Exclusively on-demand on ESPN+).
• Max on Boxing: Crawford vs. Kavaliauskas Weigh-in (Friday, Dec. 13 at 4:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2, Live).

From ESPN.Com

Preview here

• A video and written piece from Mark Kriegel on Teofimo Lopez, boxing’s most electrifying young fighter, who was 14-0, on the cusp of a title shot, but was also about to crack, carrying a weight that went back generations. On ESPN.Com Thursday, Dec. 12. 
• Tim Bradley breaks down the Crawford-Kavaliauskas bout (available Tuesday, Dec. 10 on ESPN+).
• News updates, predictions and a complete guide to the fight on ESPN.com and the ESPN app from Dan Rafael out Friday, Dec. 13.  

Top Rank on ESPN(All times Eastern)

About ESPN+

ESPN+ is the leading direct-to-consumer sports streaming service from Disney’s Direct-to-Consumer and International (DTCI) segment and ESPN. Launched in April 2018, ESPN+ grew quickly to 3.5 million subscribers in 18 months, offering fans thousands of live events, original programming not available on ESPN’s linear TV or digital networks, as well as premium editorial content.

Programming on ESPN+ includes exclusive UFC and Top Rank boxing events, thousands of college sports events (including football and basketball) from more than a dozen sports at 20 conferences, hundreds of MLB and NHL games, top domestic and international soccer (Serie A, MLS, FA Cup, Bundesliga – beginning in 2020, EFL Championship and Carabao Cup, Eredivisie), Grand Slam tennis, international and domestic rugby and cricket, exclusive ESPN+ Original series, acclaimed studio shows and the full library of ESPN’s award-winning 30 for 30 films.

Fans subscribe to ESPN+ for just $4.99 a month (or $49.99 per year) through the ESPN App, (on mobile and connected devices), ESPN.com or ESPNplus.com.  It is also available as part of a bundle offer that gives subscribers access to Disney+, Hulu (ad-supported), and ESPN+ ­— all for just $12.99/month.

About ESPN
ESPN, the world’s leading sports entertainment enterprise features more than 50 assets – eight U.S. television networks, ESPN Radio, ESPN.com, ESPN International, ESPN The Magazine and more.  ESPN is 80 percent owned by ABC, Inc. (an indirect subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company) and 20 percent by Hearst.

NEW YORK CITY (Dec. 10, 2019) — Pound-for-pound king and WBO welterweight world champion Terence “Bud” Crawford returns to Madison Square Garden Saturday evening (9 p.m. ET, ESPN) as the headliner for the card of the year, a three-headed monster that will follow the Heisman Trophy ceremony.

Crawford (35-0, 26 KOs) will make the third defense of his welterweight crown against No. 1 contender Egidijus “Mean Machine” Kavaliauskas (21-0-1, 17 KOs), Richard Commey (29-2, 26 KOs) will defend his IBF lightweight world title against unbeaten sensation Teofimo Lopez (14-0, 11 KOs)and Michael Conlan (12-0, 7 KOs) hopes to gain revenge on former 2016 Russian Olympic nemesis Vladimir Nikitin (3-0, 0 KOs).

The ESPN+ undercard (5:45 p.m. ET) will feature Bronx-born super lightweight Josue Vargas (15-1, 9 KOs) against Noel Murphy (14-1-1, 2 KOs) and Brooklyn-born knockout artist Edgar “The Chosen One” Berlanga (12-0, 12 KOs), who has never seen the second round as a pro, against the durable Cesar Nunez (16-1-1, 8 KOs) in an eight-round super middleweight showdown.

At Tuesday’s media workout, this is what the fighters had to say.

Terence Crawford

On the pressure of being a top pound-for-pound fighter

“It’s a blessing because it motivates me and adds fuel to the fire. I like proving people wrong. That’s more joy for me.”

“{New York} is one of the big stages. Vegas is a big stage. I do my thing in the ring, and every time I fight, I send a message to all the welterweights out there.”

“Everyone poses a threat. {Kavaliauskas} is a good fighter. He is a two-time Olympian for a reason. He’s undefeated, strong and hungry.”

On his popularity in Omaha now

“It’s the same. I’ve been the around the city since my amateur days. Some people want a picture, others shake my hand and say, ‘What’s up?’ 

“When I was at 140, everybody criticized me and said I was too big for 140. When I was at 140, everyone said I was too big for 135. If I was to go back down to 140, what would everybody say? I’m picking and bullying people. There you have it.”

On “sides of the street” in boxing

“Well, Deontay Wilder is about to fight Tyson Fury and you never hear about any ‘sides of the street.’ It’s just something people say when it comes to Terence Crawford. You don’t hear ‘wrong side of the street’ with any other fighter but Terence Crawford. Why do all these other fights get made, but when it’s Terence Crawford, it’s about the ‘wrong side of the street?'”

Egidijus Kavaliauskas 

“This is a great opportunity for me against the world’s best fighter. When I win, I will be considered one of the world’s best fighters.”

“Terence Crawford is a great fighter, which is why I wanted this fight. I am ranked number one for a reason. I am here for a reason, and I can’t wait for Saturday night.”

“The way to win a title is to fight the best, and Terence is the best welterweight in the world. I want that title, and I will be the first Lithuanian-born boxer ever to win a world title.”

Teofimo Lopez

“If someone were to tell me I’d win my first world title at 22 years old at Madison Square Garden, I wouldn’t believe it. It’s huge. It’s happening, and it’s a blessing. We have the opportunity, and this is what we’re doing. Nine weeks in camp. I know ya’ll have seen the pictures. We’re ready, man.”

“Everybody is ready. We’re ready. He’s ready. Everyone will be tuned in for a reason. All I want is a great night for all the fans. When you have a great style fight like this, it’s going to be a short night.”

“We gotta get the job done on Saturday. We ain’t there yet.”

“I felt much happier than all my other camps. It’s a new me. I came back rejuvenated and ready to go. These last two fights, I missed that. I needed to go through these trials to make me the man I am today.”

“I have a great team behind me. I have everything I need.”

“We all saw what happened last year when I fought after the Heisman celebration. Look out.”

Richard Commey

“I won my title in February, and I look forward to defending my title for the second time, my first fight at Madison Square Garden, home of champions.”

“I look forward to facing Teofimo Lopez and proving my worth in the ring. This is going to be one hell of a fight.”

Michael Conlan

“It’s nothing personal with Vladimir and I, but I have a job to do on Saturday night, and it’s going to be a demolition job.”

“This fight is a long time coming. We were supposed to fight in August, but Vladimir got injured. I’m excited. We’re ready to rock, and the fans in New York can expect a big performance.”

“Listen, regardless of what I think about the {amateur} judges, I have never officially beaten him. I need to go out there and get my hand raised. I want to right the wrong of what happened in Rio.”

Vladimir Nikitin

On the two amateur fights against Conlan

“We fought twice, and I won both times. I know this is the professional game, and I am happy that I have to chance to prove that I am once again the better fighter.”

On the biceps injury he suffered that postponed the original fight date

“I was upset that I had to cancel the fight, but I am ready now. The best man will win, and I am confident it will be me.”

Josue Vargas

“I call him {Murphy} Canelo because he looks just like him, so I know Canelo. We used to train in the same gym. We sparred two, three times, so I know what he’ll bring to the table. I saw his last few bouts, and he hasn’t gotten better. I know I’ve gotten better sparring the likes of Jose Ramirez, Vergil Ortiz and Mikey Garcia. I sparred those guys after I sparred ‘Canelo,’ so I know what I’ll bring and what he’ll bring. I’m not expecting anything different.”
 
“He can take a shot and he’s tough. I can’t sleep on him. I’m going to take it home because I have to show out in front of my friends and family.”

“I know he’s confident, but I want to know why. I want to know where that’s coming from because when I sparred him his trainer took him out in the fourth round due to a body shot.”

Edgar Berlanga

“I didn’t have a ton of people the first time I fought at the Garden, but for some reason, my name is hot and I’m fighting back home ready to put on a show.”

“Now that I’m maturing and getting older, I have to understand that I need to go some rounds. All my fans have seen is the power, but they haven’t seen the full me, the movement, skills, jab. I can fight like Pernell Whitaker if I have to. This is a step-up fight. If I can’t get the guy out of there, then I’m ready to go some rounds.”

For more information, visit: www.toprank.com, www.espn.com/boxing; Facebook: facebook.com/trboxing; Twitter: twitter.com/trboxing.
 
Use the hashtags #CrawfordMachine, #CommeyLopez and #ConlanNikitin to join the conversation on social media.
 

NEW YORK CITY (Dec. 4, 2019) – Two of New York City’s flashiest and most promising prospects, Brooklyn’s Edgar “The Chosen One” Berlanga and the Bronx’s Josue “The Prodigy” Vargas, are ready for their hometown close-ups Saturday, Dec. 14 at Madison Square Garden before pound-for-pound king Terence “Bud” Crawford closes the show.
 
Berlanga (12-0, 12 KOs) will look to extend his streak of first-round knockout to 13 against Cesar Nunez (16-1-1, 8 KOs) in an eight-round super middleweight bout, while Vargas (15-1, 9 KOs) will battle Noel Murphy (14-1-1, 2 KOs) in a 10-rounder for the IBF North American junior welterweight belt.
 
Berlanga-Nunez and Vargas-Murphy will be the featured undercard bouts live on ESPN+, the leading multi-sport streaming service, beginning at 5:30 p.m. ET/2:30 p.m. PT. Later that evening, following the Heisman Trophy Ceremony, Crawford will defend his WBO welterweight world title against Egidijus “Mean Machine” Kavaliauskas live on ESPN and the ESPN App (in Spanish) at 9 p.m. ET, with ESPN Deportes joining in progress at 10 p.m. ET. The ESPN telecast will also include Richard Commey’s IBF lightweight world title defense against rising star Teofimo Lopez and unbeaten featherweight sensation Michael “Mick” Conlan seeking Olympic revenge against Russian nemesis Vladimir Nikitin.
 
Berlanga, boxing’s newest Puerto Rican knockout artist, has never seen the second round as a pro and has scored seven knockouts in 84 seconds or less. He made his Top Rank debut on the Crawford-Amir Khan card April 20 at Madison Square Garden, knocking out Samir dos Santos Barbosa in 46 seconds. He last fought Aug. 10 in Philadelphia, and his ring entrance with hip-hop icon Fat Joe lasted longer than the 2 minutes, 24 seconds it took him to knock out Gregory Trenel. Spain’s Nunez is the stiffest test of Berlanga’s career, as his only career defeat came via eighth-round stoppage to former WBA super middleweight world champion Vincent Feigenbutz.
 
“It’s a blessing to fight at MSG, my second time fighting in the big room,” Berlanga said. “I’ve had a few opponents who were supposed to take me rounds and I’ve knocked them out in the first round. I’m ready to go those rounds, so let’s see if he can handle my power.”
 
Vargas, the flashy southpaw who turned 21 years old in May, is seeking his 10^th consecutive win since a 2016 disqualification defeat. The Puerto Rican-born Vargas moved to New York City with his family when he was 5 years old and, in 2011, he was dubbed a “13-year-old prodigy” by the New York Daily News. This will be his fourth fight of 2019 and fifth since making his Top Rank debut on the Vasiliy Lomachenko-Jose Pedraza card at the Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden last December. Murphy, from Cork, Ireland, now resides in the Woodlawn section of the Bronx. He is unbeaten in three bouts since a close decision defeat to the then-unbeaten Mikkel LesPierre.
 
“I went to see a lot of fights there, especially when Miguel Cotto fought at the Garden,” Vargas said. “I remember seeing all the Puerto Rican fans. It gives me goosebumps every time I think about it. I always dreamed of fighting at MSG in front of my supporters from New York and Puerto Rico. I finally got here. I just can’t wait to perform under the lights at MSG, the big one.”
 
In other action on the ESPN+ stream:

• In a battle of unbeatens, Crawford stablemate Steve “So Cold” Nelson (15-0, 12 KOs) will take on Cem “Champ” Kilic (14-0, 9 KOs) in a 10-rounder for the vacant NABO super middleweight title. Nelson made his super middleweight debut Sept. 1 in his hometown of Omaha, Neb., knocking out Derrick Findley in four rounds. Kilic has four knockouts in his last five bouts.
   
• Julian “Hammer Hands” Rodriguez (18-0, 12 KOs), who hails from just across the Hudson River in Hasbrouck Heights, N.J., will face Manuel Mendez (16-6-3, 11 KOs) in an eight-round super lightweight tilt.
• Australian lightweight contender George Kambosos Jr. (17-0, 10 KOs) will fight former lightweight world champion Mickey Bey (23-2-1, 11 KOs) in a 10-rounder.

For more information, visit: www.toprank.com, www.espn.com/boxing; Facebook: facebook.com/trboxing; Twitter: twitter.com/trboxing.
 
Promoted by Top Rank, in association with DiBella Entertainment and MTK Global, tickets priced at $506, $306, $206, $106 and $56 (not including applicable fees) are on sale now and can be purchased at the Madison Square Garden Box Office, all Ticketmaster outlets, Ticketmaster charge by phone (866-858-0008) and online at www.ticketmaster.com or www.MSG.com.
 
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NEW YORK CITY (Oct. 14, 2019) — Boxing’s pound-for-pound boogeyman is ready to battle the machine.

Terence “Bud” Crawford will defend his WBO welterweight world title against undefeated mandatory challenger Egidijus “Mean Machine” Kavaliauskas Saturday, December 14 at Madison Square Garden as part of a special ESPN-televised tripleheader that will immediately follow the 2019 Heisman Trophy Presentation (9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT). ESPN Deportes will provide the Spanish-language telecast.

The triple-header on ESPN and ESPN Deportes will also feature IBF lightweight world champion Richard “RC” Commey defending his title against human highlight film and Brooklyn native Teofimo Lopez. Additionally, in the 10-round featherweight special attraction, Irish sensation and New York fan favorite Michael “Mick” Conlan will battle unbeaten Russian Vladimir Nikitin in a rematch of their highly controversial 2016 Olympic quarterfinal bout.

Promoted by Top Rank, in association with DiBella Entertainment and MTK Global, tickets priced at $506, $306, $206, $106 and $56 (not including applicable fees) go on sale Friday, October 18 at 12 p.m. ET and can be purchased at the Madison Square Garden Box Office, all Ticketmaster outlets, Ticketmaster charge by phone (866-858-0008) and online at www.ticketmaster.com or www.MSG.com.

The undercard, with fights to be announced in the coming weeks, will stream exclusively on ESPN+, the leading multi-sport streaming service, starting at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT.

“This is the best fight card of the year, and Madison Square Garden is a fitting venue for what will be a special night,” said Top Rank chairman Bob Arum. “Terence Crawford is a generational talent, but he’ll have his hands full against the ‘Mean Machine.’ Teofimo Lopez is taking a giant step up against Commey, and it will be a tremendous fight. Mick Conlan has been asking for Nikitin since the day he signed with Top Rank. He finally gets his wish, and I know he wants to correct the tremendous injustice of the Rio Olympics.”

“Egidijus Kavaliauskas is a two-time Olympian and I can’t take him lightly,” Crawford said. “He’s got everything to gain and nothing to lose and that makes him dangerous. I never overlook any opponent, and this will be no exception. I’ll be ready for anything and everything he brings on December 14 when I return to my second home, Madison Square Garden, and live on ESPN.” 

“I have prepared my whole boxing career for a fight of this magnitude,” Kavaliauskas said. “Terence Crawford is an excellent fighter, but I fear no man. Nobody has seen the best of the ‘Mean Machine’ yet. I am going to shock a lot of people on December 14, but it won’t be a surprise to me. I earned this title shot. It is my time.”

Crawford (35-0, 26 KOs), the pride of Omaha, Nebraska, has been impeccable since turning professional, winning world titles in three weight classes and unifying all four major world titles at super lightweight. He is 13-0 with 10 knockouts in world title bouts and has knocked out his last six opponents, including Olympic gold medalist Felix Diaz, bitter rival Jose Benavidez Jr. and Manny Pacquiao conqueror Jeff “The Hornet” Horn. In his last bout, April 20 at Madison Square Garden, Crawford neutralized former unified super lightweight world champion Amir “King” Khan en route to a sixth-round TKO after Khan could not continue following a low blow. Kavaliauskas (21-0-1, 17 KOs) will be the fourth undefeated fighter Crawford has faced in his last five bouts.

A native of Kaunas, Lithuania, Kavaliauskas represented his homeland at the 2008 and 2012 Olympics, rising the professional ranks with convincing victories over perennial contenders Juan Carlos Abreu and Roberto Arriaza. Kavaliauskas has a February 2018 TKO win over David Avanesyan, who is now the current European welterweight champion. He has never been knocked down as a pro or amateur and trains out of the famed Boxing Laboratory in Oxnard, California.

Commey (29-2, 24 KOs) has had a career year, winning the vacant IBF lightweight title February 2 in Frisco, Texas with a devastating second-round TKO over Isa Chaniev. He defended the belt June 29, knocking down former lightweight world champion Ray Beltran down four times before stopping him in the eighth round. A native of, Accra, Ghana, he has won four in a row by knockout.

Lopez (14-0, 11 KOs), at 22 years old, is one of boxing’s budding superstars a big-punching, big-talking fighter who has become the sport’s latest viral sensation. His post-fight Fortnite celebrations and backflips are the exclamation point to his highlight-reel knockouts. He fought last year on the post-Heisman Trophy celebration telecast, knocking out Mason Menard in 44 seconds and then putting on the jersey of Heisman winner Kyler Murray. Lopez is 3-0 in 2019, most recently prevailing via 12-round decision July 19 over Japanese veteran Masayoshi Nakatani in a title eliminator.

“I’m very excited to fight at the Mecca of Boxing, Madison Square Garden, in my second world title defense against Teofimo Lopez,” Commey said. “My lifelong dream of becoming a world champion became a reality through many years of hard work in my homeland of Ghana through the UK, Europe and finally in the United States. I want to thank everyone on my team for making this possible. On December 14, I will put on another spectacular performance in defending my world title for my fans in the arena and those watching on ESPN and around the world.”

“Richard has fought all over the world for many years to achieve his lifelong dream of not only becoming a true world champion, but also becoming a boxing star, and on December 14 against Teofimo Lopez, I believe that he will successfully defend his title for the second time in spectacular fashion,” said Lou DiBella, Commey’s promoter.

“I’m finally back at Madison Square Garden, the place where I always wanted to win my first world title,” Lopez said. “I believe this fight will shut up all of the critics and prove to everyone that I back up my talking in the ring. I respect Commey as a champion, but when we’re in that ring, it’s going to be lights out for him. Come December 14, I am officially taking over the lightweight division.”

Conlan (12-0, 7 KOs), who is ranked in the top 10 as a featherweight by three of the major sanctioning organizations, is looking to avenge the final, and most controversial loss, of his amateur career. With a semifinal berth — and a guaranteed Olympic medal — on the line, Nikitin was the beneficiary of a decision most experts believe Conlan deserved. The indelible image of the Rio Olympics was Conlan’s double middle-finger salute to the judges. Conlan’s disappointment motivated him for what has been a flawless professional campaign. A proven ticket-seller at Madison Square Garden thanks to his annual St. Patrick’s Day appearances, Conlan is coming off a rousing TKO win over Diego Alberto Ruiz on August 3 in front of 10,000 hometown fans at Belfast’s Falls Park.

Nikitin (3-0, 0 KOs) did not turn pro immediately following the 2016 Olympics, electing to fight as an amateur throughout 2017. He signed a professional contract in 2018 with Top Rank, in large part because he wanted to face Conlan as a pro. Nikitin’s come-forward style has translated to the pro ranks, as he’s won a trio of decisions. He has fought on the same card as Conlan twice as a professional. The message was clear: Conlan and Nikitin were destined to meet again. They were supposed to fight August 3 at Falls Park, but Nikitin suffered a torn biceps in training.

“I’m beyond excited to fight for the sixth time in my favorite venue in the world, the Mecca of Boxing, Madison Square Garden,” Conlan said. “The boxing fans in New York City have been incredibly supportive of my career, and I look forward to putting on another great show for them, as well as my Irish fans coming over for this massive holiday event.

“Vladimir Nikitin and I have unfinished business from the 2016 Olympics, and I can’t wait until December 14 to set the record straight.”

“Michael Conlan has done a lot of talking about me and our Olympic fight over the last few years. The talking finally ends December 14,” Nikitin said. “He’s bitter over our last fight and can’t accept the result. Well, my hand will be raised once again.”

For more information, visit: www.toprank.com, www.espn.com/boxing; Facebook: facebook.com/trboxing; Twitter: twitter.com/trboxing.

Use the hashtags #CrawfordMachine, #CommeyLopez and #ConlanNikitin to join the conversation on social media.

By Bart Barry-

Saturday on a “FOX Sports is proud to present PBC
Pay-Per-View events” event in Los Angeles welterweight titlists Errol “The
Truth” Spence and “Showtime” Shawn Porter will vie for Spence’s number-one Ring
rating without jeopardizing Terence Crawford’s number-two pound-for-pound
rating in a match between two good guys whose disparity in talent should
preclude anything too thrilling from happening. 
Fans of thrilling talent should look to Saturday’s comain.

Because the most interesting talent on the card is
WBC super middleweight titlist David Benavidez, an uncharacteristically ascendant
PBC asset.  Spence may be the greater
talent, and well may not be, but he is not intriguing as Benavidez, not after getting
outdone by Benavidez in March.

We probably have seen the best of Spence.  While Manny Pacquiao (along with Floyd
Mayweather) is the greatest talent ever to fight on a PBC card – a sentence
likely to hold up, still, in 2030 – he is far too old to make someone of
Spence’s age and size improve.  Pacquiao
undressed Keith Thurman a few months ago, sure, but does anyone think Thurman
will be better for it?  Pacquiao wants no
part of Spence, either, because of the youngster’s physicality; Pacquiao, way
way smarter than we realized in his prime, knows someone big and vigorous as
Errol can do a lot of things wrong and still win, and there’s no dissuading him
with activity.

There’s dissuading Spence with inactivity, as
Mikey Garcia showed us at Cowboys Stadium (we go with birth names, round here) but
not with an attack.  It’s a reason Porter
hasn’t much of a chance Saturday, but we’ll be back to that below.

PBC hasn’t the stable or matchmaking acumen to
keep Spence on an upward trajectory. 
Spence would be improved by a fight with Bud Crawford, who’s small
enough to see his craft advantage offset, and an eventual move to 160 via 154,
but none of those things will happen in Spence’s prime.  Not while Danny Garcia and Keith Thurman and
Alfredo Angulo haunt the FOX Sports airwaves. 

Which is, in its way, a tragedy.  PBC didn’t really know what it had with
Spence, but soon as it did, it got cautious as could be, feeding him a b-level
vet, a hopeless lad named Ocampo and then a former featherweight.  Subsequently Spence has not felt a punch in
28 months.  That’s no way to season a
prime talent. 

Which is why Benavidez is the most interesting man
on Saturday’s card.  PBC still hasn’t
much of an idea what he is or what to do with him.  None of us has.  Benavidez is loose in the midsection, failed
a VADA test a couple years ago, and Dr?ma adorns his coat of arms.  But he is a natural, and sneaky-ascendant
because he doesn’t look the part.

Our beloved sport’s myriad of hyperbolists begin
their marketability prejudging with criteria borrowed from the late Hugh
Hefner.  Benavidez once was obese, and
extra skin is a mortal no-no.  In this
sense Benavidez is a bit like boxing’s version of golfer John Daly, whose obesity
and publicized vices allowed his sport’s hypemen to overlook Daly’s singular
athleticism.

Really, who the hell ever mistook a rotund
chainsmoker for a great athlete?  I
suppose I just did. 

Next time you see a golf club, or even a heavy
stick, try to get it to the place Daly gets his backswing while keeping your
feet planted.  Never mind maintaining
that balance long enough to hit a ball, never ever mind doing it the exact same
way at age 53 as you did at 23; just try to get your body in that position –
then imagine doing it drunk in front of 50,000 spectators.

Benavidez’s comain foe, Anthony Dirrell, is no
one’s idea of an ascendant asset, but he is a veteran prizefighter who is proud
and has spent his entire career at the same weightclass.  He’s not the better athlete in his family,
but he is the better fighter.  He will
test Benavidez’s will. And that is precisely the test a fighter like Benavidez
needs to improve.

Will Showtime Shawn test Errol’s will?  A bit, yes. 
But barring a sprained ankle or Fan Man type of event Porter hasn’t much
of a chance.  Which is too bad because
Porter is a guy to cheer for.  He’s joyful,
humble, buffoonish, happy, fun.  His
efforts to play an antagonist generally go nowhere because he likes the guys he
makes punches with (when he and Spence “trash-talked” one another before Pacquiao
embarrassed Thurman, Porter couldn’t stay in character long enough to get his
lines right, and both men came off more endearing than fearsome).

Which is a winding path to writing this:
Saturday’s mainevent won’t be very good. 
Styles make fights – have you heard? – and Spence and Porter have
similar styles.  And Spence is better at
every facet of that style, so much so that we miss how similarly he and Porter
are as stylists (too, Porter has been matched much less sympathetically than
Spence lately, which makes Porter look like a flailing volume guy while some
aspiring aficionados might’ve once mistaken Spence for a power-puncher).

I can forgive myself for admitting a year ago
I’d’ve picked Spence to ruin Porter in 10 rounds or fewer.  But Spence’s slap-and-tickle contest with
Garcia weighs heavily on such predictions now. 
Porter should look about twice Garcia’s size and girth swimming his way
towards Spence, Saturday, and we’re not altogether certain how well Spence
fights off his backfoot, are we?  But
lest we forget, boxing’s clown pauper, AB, dropped Porter flat in the final
minutes of their 2015 contest, and one must believe at 147 pounds Spence hits
much much harder than About Billions.

I’ll take Spence, UD-12, in a match not even Ray
Mancini can call a candidate for fight of the year.

Bart Barry can be reached via Twitter @bartbarry

By Bart Barry-

ZAPOPAN, Mexico – This is a place that looks like Guadalajara on a map but like Chapalita right next door holds itself apart from the city at whose airport you must first arrive to visit. Saturday began with a pool party in the hills, a familiar’s friend’s parents’ house, the sort of thing that made more sense when you were 25 years younger and relies on no one saying or even thinking something like that. In its Late Prosperity manner, it was an apt way to begin an afternoon that led to an evening that concluded with Terence “Bud” Crawford’s unmanning Amir Khan.

Thing about Late Prosperity is the spotlight it shines on bygone aspiration. Whereas a pair of Hush Puppies and a La-Z-Boy remain comfortable years and years after their original influencers have migrated to sneakers and IKEA, what modern sorts of architecture and design hallmark Late Prosperity were quite obviously chosen to make an important statement regardless of their dysfunction.

When the asymmetric fixtures basked in a fresh coat of Miami Vice pink or turquoise it mattered little the sharp edges and discomfort all round them, but it’s been 30 years and the green’s gone moldy and the pink grayish, cream-of-what-once-was, and now the first thought that happens, long before even the least-discerning mind processes it, is a word like “unkempt” – which marches the mind down a path of spent-fortunes and last-testaments ignored of economic necessity. The fiftysomething children or grandchildren, overeducated products of overpriced educations, retain all the cultivated tastes and enthusiastic weirdness of their eccentric forebearers but naught of the fortune; what’s desperately worse than weird rich people is their middleclass descendants.

That made Saturday’s poolparty fine foreplay for Saturday’s pay-per-view broadcast. What are some of the hallmarks of Late Prosperity in boxing? Words like “historic” uttered over and over. Words, for that matter, of any kind, uttered over and over. The motormouth striving for relevance, the venue worship, the tired namedropping:

“Madison Square Garden. What, you’ve never – how about Marciano, Robinson, Frazier, Duran, Ali? Surely you’ve heard of them, everyone has. We were surprised to get the invitation but thrilled to accept, but when you think about it, actually, it makes sense we would be here. My grandfather was from Holbrook, you know, which is very nearby Brockton, where Rocky Marciano grew up?”

Meanwhile, all round this production, the normal people with publicschool educations and jobs with salaries and bosses, folks who know who they are and don’t mind it, politely nod and silently wonder when the cake will be cut. Not for a hell of a while. Not till another halfdozen drinks get mixed and the same halfdozen dull stories get renovated and recounted, not till these normal folks get reminded in every imaginable way how lucky they are to be what bit actors compose the background scenery in the crowded courtyard where the historymaking event is due to unfold in the next hour or two.

It’s maddening enough to make you mad enough to ask how it all happened like this, and if you begin the search for a specific villain and go deep enough in it you realize there’s no villain but the system – everyone who thinks he’s a puppetmaster be entangled in the same string lattice as the paupers whose strings he thinks he pulls. Bud Crawford’s lowblow was a fitting end to such a spectacle, fitting as Amir Khan’s predictable and anemic submission to a better man’s fists.

To watch Khan is not to get surprised by his victimhood in meaningful fights but to get surprised by anyone else’s surprise, to wonder, essentially, who the hell decided we should take him seriously in the first place. There was no moment any aficionado doubted Saturday’s outcome; Khan was smaller and weaker and dumber and slower and less balanced and less prepared, and watching him beaten conclusively unto unconsciousness would satisfy solely our beloved sport’s worst impulses. That’s before we consider this was a pay-per-view event, th’t there was an additional charge to see this mess because a transnational media corporation and its wealthy promoter couldn’t possibly cover whatever purse the world’s best prizefighter wanted for a welterweight exhibition match.

Something only marginally worse happened on Fox Sports for free, Saturday, and if PBC still shows no empathy with aficionados’ plight, at least it gets the price right often as not. It’s exhibition matches far as the eye can see, there, too, though without (as much of) the pound-for-pound puffery ESPN now pounds its viewers with.

While we’re evidently stuck on the letter ‘p’ let’s get into this week’s palliative. DAZN will broadcast a wonderful rematch Friday and the continuation of a still-more-wonderful tournament Saturday – when Srisaket Sor Rungvisai and Juan Francisco Estrada swap blows in Inglewood, Calif., the night before World Boxing Super Series returns with two junior welterweight matches from Lafayette, La.

DAZN does not yet know what it is, but we already know it is not Late Prosperity. DAZN is making mistakes its peers do not, it is choosing events at least as much as personalities, it is aspiring to become a platform while its peers get remanded, yet again, to the role of copromoter.

Bart Barry can be reached via Twitter @bartbarry

NEW YORK CITY — WBO world welterweight champion Terence “Bud” Crawford (35-0, 26KO) retained his title, scoring a strange and somewhat controversial 6th round TKO over former junior welterweight champ Amir Khan (33-5, 20KO) in the main of an ESPN PPV card in front of 14,091 paid fans at Madison Square Garden.

The switch-hitting Crawford, 31, who is notorious for his slow starts, switched the script tonight and almost ended the fight in the first.  In the final minute of the opening round, Omaha’s favorite son connected with a counter right over an extended Khan jab, then followed it with a left for good measure, sending Khan crumbling to the mat.  The Brit was able to beat referee David Fields ten-count, but was quickly met with fury from Crawford. When the bell rang to end round one, Khan was so confused that he assumed a fighting posture for a few extra seconds.

Khan did enough to get by in rounds two and three, and in the fourth saw minor success when engaging in exchanges with Crawford.  Make no mistake though, time and again it was Crawford who landed the more significant blows.

The end came suddenly and controversially in the sixth when Crawford dug a meaty left below the belt that immediately had Khan doubled over in pain.  After taking about two of his allotted five minutes to recover, Khan informed his trainer, Virgil Hunter, that he was unable to continue and the ringside physician stepped up to stop the contest.  Fields ruled the punch an “accidental low blow” and the official result was read, to a chorus of boos, as a TKO for Crawford with an official stoppage of :47 in the fifth round.

Crawford has now stopped his last six opponents inside the distance.  The last time he went to the scorecards was in July 2016 against Viktor Postol.  The win also furthers Crawford case to surmount WBA/WBO world lightweight champion Vasiliy Lomachenko (13-1, 10KO) atop boxing’s pound-for-pound list.  The win also furthers Crawford case for pound fWBA/WBO world lightweight champion Vasiliy Lomachenko (13-1, 10KO) atop boxing’s pound-for-pound list.

Tonight marked Khan’s first fight back with Hunter after working with Joe Goossen for his last two contests, both of which were victories against lesser competition.  The result tonight also marks Khan’s fourth stoppage loss in five career defeats. Khan’s other professional defeats have come courtesy of Saul “Canelo” Alvarez (51-1-2, 35KO), Danny Garcia (34-2, 20KO), Lamont Peterson (35-5-1, 17KO), and Breidis Prescott (31-16, 22KO).

“I could tell I was breaking him down, it was just a matter of time,” Crawford said post-fight.  “I just took my time. I was disappointed the corner stopped the fight in that manner, but Virgil is a great coach, and he was looking out for his fighter. I know he didn’t want to go out like that.”

Crawford also dismissed the notion that Khan had fast hands.  “Benavidez and Gamboa were 10 times faster than him,” he said bluntly.

“The fight I want next is Errol Spence,” he continued. “Whenever he is ready, he can come and get it.”

Top Rank chair Bob Arum echoed Crawford, “We want to fight Errol Spence,” he said. “Everyone wants the fight. There is one guy stopping it, and that is Al Haymon.”

Due to the boxing political divide, a more likely Crawford opponent could be longtime Khan rival Kell Brook (38-2, 26KO) who was in attendance to “scout” Crawford.

ALL ABOARD! Teofimo Lopez KOs Edis Tatli In 5

The 2018 consensus Prospect of the Year, Teofimo Lopez (13-0, 11KO) kept the Teofimo Express rolling, KOing Finnish veteran Edis Tatli (31-3, 10KO) with a body shot in the fifth round of their scheduled twelve round lightweight contest.

The always-flashy Brooklyn-born Lopez, started slower than usual, taking time in the early goings to set traps he could utilize later in the bout.

It wasn’t until the fourth round that Lopez, a former 2016 Honduran Olympian, began to impose his will on his 31 year-old counterpart.  Midway through the fourth, Lopez caught Tatli, who was fighting in the US for the first time, with a short right hand that sent him off-balance.  The 21 year-old kept the heat on, following up with a flurry of shots that culminated with Lopez landing a behind the back punch that earned him a warning from the referee.

In the ensuing round, Lopez was intent on closing the show, and did so with a straight right to the Tatli’s right hip area that dropped him to a knee where he was counted out by the referee.  The end of the fight came at the 1:32 mark of round 5, and a Lopez celebratory backflip shortly followed.

Lopez has now stopped his last five opponents inside the distance, a streak that dates back to last May.

With regards to the future, Lopez and his trainer/father, Teofimo Lopez Jr., have repeatedly called for a fight with WBO world lightweight champion Vasiliy Lomachenko (13-1, 10KO).  Lomachenko, however, has made it clear he has little interest in a Lopez clash unless he’s bringing hardware to the table. That perhaps clears the way for Lopez to take on IBF world lightweight champion Richard Commey (28-2, 25KO).  Commey was previously penciled in to face Lomachenko in a unification clash, but had to pull out due to a right hand injury.

The result marked the first time in his 35-fight career that Tatli suffered defeat before the final bell.  His other two losses came via the cards by way of split and majority decisions.

“I knew I was going to get him with a body shot,” Lopez said.  “I softened him up and finished him…I want a world title shot next…We promised to take over the show, and once again, I took it over.”

“I’m ready for Richard Commey or the WBC title. As long as it’s for a title, I am ready to go. No one can take my power.”

Speed Kills: Shakur Stevenson UDs Christopher Diaz

Undefeated lightweight prospect Shakur Stevenson (11-0, 7KO) aced his toughest test yet, scoring a ten round unanimous decision over former world title challenger Christopher “Pitufo” Diaz (24-2, 16KO).

After a brief feeling out period, the southpaw Stevenson began landing impactful shots in round two, using pawing jabs to set up straight left hands.

In the third, Stevenson’s hand speed was on full display, as he peppered Diaz, 24, with combinations to head and body, darting in and out without being hit with any return fire.

In round five, arguably Diaz’s best, the Puerto Rican started to muddy the waters, bringing the fight in-close, forcing the twenty-one year old Stevenson to fight in tight.

The next round, however, Stevenson popped more jabs, reset the distance, and again found his mark with combinations.

Stevenson, a former 2016 Olympic Silver Medalist, didn’t relent down the stretch, as he continued to mark up Diaz, using superior footwork and hand-speed to hit and not get hit.

At the end of ten, all three judges scored it for Stevenson: 100-90, 99-91, and 99-92.

In the lead up to tonight’s contest, Top Rank chair Bob Arum told various media outlets that his team, specifically matchmakers Brad Goodman and Bruce Trampler, repeatedly tried to talk the Stevenson camp out of taking a fight the Freddie Roach-trained Diaz.  They insisted that they could produce a worthy challenger that posed less risk to their rising star. But the Stevenson camp remained stubborn, convinced the crafty southpaw could handle Diaz and take a giant leap towards earning a title shot, and they were right.  Stevenson handled Diaz with ease. In fact, there was no moment during the thirty minute contest that Stevenson was ever in danger.

Diaz’s only other defeat came in his lone title fight when he dropped a decision to Japan’s Masayuki Ito (25-1-1, 13KO) last June.

“Listen, I want all the champions at 126 pounds,” Stevenson said afterward.  “Josh Warrington is someone I want to fight. I am ready.”

He continued, “I take nothing away from Christopher Diaz. He’s a great fighter, but I came in there to outbox him, and that’s exactly what I did.”

Felix Verdejo Scores Wide UD Over Bryan Vasquez

Felix “El Diamante” Verdejo (25-1, 16KO) scored a wide unanimous decision over two-time world title challenger Bryan “El Tiquito” Vasquez (37-4-0, 20KO) in a ten round lightweight contest that opened the PPV portion of tonight’s card at Madison Square Garden.

In the early goings, Verdejo, 25, worked exclusively behind his jab, constantly snapping left hands in his Costa Rican counterpart’s direction.  In the third, a Vasquez right opened a cut under Verdejo’s increasingly-puffy right eye that started streaming blood.

Perhaps prompted by the cut, Verdejo turned up the aggression in the fourth and began to take full control of the fight.  The one-time highly-touted Puerto Rican prospect started unleashing his right hand, finding success throwing one-twos and right crosses.

Credit Vasquez though, who never once turned back.  The 31 year-old was undeterred by Verdejo’s shots, and kept coming forward, trying desperately to land something of significance.

That punch would never come, and in the end all three judges scored it widely for Verdejo: 97-93×2 and 98-92 for Verdejo.

The result makes it two consecutive wins for Verdejo since suffering a shocking TKO10 stoppage against Ines Antonio Lozada Torres (40-2-1, 24KO) at the Theater at Madison Square Garden last March.  Verdejo KO’d Yardley Armenta Cruz (25-13, 15KO) last November.

Prior to tonight, Vasquez had won two in a row since finding himself on the losing end of a MD against former WBO world lightweight champion Rey Beltran (36-8-1, 22KO).  Vasquez’s only other career defeats came in featherweight world title challenges, against Takashi Utiyama (2012) and Javier Fortuna (2015).

“It was an honor for me to get a big victory in front of my fans at Madison Square Garden,” Verdejo said afterward.  “I defeated a great fighter in Vasquez…I am looking for a world title opportunity soon.”

Felix Verdejo Scores Wide UD Over Bryan Vasquez

Felix “El Diamante” Verdejo (25-1, 16KO) scored a wide unanimous decision over two-time world title challenger Bryan “El Tiquito” Vasquez (37-4-0, 20KO) in a ten round lightweight contest that opened the PPV portion of tonight’s card at Madison Square Garden.

In the early goings, Verdejo, 25, worked exclusively behind his jab, constantly snapping left hands in his Costa Rican counterpart’s direction.  In the third, a Vasquez right opened a cut under Verdejo’s increasingly-puffy right eye that started streaming blood.

Perhaps prompted by the cut, Verdejo turned up the aggression in the fourth and began to take full control of the fight.  The one-time highly-touted Puerto Rican prospect started unleashing his right hand, finding success throwing one-twos and right crosses.

Credit Vasquez though, who never once turned back.  The 31 year-old was undeterred by Verdejo’s shots, and kept coming forward, trying desperately to land something of significance.

That punch would never come, and in the end all three judges scored it widely for Verdejo: 97-93×2 and 98-92 for Verdejo.

The result makes it two consecutive wins for Verdejo since suffering a shocking TKO10 stoppage against Ines Antonio Lozada Torres (40-2-1, 24KO) at the Theater at Madison Square Garden last March.  Verdejo KO’d Yardley Armenta Cruz (25-13, 15KO) last November.

Prior to tonight, Vasquez had won two in a row since finding himself on the losing end of a MD against former WBO world lightweight champion Rey Beltran (36-8-1, 22KO).  Vasquez’s only other career defeats came in featherweight world title challenges, against Takashi Utiyama (2012) and Javier Fortuna (2015).

“It was an honor for me to get a big victory in front of my fans at Madison Square Garden,” Verdejo said afterward.  “I defeated a great fighter in Vasquez…I am looking for a world title opportunity soon.”

Carlos Adames TKOs Frank Galarza In 4

In a crossroads clash originally slated for ten rounds, undefeated Dominican junior middleweight prospect Carlos Adames (17-0, 14KO) remained perfect, stopping Frank Galarza (20-3-2, 12KO) inside four, claiming the NABO junior middleweight title in the process.

Adames, a 24 year-old southpaw trained by Robert Garcia, outclassed his veteran foe from the opening bell, snapping jabs to set up left crosses, for which Galarza had no answer.  Midway through the opening round, Adames connected with a left that opened a cut on the corner of Galarza’s right eye.

Adames continued to dominate the action in rounds two and three and in the fourth finally broke through, sending Galarza to the mat courtesy of a beautifully thrown left cross that exploded on Galarza’s chin.  Galarza beat referee Benjy Esteves’ ten-count, but the Dominican kept his foot on the gas and after showering Galarza with unobstructed punches, Esteves stepped in to stop the contest at the 1:17 mark of round four.

Prior to tonight’s contest, Galarza had strung together a three-fight win streak since dropping two in a row to current IBF/WBA middleweight champion Jarrett Hurd (November 2015) and former IBF world middleweight champion Ishe Smith (September 2016).

Tonight marked Adames’ second appearance in the big room at MSG.  He outpointed veteran Mexican veteran Alejandro Barrera (19-5, 18KO) here in May 2018.

“This was a message to all of the 154-pounders. I want to face all the best,” Adames said post-fight.

“I believe Robert Garcia will get the most out of me. I felt great with him. He told me I was winning the fight, and he told me to pressure him because he was ready to go.”

Edgar Berlanga Destroys Samir Barbosa Inside One

In his Top Rank debut, Brooklyn-born middleweight prospect Edgar “Pachanga” Berlanga (10-0, 10KO) battered and blasted out Brazilian veteran Samir Barbosa (37-16-3, 26KO), disposing  him in just :46 seconds.

It all happened quickly, starting when 21 year-old Berlanga, who previously fought under Evander Holyfield’s “Real Deal” promotional banner, landed a short chopping right that stunned Barbosa.  Berlanga quickly followed up with a hard jab and two more rights, forcing the ref to step in and stop the contest.

While he didn’t get the result he was hoping for, tonight’s fight represented a milestone for the 38 year-old dos Santos Barbosa, who has now fought professionally in ten countries.

For the Puerto Rican-blooded Berlanga, tonight marked his fifth fight within New York City’s five boroughs, but first in Manhattan and first at the Garden.  Berlanga’s next fight is already slated for May 25 when he’ll take on Hungary’s Gyorgy Varju (7-4, 4KO) in Kissimmee, FL.

“I know this will open up a lot of opportunities for me,” Berlanga said afterward.  “I want to make my people from Brooklyn and Puerto Rico proud.”

Ireland’s Fryers Improves To 10-1 With UD Over Noah Kidd

In the third consecutive fight to go the distance, Irish junior welterweight Larry Fryers (10-1, 3KO) shutout Missouri’s Dakota Polley (5-3, 2KO) in a six round contest.  All judges cards read 60-53×3.

It wasn’t as easy a night as the scorecards suggest for the 28 year-old Irishman as he time and again had to eat punches to land his own.

Polley, who was KO’d by Luis Feliciano (10-6, 6KO) his last time between the ropes, showed a decent account of himself tonight.  The 20 year old southpaw went toe-to-toe with Fryer, but consistently got bested when the two exchanged.

In the fifth round, a Fryer lunging left, in which he led with his head, resulted in a clash that produced a deep cut over Polley’s right eye.  In the ensuing round, Polley was deducted a point by the referee for holding.

Ex-Indian Olympian Vikas Krishan UDs Noah Kidd

Former two-time Indian Olympian Vikas “The Indian Tank” Krishan (2-0, 1KO) easily oupointed Missouri’s Noah Kidd (3-2-1, 2KO) in a six round junior middleweight scrap.  All judges scored widely for the 27-year old Indian, 60-54×2 and 59-55. Krishan, a southpaw, controlled the contest bell to bell, but lacked killer instinct, allowing Kidd to linger.  No matter, though. At this point in his career, banking rounds without headgear probably isn’t a bad thing for Krishan.

Lawrence Newton UDs Jonathan Garza To Kick Off MSG Card

Twenty-two year-old Florida native Lawrence Newton ran his record to 12-0, 7KO scoring a wide unanimous decision over Texan Jonathan Garza (7-3, 2KO) in a six round bantamweight contest.  Official scores read 60-54×2 and 59-55, Newton. The fight was the first of nine from Madison Square Garden, culminating when undefeated WBO welterweight champion Terence Crawford (34-0, 25KO) defends his title against former junior welterweight champion Amir Khan (33-4, 20KO) live on ESPN PPV ($69.99HD/$59.99SD).  All undercard fights from the World’s Most Famous Arena are currently airing on ESPN2 up until the PPV portion of the card, which will be begin at 9pm ET.

Follow all the action as Terence Crawford defends the WBO Welterweight title against former world champion Amir Khan.  The card begins at 9 PM ET / 6 PM PT and 2 AM in the UK with Felix Verdejo taking on Bryan Vazquez; Shakur Stevenson taking on Christopher Diaz and Teofimo Lopez battling Edis Tatli.

NO BROWSER REFRESH NEEDED.  THE PAGE WILL UPDATE AUTOMATICALLY

Round 1: Jab from Khan….HARD RIGHT AND DOWN GOES KHAN…Hard right..Right buckles Khan

Round 2 Combination from Khan..Right..Lead right and sweeping right from Crawford..Combination from Khan..Lead right from Crawford..

Round 3 Right from Khan..Counter from Crawford…Crawford switches southpaw…Right hook..Jab and left..Straight left

Round 4  Right from Crawford..Body and head..Right hook and body..2 rights..left to body..Right to body..Right from Khan

Round 5 Combination to head…Big right from Crawford,,3 punch combination..1-2 from Khan…Big left from Crawford..Uppercut..Khan lands a right,,jab..Good right

Round 6 Low blow by Crawford…FIGHT STOPPED….TKO WIN FOR CRAWFORD

Round 1 Right from Lopez..left to body

Round 2 Lopez lands a left to the body…Right to head..left hook..body and head combo..Blood from nose of Tatli..

Round 3 Right to head from Lopez

Round 4 Left from Tatli..Left from Lopez..Hard left to body…2 hard rights…Good counter right..Hard combination

Round 5 Jab from Tatli..RIGHT TO BODY AND DOWN GOES TATLI…HE DOES NOT BEAT THE COUNT

Round 1: 2 lefts from Stevenson..Right hook..

Round 2 Right from Diaz..

Round 3 Combination from Stevenson..Straight left..Good combination..Straight left

Round 4 Combination from Diaz…Right hook from Stevenson..Body shot..Straight left and body..Body shot..Straight from Diaz..Straight left from Stevenson..

Round 5 Uppercut on inside from Stevenson..Right from Diaz..Good combination from Stevenson..Combination in middle of the ring..

Round 6 Right from Diaz..Hard left from Stevenson..Combination to the head and another..Uppercut..

Round 7 Straight left from Stevenson…Combination..Combination from Diaz..

Round 8 1-2 from Stevenson…Right to body from Stevenson

Round 9 Jab from Stevenson..

Round 10 Straight left from Stevenson

100-90, 99-91, 98-92 FOR STEVENSON

Round 1 Left from Vasquez..Right from Verdejo..Big right..Counter from Vasquez..Good right from Verdejo..Jab..Right from Vasquez..

Round 2 Combination from Verdejo…Mouse under left eye of Verdejo..Right to body/left to head from Verdejo..Jab to body

Round 3 Jab from Verdejo..Body shot from Vasquez..Uppercut..Right from Verdejo..

Round 4 Left from Vasquez..Left hook..Blood from around left eye of Verdejo..Right over the top from Vasquez..and another..

Round 5 Right from Verdejo..Right..Good right..Good left to body..

Round 6 Left to body from Verdejo…Good right from Vasquez

Round 7 Long right from Verdejo..Right from Vasquez..Uppercut from Verdejo..Counter from Vasquez..Hard right from Verdejo..

Round 8 Counter right from Vasquez..Jab from Verdejo..Right from Vasquez..Right from Verdejo..

Round 9 Nice jab to body from Verdejo..left to body.3 punch combination

Round 10  Right from Verdejo..Left hook from Vasquez..Body punch from Verdejo

98-92 TWICE…97-93 FOR VERDEJO

NEW YORK (April 20, 2019) -Two-Time Olympian from India, Vikas Krishan is set to make his 2nd pro outing when he takes on Noah Kidd in a scheduled six-round bout TONIGHT at Madison Square Garden.

The Krishan – Kidd bout can be seen live on ESPN 2 beginning at 6 P.M. ET.

Krishan, who is a police officer in his home district of Bhiwani in Haryana, India, made a successful pro debut when he stopped Steven Andrade in the 1st round of their bout on January 19th in Verona, New York.

Kidd of Jefferson City, Missouri has a respectable pro record of 3-1-1 with two knockouts, with his only loss being to Olympic Gold Medal winner Daniyar Yeleussinov.

The 27 year-old Krishan was an Olympian in 2012 and 2016, and is the only Indian fighter in history to capture gold medals at both the Asian and Commonwealth Games as well as the AIBA Youth Boxing Championships.

In 2012, at the London Olympics, he defeated current IBF welterweight champion Errol Spence Jr. via 13-11 decision, only for the decision to be controversially overturned five hours later due to various fouls Krishan committed during the bout.

In the last Olympics, Krishan made it to the quarterfinals. He became the first three-medal winner of the Asian Games as he won a Bronze Medal.

Krishan weighed 154.2 lbs at Friday’s weigh-in, while Kidd was 153.2 lbs.

Krishan is managed by Split-T Management, and is promoted by Top Rank.

15rounds.com was able to catch up with a few boxing notables at Madison Square Garden at the weigh-in for the Terence Crawford (34-0, 25KO) v. Amir Khan (33-4, 20KO) ESPN PPV card.

–Undefeated Top Rank prospect Julian “Hammer Hands” Rodriguez (16-0, 10KO) says he’s finally feels 100% after undergoing left shoulder surgery. Rodriguez hasn’t fought since decisioning Dario Ferman (17-6, 14KO) in September 2017. Rodriguez and his team are eyeing a June fight date and hope to compete three times in 2019.

–Former IBF world welterweight titleist Kell Brook (38-2, 26KO) was at MSG, but had little interest in Amir Khan. “He [Khan] doesn’t want none of it,” Brook told 15rounds. Brook’s big bold prediction? His beloved Sheffield United secure promotion to the Premier League. They currently sit tied with Leeds United on points, but occupy second place due to having a better goal differential.

–When asked who he likes to win in tomorrow’s main event, former two-division world champion Zab Judah (44-9-2, 30KO) said, “The winner. They’re [Crawford and Khan] both already legends.” When pressed to choose the victor, Judah reiterated, “I’m going with the winner.”

–Look to 15rounds.com tomorrow for rapid ringside recaps of all fights from Madison Square Garden. Undercards begin at 6pm Eastern and will be shown on ESPN2. The PPV portion of the card will begin at 9pm Eastern.

ESPN PPV (9 p.m. EST)

• Terence Crawford 146.4 lbs vs. Amir Khan 146.6 lbs
(Crawford’s WBO Welterweight world title – 12 Rounds)

• Teofimo Lopez 135 lbs vs. Edis Tatli 134.8 lbs
(Lopez’s NABF Lightweight title – 12 Rounds)

• Shakur Stevenson 125.8 lbs vs. Christopher Diaz 125.6 lbs
(Stevenson’s IBF Intercontinental and vacant NABO Featherweight titles – 10 Rounds)

• Felix Verdejo 135 lbs vs. Bryan Vasquez 135.4 lbs
(Lightweight – 10 Rounds)

ESPN2 and ESPN Deportes (6 p.m. EST)

• Carlos Adames 154 lbs vs. Frank Galarza 153.4 lbs
(Adames’ NABF and vacant NABO 154-pound titles – 10 Rounds)

• Edgar Berlanga 163.8 lbs vs. Samir Barbosa 160 lbs
(Middleweight – 8 Rounds)

• Larry Fryers 140 lbs vs. Dakota Polley 139.6 lbs
(Super Lightweight – 6/4 Rounds)

• Vikas Krishan 154.2 lbs vs. Noah Kidd 153.2 lbs
(Super Welterweight – 6 Rounds)

• Lawrence Newton 118.2 lbs vs. Jonathan Garza 119 lbs
(Bantamweight – 6 Rounds)
ABOUT CRAWFORD VS. KHAN

CRAWFORD vs. KHAN is a 12-round fight for the WBO welterweight championship of the world, presented by Top Rank in association with Matchroom Boxing and Khan Promotions. The event is sponsored by Geico. CRAWFORD vs. KHAN will take place Saturday, April 20, beginning at 9 p.m. EST/6 p.m. PST at Madison Square Garden, and will be produced by Top Rank and ESPN and distributed live by ESPN Pay-Per-View.

Tickets for this world championship event priced at $606, $406, $306, $206, $106, $81, and $56 (including facility fees) can be purchased at the Madison Square Garden Box Office, all Ticketmaster outlets, Ticketmaster charge by phone (866-858-0008) and online at www.ticketmaster.com or www.MSG.com.

For more information, visit: www.toprank.com, www.espn.com/boxing; Facebook:facebook.com/trboxing; Twitter: twitter.com/trboxing.

Use the hashtag #CrawfordKhan to join the conversation on social media.

Top Rank on ESPN blow-by-blow commentator Joe Tessitore, analysts – former two-division world titleholder, Tim Bradley and former pound-for-pound two-division world champion, Andre Ward, participated in a media conference call yesterday to discuss the welterweight showdown between pound-for-pound king Terence “Bud” Crawford vs. former unified 140-pound champion Amir “King” Khan. Crawford-Khan will mark the first PPV event under the Top Rank on ESPN banner on Saturday, April 20 at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT from Madison Square Garden.

A transcript of the conference call follows:

JOE TESSITORE: Thank you so much, and welcome, everybody. We’re thrilled as a production team to have this night. I sit there and you get the introduction there, and I hear we’re coming on the air with ESPN2 at 6 o’clock, knowing we’re coming on Pay-Per-View 9 o’clock.

So, now I’m sitting here looking at this bout sheet saying, holy cow, we’ve got to broadcast nine fights. This is unbelievable here, just the workload. But here’s what I love about Saturday night. And we’ll get into the main event plenty. When we put forth this relationship with Top Rank, one of the major themes was we’re going to serve the boxing fan really, really well.

And I think we all collectively feel good about what’s been accomplished since we went on the air with Manny Pacquiao and Jeff Horn from Australia a couple summers ago right through the past year, with the growth and development of ESPN+, with what we’ve been doing on ESPN. And I’m so sick of hearing my voice on a 30-second commercial promo right now on ESPN this week, and I’m sure everybody else is, too. But what it shows you is an unbelievable commitment from the network to put this sport forward the way it always should have been in the course of the last 25 to 30 years — that the role this support now plays on the landscape of American sports is back to what it always was, of being a very mainstream.

And this night really over-delivers to the fans, and we’re really excited about it. We just got done having our production meetings with all the fighters. And as much as we have arguably the pound-for-pound best fighter in the world, an undefeated fighter, a generational talent in Bud Crawford against a global star, a well-marketed, former champion who still has tons of speed and skill and athleticism to make this a very competitive fight. We have a Pay-Per-View card that’s worthy of a Pay-Per-View card because you have rising undefeated stars, you have intrigue and next-generational talent kind of guys cars in Shakur Stevenson and Teofimo Lopez both taking step-up fights. And we feel like we’re going to over-deliver to the fans on Saturday night.

And I think in recent years — and, listen, this is ESPN’s first venture in this relationship of stepping into Pay-Per-View — in recent years you haven’t been able to say that about the sport, whether living in the corner of premium cable or whether living in the world of Pay-Per-View, which for the most part was economic relief for promoters and networks rather than really delivering a hefty night to the fans.

And we feel from 6 o’clock through or past midnight on Saturday night we are going to serve the fan. And that is first and foremost.

Now, the primary way we’re going to serve the fan is two very determined world-class fighters being in the ring at the end of all of that.

Just moments ago Bud Crawford and Amir Khan left the room that we’re sitting in now. I’ll let Tim and Andre tell you what they’re seeing, what they’re thinking, what they expecting in the fight. But here’s what I do know: We’re getting two guys at their absolute prime, at their absolute best, the version of each of them.

We got a very surly, and nasty Bud Crawford sit with us before, and we’ve had that version of Bud Crawford sit with us in production meetings before. And when you get that version of Bud Crawford, you get a serious ending to a fight that’s memorable.

And we have Amir Khan feeling that right now, 33 wins into his career, fighting in a weight class where he’s undefeated, feeling a sense of maturity, having a 12-week training camp with Virgil Hunter, he sits here and he tells us that he’s completely ready.

And then you hear the deference shown from Bud Crawford of recognizing Amir Khan’s physical gifts — his boxing skills, his legs, his straight punches, his fighting prowess — and I have a feeling that this fight, as it draws closer, is much more than how it was perceived when it was first signed.

Anytime you go up against a guy like Vasiliy Lomachenko or Bud Crawford, I don’t care who is opposite them, the early perception of the fight is, ah, man, we know what’s going to happen here. Listen, I have great intrigue as to what’s going to happen in the first six to eight rounds of this fight.

Much like we’ve seen other times with Amir Khan. Tell me about an Amir Khan fight that you’ve ever seen — listen, the guy went all the way up to 160 pounds against Canelo Alvarez; he’s never in a bad fight.

And I think we’re getting the absolute best version of him here. I want to turn it over to Tim.

TIM BRADLEY: I’m just glad to be here, one. And also after last week, looking at arguably the number one pound-for-pound fighter in the game, Lomachenko, now we’re coming back this week to look at Terence Bud Crawford, and we get to compare the two.

Different opponents but I love the fact that we get to compare the two, and the fans at home that’s going to be watching, they’ll get a show from Bud Crawford and Amir Khan.

I want to see if the fans at home can pick after watching Bud Crawford, their number one pound-for-pound — that’s what I’m interested in. And I want to see if Amir Khan still has a lot left in the tank. I want to see how well he prepared. And if he has the ability still to compete at the welterweight division.

ANDRE WARD: So I don’t know what else I can say that Joe and Tim haven’t said. But I will say I’m also excited about calling this fight on ESPN Pay-Per-View. I read a headline the other day that, basically it was a writer saying something to the effect — and he (writer) may be on this call right now — but something to the effect that he’s predicting or hoping for, you know, a failure for this Pay-Per-View.

And that’s just not the type of headline that should be written when we’re — the collective goal is to push this sport forward and to grow this sport.

And this type of card, this type of event is going to do that. And just like Joe said, from top to bottom, you have Verdejo, who is trying to reclaim the glory he once had. He doesn’t have one championship round under his belt. And he’s literally fighting for his boxing future to show the people that he’s still El Diamante, that he still has what it takes to be a champion one day.

Obviously you have a young man that I’m familiar with, Shakur Stevenson, who is — he wants to be in the top spot. He’s on the fast track. The team, Top Rank and obviously myself and the other managers, we’d like him to probably take a slower route. But in this day and age, man, the young fighters they want to move a lot faster. He has what it takes, but it’s not going to be easy against Diaz.

Diaz challenged for a world title not too long ago. He came up short. But he obviously showed that he’s in the running. He deserves to be in the race to be facing the top in the division. And he wants to show Shakur that Shakur picked the wrong contender to pick on.

You obviously have Teofimo Lopez, the co-main event. He’s in the peculiar position where, yes, he’s getting a lot of headlines; yes, he can fight. No doubt about that. But people still have questions, as they will for the course of his career, that’s how it goes.

How good is he and can he back up the big talk? And this is pressure that he and his father have heaped upon themselves. I respect it. It’s not an easy thing to do. You have enough pressure as is just being a young prospect with a hot name.

And they’re not only doing that, but they’re calling out guys like Lomachenko, who, again, depending on where you are on the pound-for-pound list or how you put either fighter, Crawford or Loma, he may be the best guy or number two, they’re calling for that guy. They’re not just saying we’re willing to face them; they’re demanding the fight.

That’s a lot of pressure to live up to and they’re doing it and I respect it. Whether you agree with it or not.

And then our main event, between Amir Khan and Terrance Crawford, I know Amir very well. It’s well publicized that he’s with my team. He has pretty much my whole team in the Bay Area.

Amir Khan is a silver medalist. The goods have always been there physically. But in the biggest moments he hasn’t been able to put it all together. And Amir’s issue is not information. It’s not knowing what to do or being told what to do. It’s always application; can he do it in the biggest moment?

And the question I would have for Amir Khan going into this fight is simply is it more important for you to prove to the people, the masses, the fans, the media how tough you are, or that you can take punishment, or that you’re a guy that has heart? Or is it more important to actually win the fight?

Because winning this fight, regardless of how he wins it, is really the only thing that’s going to extend his career.

Terrance Crawford, he has superseded just being in the discussion about fighting for titles. He’s done that. He’s been the undisputed champion at 140. He has plenty of belts. He’s in the position where every fight matters. And not just winning but how he wins, it matters when you’re in the discussion for pound-for-pound elite status, because clearly that is irrespective of weight class.

And every move, every performance is going to be scrutinized as it should be if you’re going to be in that discussion. So he’s not without pressure going into this fight. He not only has to win but he has to dominate and I would probably venture to say he probably needs a knockout to stay in that top conversation because of the history of Amir Khan.

Fans and media are going to match his performance up against every other top guy that Amir has fought. And that’s why I say — and I probably would never go on the record or at least up until this point I’ve yet to be on the record to say a guy needs a knockout — but because of Amir’s tasks he’s going to need that type of performance if he’s going to stay in the top spot or, for people who have number two, to supersede Loma. So here we are.

Q. Can you give fans your predictions for the fight goes the distance, many are predicting Kahn will KO. What if he doesn’t?

ANDRE WARD: If Khan is not KOed, I still believe Terence has more than enough ability to get the job done because of his style. He’s able to make adjustments in the ring. That’s why he’s considered among one of the best fighters pound-for-pound in the game.

Amir Khan has that amateur pedigree. He’s fought some tough guys. He does have a better resumé than Terence Crawford as far as opponents goes. But Amir Khan hasn’t really performed at the welterweight level, like Jake was saying, just yet. This is the big test at the welterweight division.

And if it does go the distance like I told you I think that Terence Crawford will win the decision without a doubt.

Bradley: I think I’ll answer the question. But I’ll reiterate what I said a few minutes ago. Obviously, a win is all that matters to Team Crawford. That’s what it’s about. That’s where the next payday comes. That’s where the next opportunity comes. You have to win. That’s first and foremost.

And I don’t believe personally that — obviously a knockout is better than a decision. That goes without saying. But I don’t think he feels like it’s a knockout or bust.

What I’m saying is in the eyes of most media members, and in the eyes of a lot of the fans, based on Amir Khan’s history, he’s going to be compared — the performance Saturday night is going to be compared to the other guys that stopped, the other three guys that stopped Amir Khan. And I still believe that if he dominated every round, he’s still at the top of the pound-for-pound list. But once again the reality is that the Crolla-Loma fight, whether you agree or not, whether I agree or not, is going to be compared to the Crawford-Khan fight.

So he’s in a tricky position, but this is a good position to be in. These are the waters you want to be in if you’re in the discussion, if you are dealing with the scrutiny of arguably being the best fighter in the world. That’s not something haphazard. That’s not something you just gloss over. That’s a big deal. But this is the kind of pressure that comes with it. We’ll see how the fight comes out.

TIM BRADLEY: And to piggyback off what Dre is saying, if you look at any of the top welterweights in the division — you know, you’ve got Errol Spence, Thurman and Shawn Porter — you look at these guys — Danny García, García has already knocked out Kahn.

If you match them with Kahn, you would bet that they would knock Kahn out. So it puts a lot of pressure on Terence Bud Crawford to get the knockout Saturday night.

ANDRE WARD: I’ll throw one more thing in there. If Canelo would have won a decision against Amir Kahn there would have been some boo birds. There would have been some people, a lot of critics saying, hey, this guy moved up to 160 — and I know it was two weight classes — but he moved up to 160 and you couldn’t stop him when he’s been stopped in the past?

Again, this is the reality of the situation. He’s going to be — this performance Saturday night is going to be compared not just to the other fights that Amir’s fought, but specifically the guys who have knocked him out. Everybody is going to match that up to the Crawford performance and say, oh, this is your pound-for-pound best. Well he didn’t do XYZ and that’s the name of the game and that’s how it goes.

Q. Tim, being that you’ve done big Pay-Per-Views and a lot of pressure has been on you, how much pressure is it on the Terence Crawford to deliver a spectacular performance even though he’s already knocked out the guy that knocked out Amir Kahn?

TIM BRADLEY: You know, being at the top level and to be mentioned in the top pound-for-pound, there’s always a lot of pressure. You know, this is Crawford’s second Pay-Per-View. There’s a lot of expectations from not only the media but also the boxing fans, the boxing world, (indiscernible) that he’s facing, Amir Khan, and the history of Khan in big fights and him being knocked out. So there’s a lot of pressure on Terrance Crawford going into this fight.

I have to say this, man. Khan is not as easy as everybody thinks. This fight is not going to be as easy as everybody thinks it’s going to be. Khan is highly motivated. He’s at a point in his career where he needs a fighter to get him up, and Terence Crawford is that guy. He’s that guy that, he has to dream about every single night for three months. And a guy that he should fear, because he knows what can happen because of the history that Khan has been in and has gone through. So Khan’s going to be ready more than what everybody thinks that he’s going to be.

He’s going to fight smart. He’s going to fight hard. He’s going to give Terence Crawford a challenge. There’s one thing that Terence Crawford does that kind of worries me a little bit is that when he’s in close, sometimes he pulls away with his hands out leaving himself exposed for a left hook from a little bit too close.

You can’t do that against a guy like Khan who is an Olympian, who has been in there with some top guys in the world without paying the price.

So I’m curious to see if Terence Crawford has fixed that. And I’m curious to see if Khan can make him pay for his mistakes.

Q. How much does a fighter think about doing a big Pay-Per-View like this leading up to the fight, how much does it factor into his psyche?

TIM BRADLEY: His psyche? Well, if you’re real, just put it this way, if you’re real you’ve got to be able to deal with the pressure. But I could tell you this: My first Pay-Per-View, when I fought against the best fighter pound-for-pound, Manny Pacquiao, at the time, I could tell you what Khan’s feeling right now, being the B side of things.

I felt like I was fighting against King Kong. I couldn’t eat. I couldn’t sleep. Everybody was expecting me to get knocked out against Manny Pacquiao. It was a lot of pressure, man.

I just had to relax, put it that way. I spoke to some of my friends who have been around boxing for a long time. They told me, Tim, just relax.

But the lead-up, in your hotel room, when you step foot on the scale, after that, man, it becomes a reality, man. And it can definitely hinder your performance when you step foot in the ring.

I have to say, another thing is that last week when we saw Lomachenko against Crolla — Crolla can say whatever he wants about not being nervous and not being scared, he didn’t fight that way from the opening bell.

Crolla fought scared. The bright lights got to him. And that can happen. That could very well happen.

But I don’t think it’s going to happen in this fight. Khan’s been here before. He’s been here before. He’s been in big events. I don’t think that’s going to happen. I think he’ll be fine.

Q. Andre, you said Crawford has a willingness to exchange, and this could be one of his emphasis. How can Amir Kahn exploit and capitalize on this?

ANDRE WARD: I think what I said was something to the effect of, Terence Crawford gets overeager at times, or if he gets hit he wants to get the punch back right away. So, instead of Terence in a particular instance showing 2s and 3s or a 3 and a 4, he’ll try to throw a 5 and 6. And on the 5 and 6 punch, he’ll exchange with the guys and he’ll tend to get caught at times.

That could be good and bad. The negative is you get hit. The positive is you were in range to do damage as well.

To sum this fight up in a nutshell, this fight is about the second and third adjustment. The first game plan they might match up evenly in the first round or two. But it’s the second adjustment that Terence is going to make, and the question and the burden and the onus is going to be on Khan — can he keep up, can he make the other adjustments?

And when Terence makes another adjustment, can Amir Khan make that adjustment? That’s where Amir sometimes gets left in the dust in those bigger fights against better competition, is they make the second or third adjustment. He doesn’t realize the process that, yo, this guy is setting me up for a big shot. Amir is going along to get along. He’s being sassed, he’s being what he is, he’s doing what he normally does, using a lot of athleticism, a lot of skill, the things he woke up and came out of the crib with.

But when it comes to digging deep mentally and saying, whoa, this guy is trying to set me up because he wants me to throw that right hand so he can come over the top with a left hook.

That’s what he’s been unable to do. I’m not sure if he can get that at this stage in his career. I know my godfather and my former coach has been working on that. He’s been doing his part on that. But, again, the issue with Amir Khan is not the information. It’s the application. He has the information. He’ll say the right things. He’s been in camp 10 weeks or 12 weeks, whatever it’s been.

I don’t have the entourage anymore. I’m focused. I know how important this fight is. So when the lights come on and the bell rings, and you get past that first adjustment where Terence starts to get out a little bit, what is Amir Kahn going to do?

Q. You mentioned you already met with Khan and Crawford. Anything standing with them looking in their eyes that changes or confirms your outlook for Saturday?

JOE TESSITORE: I’ll just reinforce the one observation I made a few times when we’ve had Bud in these production meetings. But there is a surly, mean streak that grows within him as you get closer to a fight like this, with Bud Crawford. And it was festering already today.

We usually have these production meetings on Friday where it’s very, very pronounced when you’re with him. It was already there today.

The other observation I would have is both guys are physically primed. When we throw, you know, the fit and ready around, they are fit and ready. So they’ve been on weight. So they’re comfortably eating, comfortably hydrating. You’re getting a very good physical version of both guys.

I would also say that Amir Khan as well as Virgil Hunter talked plenty about focus and discipline and attentiveness to what’s happening here. And Amir going so far as saying how much he’s even changed his fightweek norm, that last night that he found himself staying in and watching fights, watching some of his past fights, watching some of his sparring on tape and watching some of Crawford’s old fights. And he said in previous big fightweeks that would not be the case as to how he spent a Wednesday night. It would be family, it would be friends, it would be the gathering of everybody coming into town for the fight

So my personal takeaway is that you’re getting guys who are at their physical prime prepared peak and their mental prime prepared peak. That was my biggest takeaway.

Listen, we sit there, we go deep. I tend to think he’s conversations that we have in production meetings go far more philosophical and reflective than most any sport I do. And when I’m sitting there with Bill Belichick or Sean McVay getting ready to do Monday Night Football, it’s all scheme, all XO, it’s all personnel, it’s all where you are in the prep for the week.

These conversations go far deeper into the psyche, into the essence of somebody’s being. And with both of these guys you’re saying they’re A to A-plus, where they are right now.

ANDRE WARD: Just my takeaway, I’ll start with Amir Khan. You have to give Amir Khan credit because there’s not a lot of fighters that could have gone through what he’s gone through in the boxing ring and also the scrutiny he’s dealt with outside the ring.

And I’m talking about the personal scrutiny he gets, I’m talking about his in-ring performances. And he’s still bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. He’s still hopeful. He’s still fighting to make the necessary adjustments in his personal life, as a fighter.

I wasn’t around his training camp. I personally stayed away. I wasn’t around Terence’s camp either. I’m friends with both guys. I wanted to stay neutral as possible.

But I know instinctively that Amir Khan didn’t have an easy camp with his sparring partners. I know he had to fight every single day to keep these guys off of him. And I respect that. And I know that there’s been a disconnect between the information and application, like I said earlier,
but he truly believes he’s going to win. Amir Khan, even in his worst outing, you haven’t seen a guy turn tail and go the other way.

You haven’t seen a guy quit like — if you beat him, if you even stop him, you’re going to do have to do what a Canelo did, what a Danny García did. That’s literally what you’ll have to do to make him stop fighting. And even though stylistically and technically things aren’t perfect all the time and that’s the reason why those things happen, I respect the moxie and the willingness. And Amir Khan has shown more willingness by taking this fight than a lot of champions have shown over the last three or four or five years. And their efforts or lack of efforts to face the other top guys in their division.

Terence Crawford, I don’t mean to inject myself into this — but I see a lot of myself in him when I look at him two days before a fight, a day before a fight.

He’s not a guy that’s just fighting for bills, he’s not just fighting for money. That’s fine. That’s part of it. It’s prize fighting. He comes to get that as well. But he’s fighting for respect.

And when you have that chip on your shoulder, when you have that inclination that you’re not getting what you feel like you’ve rightfully earned, that’s a different type of fuel. That’s like what you saw in Aaron Pryor when he fought Alexis Arguello the first time and even the second time.

Alexis came in as the golden boy and everyone praised him. And Aaron Pryor was the young guy who had done a lot but yet didn’t have the respect. He came from the ghetto of Cincinnati. And it was one thing that set him off. And that really led to Arguello’s demise in that fight, if you watch “Legendary Nights,” is the ring announcer said, “Mr. Arguello” when he announced Alexis, and he just said “Aaron Pryor.”

It was that small thing that 99 percent of the people watching on television, the people inside the stadium would have missed, but because he felt marginalized, because he felt slighted, because he felt like the just due had never really been there even though he earned it, it was that little bit of fuel that caused him to do what he did to Alexis. And that’s the same material that Terence Crawford has inside of him.

Q. For Amir, fighting late in your career as an underdog, what’s going to be the physical/mental mindset to succeed on Saturday? And also in the blog world, people are saying even the best Amir Khan, Amir in his prime, that they would still pick Crawford over him. But is this version of Amir, the veteran that’s hungry to return, is this the best version that has the best chance of winning against Crawford?

TIM BRADLEY: Absolutely. At this point in Amir Khan’s career, when you have won championships, when you have earned the money, like I’ve said before, you need these type of fights to get you up for it, to get you back doing what you used to do.

And he went back with Virgil to get that education to be ready for this fight against Terence Crawford.

I can’t praise Khan enough, just like Dre (Andre Ward) said, his willingness to fight the best fighters in the world all the time is hard, fighting against Danny García, who is undefeated, and Marcos Maidana, and still, Khan passed on a big fight with Kell Brook for millions and millions of dollars to face the pound-for-pound, my number one pound-for-pound fighter in the game, Terence Bud Crawford. So that speaks volumes for a guy like Amir Khan. And what I saw during the fighters meeting, I saw a focused, very determined Amir Khan — kind of changed my outlook on the fight.

This fight I think is going to be a tougher fight than what everybody are saying. I think that Amir understands what he has to do and what he has to be. I think he had great preparation for this fight, after talking with him, after speaking with him.

And I think it’s going to be a very competitive fight very early. He just can’t get caught with the big shots. Amir Khan, I believe, will be in this fight if he doesn’t get caught with the big shot from Crawford.

And as far as Crawford goes, it’s always the same with him. He can destroy. That’s the only thing on his mind right now. It’s fightweek. He’s a very humble guy. But you don’t want to get under Crawford’s skin the week of the fight. One of my colleagues here asked the wrong question or said the wrong thing to him and Crawford snapped off at him and said, “Don’t you disrespect me. Don’t you disrespect me.” And it was just as simple as, hey, this is your first Pay-Per-View fight. And he’s, like, no, no, no. It’s my second.

He’s determined to hold onto his status as one of the top fighters in the game. No other welterweight wants to step up and face Bud Crawford. They keep saying that they’re the best, and Crawford is willing to prove it and to step up in the ring with him.

But these guys, they keep running from him. They don’t want to fight Terence Bud Crawford. So Crawford is fighting Khan now because he is the only one man enough to stand up, to face Bud Crawford. And like I said, I think it’s going to be a great fight. I think everybody’s sleeping on this one.

Q. Tim and Andre, what did you find the toughest thing about making the transition from the ring to being ringside calling the fights and doing commentary?

TIM BRADLEY: For me, the toughest thing was not giving away the fighter. When you break the fighters down, sometimes we can say a little bit too much about the fighter and expose them. That’s been the hardest transition for me.

And also just the flow. The flow alone has been really tough, the commentary, the flow — getting your words together, saying things the right way has been a challenge, very challenging for me.

ANDRE WARD: You mean more like what the actually craft of being an analyst or just personally, like what did you mean exactly?

Q. Craft first but personal observation is welcome.

ANDRE WARD: I’ve had the opportunity throughout the years to do this. I worked at HBO for many, many years, Showtime back in the day. I actually started off with the “World Series of Boxing.” I would fly out to LA. I did it for free just to get the reps in.

But this is a whole other level in terms of the platform. This is a whole other level as far as, like, how many shows I’m actually calling. Like, I would do maybe five shows a year with HBO. This is on a whole other level.

And the quality of the product that ESPN is demanding that we put out, it causes you to have to get better, have to raise the bar. Joe Tessitore, I tell him all the time, I’m just so grateful for just a mentorship. Joe Tess is who he is. We all know who he is and what he’s accomplished and what he’s currently doing.

But he’ll be in the middle of his prep, he’ll stop typing and look over to us and talk to us for however long we need to talk and then he’ll resume his preparation.

So the standard is high. The product should be high. But it’s also a good thing, too, for — I’ll speak for me and I’ll probably venture to speak for Tim, too, tell me if I’m wrong — like, this is good for us, coming from where we came from, the competitiveness, the need to have a mark and try to meet that mark. It’s been good for me, because that same competitiveness, I like to call myself a recovering perfectionist.

ANDRE WARD: But I have moments in here where one thing will be off and they’ll see me just be hypersensitive over it. And Joe will just look at me and say, ha, I got a glimpse of the fighter Andre Ward and what his trainer had to deal with.

That part is good. And then just emotionally I would say it’s good that — I would say that I have some nights where I’m calling a fight, and I’m, like, huh, I’m glad I’m on this side of the ropes and not inside the ring. I don’t want to have to deal with that anymore.

And there’s other nights where I’m, like, man, I wish I was the one walking out from that curtain and I wish I was the fighter they were talking about.

So it’s a process. But it’s a process that all of us — guys who were going to retire at some point — we’ve got to go through this, whether we’re over the hill and retired too late or we retired at the right time.

So I’m embracing it. I’m happy to be a part. But it’s a good thing for me to have a challenge at this point in my life.

TIM BRADLEY: Yeah, this is definitely keeping me out of the ring and returning back. And also, one more thing, it’s hard sometimes not to be a little bit too critical on the fighters coming up and the fighters in the ring.

It’s hard to really find the balance for me, being just kind of, just a little bit too critical on what they’re not doing or what they can improve on. So I’ve got to — I’m still trying to find that balance where I’m giving praise and I’m also being a little bit critical.

Q. Joe, you’ve worked with a lot of athletes turned commentators. Give these gentleman a grade.

JOE TESSITORE: It’s interesting you say that, because this is obviously our first full year of being a broadcast team together in a three-man booth, and I’m just coming off a Monday Night Football season with a three-man booth, which was highly scrutinized as has been a cottage industry off to the side of Monday Night Football, going back to the days of Cosell and Meredith and Gifford.

And in the span of one year I’ve had this experience of “retired hall of famer coming to broadcasting three-man booth in one sport and retired hall of famers coming to broadcast in a three-man booth in another.”

And the greatest difference with Andre and Tim is how comfortable and natural they are meshing and grooving together like the same way they would be sitting on a couch watching a fight. And it happened right away with them. It didn’t have to evolve. It didn’t have to grow.

Yes, as every week goes by there’s refinement and things are smoothed out and the TV acumen and skill set and television IQ fully develops. But, right from the start you’re dealing with two guys who understand how to mesh together, and their boxing brains are so elite and they’re so comfortable that it makes my job really, really easy.

They’re very coachable. They both want to be coached. They both sit back and they broadcast — as I often talk to my analysts, no matter what sport I’m doing — of broadcasting with your eyes up, of just looking, being aware and reacting.

The reason that they’re hired is because they’re two of the foremost experts in the world. They’re two of the best that have ever done it generationally recently. And when they broadcast with their eyes up and see and say and tell us the why and how and the what to look for, they’re excellent, which is what they’ve done.

I sit back oftenand if you listen to our broadcast style as a crew right now, what you often get is I sit back and listen to these two great champions just talk and observe.

And then when it’s necessary I will get in and give you the blow-by-blow or advance the storyline, as was the case with our Lomachenko fight the other day, where we have the great flurry by Lomachenko, the punishment against the ropes, the technical knockdown scored, the confusion, was it a TKO or not? And these guys are smart enough to lay out, let me do my job and get out of the way.

But with how young they are and how hard they work and the positions they now hold in boxing, because the broadcast landscape of the sport drastically changed in the course over the last 12 months. HBO World Championship Boxing is out of business. ESPN Top Rank is in business.

So these seats that had been held by years and years by so many familiar faces from Larry Merchant on through are now held by these two men. And they’re more than worthy of it, and I have a feeling that we’re going to be having this conversation 10 years from now, 15 years from now, 20 years from now, as now multiple generations will go forward as fight fans with Tim and Andre being the voices and the brains and the faces of the sport.

And that’s a very good thing for the sport because they celebrate the athlete. They’re able to be critical. They are able to be analytical.

They give you a reason to watch. Tim is one of the ultimate characters, so joyful, absolutely irreverent, he doesn’t care what he says or how he says it, he’s going to be his natural self.

Andre is so analytical and so smart and so cerebral and has a boxing computer for a brain. And I would tell you what he’s doing now with his ESPN+ work, which is ESPN’s commitment akin to what we have with Kobe Bryant and Alex Rodriguez and Peyton Manning, he’s as good as I’ve seen the sport put forth in my years of being in the sport.

And the more you watch that material, the higher education you have as a fight fan and the more interests you have in watching the fight. I couldn’t be more thrilled with both of these guys.

You want to sincerely grade them out right now, I would tell they’re B pluses to A minuses with, in a sense and a trajectory that undoubtedly will have them as straight A broadcasters for years and years to come.

And I truly believe that. And I’m just honored to be able to work with them at this stage of my career, where I can play a little bit of a role of mentor and lodestar and educate them on television production and be by their side as colleagues and friends.

So that’s a very long answer to say you’re about to see a long run of the two biggest guys who are going to be kicking ass in broadcasting boxing on television for the next 20 years.

Q. Andre, you had a great point about Amir Khan, how fighting is more — he has the information, but it’s more about the implementation. Why do you think that is? For both of you guys, if you want to piggyback that question, why do you think that is?

ANDRE WARD: You can focus outside the ring. Lack of focus outside the ring will lead to a lack of focus inside the ring. You can point to efficiency, in the way you start. You can rope and pull for a lot of different things, but nobody really fully knows what that missing link is.

But it’s clear when there’s a link missing, a wire missing that’s stopping the whole mental functionality that he needs to go from round 1 to round 12, the way he needs to. Doesn’t mean he won’t get hit or dropped or have moments, but it’s not a catastrophe all of a sudden. That’s a lack of focus.

Personally, I know it’s easier said than done, but I actually did it so I can say it. I saw what Canelo was doing before he did it. I knew that was the shot he wanted.

And I could see Amir Khan slowly getting drained by the body shots, by the foot pressure, by Canelo cutting the ring off. Even the shots that Canelo missed took a lot out of Amir because he was able to work so hard to get out of the way, but then he could hear the punch whizzing by his face.

That’s all for us to dream. And then I would see Canelo doing the things he likes to do where he’ll slick a jab out to the side just to get your attention over there as a diversion but the shot he really wants is the right hand.

So I saw it coming, but for whatever reason in that moment, or in those moments, it’s been very, very difficult for Amir Khan to process what’s happening, compute it, and then make the adjustment.

TIM BRADLEY: What he just said, I think it’s a technical flaw in that Amir Khan still has that amateur pedigree, never really escaped it. He throws combinations. He opts in, opts out with combinations. He’s a one-trick pony. He has the speed, he has good punching power in his right hand, but for some apparent reason, he doesn’t have the sense of judging distance. So you see Amir Khan every now and then, there’s knockouts. You see him standing still, coming in, getting out, trying to escape from a shot and gets hit in the process or gets hit while in the process of punching.

And that has a lot to do with how he was taught. As far as discipline goes, staying focused, staying concentrated, that’s just something that you have to practice. You have to practice that in the gym.

That’s the reason why I think going back to Virgil, Virgil Hunter is more cerebral. He’s about the fundamentals and getting into his fighter’s head and controlling them to do what they need to do to win a fight, a round like this.

And that’s the reason why I think Kahn has a really good chance of winning this fight because he’s with Virgil. And if he can just stay focused for every minute of every round, I think he can compete with Terence Crawford with the skill set that he brings and also the hand speed and power.

Q. Both you guys have had signature wins in your careers. Obviously you guys are a first round hall of famers. For Terence Crawford to obviously legitimize himself as number one pound-for-pound, is this fight with Amir Kahn, is this the signature win that you guys think he needs to solidify himself as number one?

ANDRE WARD: I think that both these guys, I think Khan and Crawford needs this fight. The reason why Crawford needs this fight is he needs a marquee name on his resume.

And the fact that Amir Khan was the only that was willing to step up and face him in the welterweight division, you can’t dismiss the fact that Crawford, hey, I’m stepping up, this is what I get. None of these other guys want to fight me. So if it’s Amir Khan, then so be it. But the fact that Khan hasn’t lost in the welterweight division yet, the fact that Khan has a good name, you know, he’s fighting Crawford, I don’t think that — just put it this way, if Crawford doesn’t get rid of Khan, then there’s going to be a lot of people talking.

A lot of people are going to be talking. And probably including yourself, because when you really look at the landscape, when you really look at the landscape of the welterweight division — you know, Danny García, Thurman and Errol Spence — all these guys should, if you match them up with Khan, should knock him out. There’s a lot of pressure on Crawford to get this knockout.

TIM BRADLEY: I already have Terence Crawford at the top of my list, so I don’t think he’s this victory to solidify. In my mind he solidified at least at the moment. But I do think this is good for the naysayers. This is good for the record to have a guy like Amir Khan on the record if he’s successful on Saturday. I think it does a lot for just popularity. There are some Amir Khan fans that if Terence wins will become Terence Crawford fans. And there’s some people who loosely follow the sport that will tune in because they like Amir, they’re hearing a lot about the promotion, and they’ll tune in and become a Terence Crawford fan.

When you’re facing a guy with a big name, even though, like Tim said, Khan hasn’t fought a top welterweight to this point, he still has the name recognition from the Olympics, to everything he’s done as a pro. He still brings the UK with him. He still brings the European market. I think it will do more for his namesake than it will for anything else.

Q. Terence Crawford a while back made a very, very strong claim about black fighters having to be more vociferous or more boisterous to get the recognition. What do you guys think on that? Do you think that he was fair in that statement?

ANDRE WARD: Listen, I’ll say this, and I’ve talked about this in the past, there has been a difference. If you look — it’s not every media outlet. It’s not the order of the day as it pertains to boxing, but there are times, and I’ve experienced it, and studied the sport long before I became a professional, I’ve studied the Floyd Mayweathers and studied certain things in certain fighters throughout the course of their careers.

And obviously I had my own experience when I turned pro. There are moments where smiling and waving and being soft-spoken doesn’t seem to be enough at times for African-American fighters and then you will have fighters who may come from another country who come to the United States, the land of opportunity and maybe they don’t speak English and they’re still learning their English, they get promoted and they get pushed. You don’t always see that with an African-American fighter and some of that has to do — some of that is not on the press. Some of that is not on the media, it’s on African-Americans. Its on, you know when you look at like Floyd Mayweather, Floyd Mayweather was Pretty Boy Floyd for many years. He wasn’t accepted as Pretty Boy Floyd. He didn’t sell Pay-Per-Views as Pretty Boy Floyd. But when he became the villain and became Money Mayweather, then all of a sudden this is a guy we’d love to hate and we’ll tune in to watch him lose. It worked for him.

Personally, me, I wasn’t willing to compromise my beliefs. I wasn’t willing to compromise who I was as a person, and I was — I always fought in my career with the end in sight. I knew — I knew instinctively the day is going to come when I walk away from this sport, and what am I left with? I wasn’t willing to sacrifice being able to go to my kids’ school and be respected.

I wasn’t willing to create some monster that I was going to have to live with when my career was over for the sake of selling a few more Pay-Per-Views and selling a few more seats.

That was my stance on it. So now you have Terence Crawford who kind of feels the same way. He’s a soft-spoken guy, and I think the question he’s asking — that’s not for me to answer — is why don’t I get this? Why don’t I get the respect I deserve or at least to the level in which I feel I deserve it, even though I’m soft-spoken when maybe guys over here get it and they’re soft-spoken.

So yes, I have seen some of this. I’ve spoken about this in the past. But I want to make it clear, it is not for every media outlet. And it’s not for every fan. There are a lot of objective fans. And there are media members who do a great job and they’re objective and race never comes into the equation; it’s just about the fighters and how good they are and what they’ve done and haven’t done, and that’s where it should be and that’s where it should stay.

TIM BRADLEY: I just think it’s funny you say that because Floyd Mayweather got criticism for many years and still is getting criticism because he’s a defensive fighter and people say the style he runs, he’s always running, he’s not entertaining.

But you’ve got a good like Terence Bud Crawford that’s knocking out everybody he gets in the ring with and still not getting the exposure he feels and some people feel that he deserves, rightly deserves. All I can tell you is that all he needs to continue to do is do his job and he can worry about everything else, let somebody else worry about everything else because Terence Crawford continuously delivers and it doesn’t matter who he fights or what he does, he still doesn’t get the recognition that he feels and that I feel as well.

It’s just a process, man. I’ve been in it. When I fought, I fought guys — still my career right now, after my career people try to downplay what I’ve done in the sport of boxing. And I gotta bring it to their attention and tell them like, hey, I’ve done this, I’ve done this, you must have forgotten.

It’s really quick for people to not remember, to forget once you leave the sport, what a person did at their time, at their era. In their generation. So I don’t know what it is, bro. I don’t know why it’s this way, but it is.

ANDRE WARD: And I’ll just add to what Tim said and also add to what I said earlier, the race thing is very tricky. And you have to be very, very sensitive, because you may not be getting credit for a particular fight you won or just in general you may not be getting your just do, and it’s not always race. You have to be very careful. That’s a heavy coat to put on any one person.

That’s a heavy coat to put on a particular writer or a particular website or particular YouTube blogger. If you don’t have real proof that that person is a racist, you have to be very careful to put that kind of thing out there. I personally try to give people the benefit of the doubt.

And I may have a thought about something but it’s not something that I’m going to speak about, because again you’ve got be very careful about that.

But that being said, I stand by what I said earlier throughout the course of my life and how I’ve studied the sport in that particular area about guys, some guys being soft-spoken.

And let me just sum it up this way: There’s a notion that if you don’t do a certain thing, if you’re not Floyd Mayweather-esque, if you’re not throwing money at the camera, you’re not Tim Bradley (laughter), talking about a fighter, building up a fighter, if you’re not doing that and not showing us your house, you’re not showing us your Bentley, if you’re not showing us your jewelry then, you know what, you’re boring; we shouldn’t tune in to watch you.

But then it’s not always the case on the other side. That’s what Terence is saying. I have seen some of that. I can subscribe to some of it. But I will not say that every piece of criticism, every critique, every person that’s not giving you your just due is a racial issue. They just may not like you as a fighter.

And you have to live with that. So it’s a very fine line to walk. And I’ll personally try to be very, very careful about this. Listen, I’ve spoken about this, I’m a biracial kid, like I’m not pro black and people get mad at me when I say that. I don’t have a preference towards people. I prefer everyone. And I love everyone. And if there’s a white person that’s in the wrong, well, that needs to be addressed. If there’s a black person that’s in the wrong, they need to be addressed. So it’s a very fine line — I know it’s uncomfortable for people to talk about, but Terence has some points in what he’s saying, for sure.

Q. How close do you think is Teofimo Lopez to being the same level of Lomachenko? And how good is it for boxing that these young guys are calling out the big guys like Lomachenko?

ANDRE WARD: We don’t know how close he is. This is unscripted. You don’t know until they fight the fight. And this is something that I told Teofimo’s father today in the fighters meeting, I said, I respect what you guys are saying.

And the eagerness to want to face not just another champion but to face arguably the best fighter in the world in Lomachenko. I said but you do know that it’s — I said — I think I prefaced it by saying, phrased it by saying: Do you know the magnitude of what you’re demanding? In other words, I can give you a list of young fighters who took that big step up one fight too soon and they were ruined.

You see some guys like Muhammad Ali when he fought Sonny Liston. He was The Big Bear. He was feared. Everybody thought Ali was going to get killed. And look at Floyd Mayweather and Genaro Hernandez.

You look at those types of fights where they took the leap, people thought they were crazy but they were actually the ones that were right and they were geniuses.

It’s a very fine line between being right and being wrong, but they’re great consequences or there’s great reward if you’re right. We don’t know. He has to fight the fight. I hope he’s seeing what he’s telling everybody he’s seeing. I’m talking about Teofimo’s father.

But it’s not going to be an easy task for him to face Lomachenko. Lomachenko is who he is, and he’s in the discussion as one of the best in the world for a reason. It’s not easy, but I do respect the fact that he’s willing to take that leap. He just better be right about it.

TIM BRADLEY: For me, I like what Teofimo is doing. I like the fact that he wants to challenge the best guys out there. I think it’s too premature.

I think he needs to win a world championship first and then move in position if he wants to fight Loma, then he can fight him.

You have to earn your stripes before you get that praise from me. I see the skill set. He’s very skillful. He’s been in there with memorable competition.

The competition hasn’t been that great. He’s going to get tested Saturday night and see how well he performs. And then from there we’ll make our assessment and go from there. But, like I said, he needs a championship first in order to get a shot at Vasiliy Lomachenko in the near future.

By Norm Frauenheim-

In a quick-moving debate, it’s Terence Crawford’s turn to do what Vasiliy Lomachenko did last week. Guess here is that Crawford will deliver with a definitive victory over a name in a further claim on the top spot on the pound-for-pound debate.

Amir Khan still has name recognition, which is the last thing to fade in a game that will sell the last remnants of celebrity long after the physical reflexes are gone.

It’s unforgiving.

It’s dangerous.

It’s business

Few other than Khan (33-4, 20 KOs) think there’s much chance at upsetting Crawford (34-0, 25 KOs), who Top Rank’s Bob Arum is trumpeting as the best welterweight he has promoted since Sugar Ray Leonard. Arum, of course, is also saying that Khan has a better shot than either oddsmakers and/or pundits say he has. Crawford-Khan Saturday night at New York’s Madison Square Garden is an ESPN pay-per-view fight (6 p.m.PT/9 pm ET), after all.

Long term, the PPV number is critical. Above all, it looms as a way to measure Crawford’s drawing power. There’s no argument about the welterweight’s emergence as a fighter.

He’s a consensus top five in the pound-for-pound debate. In this corner, he’s No. 1, and has been for a while, even in the wake of the Top Rank-promoted Lomachenko’s breath-taking stoppage of an unknown lightweight last Friday at Los Angeles Staples Center. Lomachenko’s wizardry made Anthony Crolla look like a vanishing prop in a magic show. In the fourth round, Crolla was finished. Forgotten.

Khan’s hand speed might keep him around for a few more rounds than Crolla. The emphasis is on might. Khan was about a 16-1 underdog a couple of days before opening bell. The odds against Crolla were about the same at this time last week. Celebrity sells, but don’t bet on it.

In what looks like a very smart play. Arum is wagering Khan’s public profile will help the pay-per-view ($69.95 for high def). If Crawford ever gets a chance to fight Errol Spence Jr. – and there are plenty of familiar reasons to think he won’t, a strong PPV number looms as important leverage at the negotiating table.

There were reports of 380,000 to 400,000 buys for the FOX PPV telecast of Spence’s one-sided decision over Mikey Garcia at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Tex., on March 16. Credit Garcia with creating the attraction by his gutsy jump in weight to 147 pounds. But Spence’s dominance was enough to win over many who initially invested in the PPV out of interest in Garcia’s risky venture.

A key is whether Crawford can produce a similar number. Khan, like Garcia, might help. Crawford has appeared on PPV only once. It wasn’t good. Between 50,000 and 60,000 bought a Home Box Office PPV telecast of his victory over Viktor Postol in July 2016. Arum said he lost about $100,000 of funds he invested in a telecast that went pay-per-view because HBO didn’t have the budget for it.

In the nearly three years since Postol, however, there are signs of a Crawford emergence that puts the Omaha welterweight at the doorstop of big-money stardom. His 12th-round stoppage of Jose Benavidez Jr. in October averaged 2.2 million viewers, peaking at 2.7 million, according to Nielsen.

It was a bout carried on ESPN’s regular channel instead of the premium ESPN+. It was the most viewed fight in 2018.

The question is whether momentum from Benavidez will propel Crawford into a New Year, this time with a definitive victory over a known name and a solid pay-per-view number. That could add up to combo hard to ignore, even for a Spence who for now looks as if he is more content to fight fellow PBC welterweights Shawn Porter, Keith Thurman and Manny Pacquiao.

Top Rank on ESPN returns to the big house at Madison Square Garden, the historic “Mecca of Boxing,” this Saturday, April 20, as the undefeated pound-for-pound king, three-division world champion and reigning WBO welterweight champion Terence “Bud” Crawford, headlines the inaugural Top Rank on ESPN pay-per-view broadcast against former unified super lightweight world champion Amir “King” Khan at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT. Crawford vs. Khan will be available via all major cable and satellite providers with a suggested retail price of $59.95 (SD) or $69.95 (HD).

In addition to the star-studded main event, three additional co-features round out Saturday’s Top Rank on ESPN PPV broadcast with marquee appearances by rising stars Teófimo López (12-0, 10 KOs), the lightweight sensation who is ranked in the top five by all four major sanctioning organizations; Shakur Stevenson (10-0, 6 KOs), the 21-year-old featherweight phenom who captured a silver medal for the United States at the 2016 Rio Olympics; and Felix “El Diamante” Verdejo (24-1, 16 KOs), who enters the ring in a 10-round lightweight duel with potential world title implications. Additional undercard bouts will air live on ESPN2 and on the ESPN App (Spanish), beginning at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT.

Calling the action for ESPN will be Joe Tessitore (play-by-play), former two-division world titleholder Timothy Bradley Jr. (analyst) and former pound-for-pound two-division world titleholder and 2004 Olympic gold medalist Andre Ward (analyst). The on-location desk team will feature analysis from Mark Kriegel, Max Kellerman, Bernardo Osuna and Crystina Poncher.

ESPN’s official coverage of fight week kicked off Sunday, April 14, with Countdown to Crawford vs Khan, where fans can follow rivalsCrawford and Khan as they prepare for their blockbuster showdown. Go inside Crawford’s training camp as he prepares at altitude in Colorado Springs, shadow boxes underwater and discusses the challenges and stakes on the line with his trainer/chef Brian “Bomac” McIntyre. See Khan training at the University of California,Berkeley, running the hills above the Golden Gate Bridge and working with famed trainer, Virgil Hunter. The show airs across ESPN2 and ESPNEWS several times throughout fight week.

ESPN+ will exclusively feature:

Fantastic Fights (available now) – Terence Crawford and his trainer look back on Crawford’s first WBO lightweight title defense in his hometown of Omaha, Nebraska, against former WBA lightweight champion and undefeated Cuban fighter, Yuriorkis Gamboa;
The Prospects (available now) – Follow rising lightweight superstar Teófimo López for 24 hours prior to his biggest win to date against Diego Magdaleno in Frisco, Texas. Lopez and his team allowed all-access coverage leading up to, during and after his crushing knockout win over Magdaleno;
Ring Science (available today) – Undefeated, former pound-for-pound champion Andre Ward breaks down what both Crawford and Khan must accomplish to come out victorious;
The final press conference, live Wednesday, April 17, at 2 p.m. ET;
The weigh-in, live Friday, April 19, at 4 p.m. ET. Also airing live on ESPN2.
News & Information, Digital, SportsCenter, Max on Boxing

Leading up to the event, ESPN will feature previews on studio programming and online, including:

A visit to ESPN’s New York Seaport District Studios Tuesday, April 16, Fighter appearances on SportsCenter, Get Up!, First Take, Max on Boxing and The Stephen A. Smith Show;
Up-to-date on-scene coverage every step of the way from ESPN.com’s Dan Rafael who will be with the fighters multiple days this week;
Max on Boxing live from the Weigh-Friday, April 19, at 5 p.m. ET;
News updates, a fight breakdown and a complete guide to the fight on ESPN.com and the ESPN app from Rafael out Friday, April 19;
ESPN Fantasy game Streak for the Cash fight predictions for the Co-Main and Main Event during the live telecast Saturday, April 20;
ESPN.com coverage includes a feature on Amir Khan from Mark Kriegel, a betting guide for ESPN+ subscribers and expert predictions. , along with video features on Teofimo Lopez, Khan and Terence Crawford offering a look at what drives each of the fighters. Rafael and Steve Kim will be at the fight offering their unique insight, including round-by-round analysis, as the action goes down.
SportsCenter features on Khan, Crawford and López in English and Spanish throughout the week, including;
Khan’s Return (premiered April 15 on ESPN, April 18 on ESPN Deportes) – Going into the Canelo Álvarez fight in 2016, Amir Khan took a risk his trainer had advised him not take. He was overpowered and knocked out, but he was knocked down in more ways than he could have ever imagined. His life quickly spiraled after one bad decision led to another, his personal life becoming the focus of tabloids and culminating in a tweet that would change his life;
Crawford Squad (April 20, ESPN Deportes) – One of the keys to Terence Crawford’s success has been the continuity of the training squad that has been with him since before he became world champion. Even more important for Crawford is that in addition to working day and night with his team, the friendship that has developed between has made them family;
Teófimo López (April 19 on ESPN, ESPN Deportes) – It’s a simple dream that Teófimo López’ father has, to turn the young prospect into a blend between Floyd Mayweather and Mike Tyson. So far, the lightweight has delivered inside the ring with incredible finishes and display of skills.
ESPN will unveil a series of boxing-style #CrawfordKhan oversized wild postings that will be on display in key locations throughout the New York City.

Top Rank on ESPN (All times Eastern) 2019

Date
Time
Event
Platform
Thu, Apr 18
8:00 p.m.
Top Rank on ESPN: Crawford vs. Jose Benavidez (re-air)
ESPN2
9:00 p.m.
Countdown to Crawford vs. Khan (re-air)
ESPN2
Fri., Apr 19
4:00 p.m.
Top Rank on ESPN: Crawford vs Khan Weigh-in (live)
ESPN+, ESPN2
5:00 p.m.
Max on Boxing
ESPN2
7:00 p.m.
Max on Boxing (re-air)
ESPNEWS
7:30 p.m.
Top Rank on ESPN: Crawford vs Khan Weigh-in (re-air)
ESPNEWS
Sat., Apr 20
1:00 a.m.
Countdown to Crawford vs. Khan (re-air)
ESPN2
2:30 p.m.
Countdown to Crawford vs. Khan (re-air)
ESPNEWS
3:00 p.m.
Top Rank on ESPN: Crawford vs. Julius Indongo (re-air)
ESPNEWS
4:00 p.m.
Top Rank on ESPN: Crawford vs. Jose Benavidez (re-air)
ESPNEWS
5:00 p.m.
Top Rank on ESPN: Crawford vs. Khan Weigh-in (re-air)
ESPNEWS

6:00 p.m.
Top Rank on ESPN: Crawford vs. Khan Undercards (live)
ESPN2, ESPN App (Spanish)
9:00 p.m.
Top Rank on ESPN: Crawford vs. Khan Main Event (live)
PPV

NEW YORK CITY (April 17, 2019) – The time for talking is over. Terence “Bud” Crawford is ready for business.

Crawford (34-0, 25 KOs) will defend his WBO welterweight title against Amir “King” Khan (33-4, 20 KOs) Saturday night at Madison Square Garden on the inaugural Top Rank on ESPN PPV (9 p.m. EST/6 p.m. PST).

The PPV undercard will feature undefeated lightweight sensation Teofimo Lopez against Edis Tatli in a 12-rounder, Shakur Stevenson versus Christopher Diaz in a 10-round featherweight showdown and Puerto Rican superstar Felix Verdejo taking on former interim world champion Bryan Vasquez.

Three days away from the Garden Party, this is what Crawford, Khan and their trainers had to say.

Terence Crawford

“I don’t believe no fight that I fight is just another fight for me. I believe that all fights that I fight from here on out are for my legacy. That’s why I want the biggest fights out there. Amir Khan’s name came up because he was the next best welterweight in the division. I could’ve easily took {Luis} Collazo. He could’ve took another fight with Kell Brook. I could’ve took Collazo, but that wasn’t the job that I really wanted to take. Amir Khan is a great fighter. I can’t take nothing away from. He’s done a lot in the sport of boxing. He has a big name. He’s undefeated at the welterweight division. So why not take another step up?

On not getting the credit for beating certain opponents

“Sometimes it bothers me, but that just shows how dominant I am. When you got undefeated gold medalists and world champions, where before the fight a lot of writers and fans think that they’re going to steamroll me or they’re too big for me, and this is going to be the toughest fight of my career. After the fight, they say, ‘He wasn’t that good,’ or ‘he was a stand-up fighter,’ or ‘he was slow,’ or ‘we knew you were going to do this, we just had to hype up the fight.’ So they discredit me. When you look at the fighters I’ve fought, most of them haven’t been the same after they’ve fought me.”

“I just want people to respect me for my talent and the skills that I have, and the willingness to go in there and fight any and everybody that’s available.”

Amir Khan

“This {fight} ranks at the top for me because fighting a world champion, Terence is very high in the pound-for-pound rankings, maybe number one or number two. So, it’s just amazing for me to be in this position once again. That itself is a great motivation for me, to know that I’m fighting the best out there once again. And it makes me train harder, work harder and focus on this fight. I know that I can’t make any mistakes in this fight because I could be trouble. Terence, I’ve been watching all the videos of his fights. I see how he breaks down fighters, how he sees openings and stuff, and I can’t make those openings {easy for him}. Maybe my last performance got me this fight. To me, that wasn’t the best performance. That wasn’t the best Amir Khan. I’m now back with my old trainer, Virgil Hunter, where I’m happy and he trained me the best. And he knows me better than any trainer out there. We know we’ve done everything we have to do for this fight, and I’m going to be more than ready.”

“I’ve had some good fights in the welterweight division. We fought {Luis} Collazo. We fought {Devon} Alexander. {Virgil} has brought the best out of me. Even the Canelo fight was going well until I got caught with a shot. So, I mean, whereas this fight I’m fighting someone who is my own weight, which helps. Every fight with Virgil, I’ve learned something from, win or lose, and he’s brought the best out of me. I needed to get back with someone who could bring that respect back for the sport of boxing and also make me work harder.”

“This is a dream come true, and hopefully on Saturday, a dream will come true, where I get my opportunity to fight for another world title and be one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world. This just drives me, makes me work harder, train harder, stay focused. I know I have someone in front of me who is up there as number one. You can’t deny that. He’s a good fighter. I know he’s training hard because he doesn’t want to lose that unbeaten record, and I don’t want to lose this fight because I want to achieve everything I want in the sport of boxing.”

Bob Arum

“I don’t have to talk about what the public is going to see from Terence Crawford. Anyone who knows anything in boxing knows a Terence Crawford comes along very seldom in a generation. I look at him {and the closest thing I can recall to him} is Sugar Ray Leonard. Terence reminds me of Sugar Ray Leonard. I’m not going to get into who would win if they fought each other because that ain’t gonna happen. Terence is really something special, and I’m so delighted that we’ve been able to arrange this fight against Khan, who I’ve always been an admirer of. Tremendous, tremendous fighter. I know Amir remembers the time I spent with his family when he was in Manny Pacquiao’s training camp. So I know what he brings to this party, and I am really looking forward to performances by two great fighters. A generational talent in Terence Crawford, and one of the great fighters I’ve seen in Amir Khan.”

Frank Smith (Matchroom Boxing CEO)

“Amir had other opportunities he could’ve gone down, most notably probably the Kell Brook fight. But this is the fight that Amir wanted, and you have respect that and you have to respect a man who has done what he’s done in the sport, and I believe on Saturday night he’s going to go in there and do a job and become a world champion once again.”

“I think Amir, when he’s in with the best fighters, that’s when he looks the best. I think the test of Terence Crawford, taking on one of the best pound-for-pound fighters, one of the most respected fighters in the world, will bring him on. He has come back from those two fights {victories over Phil Lo Greco and Samuel Vargas}… I think as a welterweight, that’s the strongest weight for him, and I think it’s great having Virgil back in his corner. He had a great time with Joe Goossen, but I think being back with Virgil, who he’s been with for a very long time, is important to him.”

Brian McIntyre (Crawford’s trainer)

“It’s an honor to be across the ring from Virgil Hunter, and I will tell Virgil and everyone in the world that I’ll listen to him, as he {trained} Andre Ward and so many other fighters. As a student of the game, you go back and try to listen to the trainers and see what they tell their fighters in the corner… I’m glad Amir went back with Virgil Hunter because I don’t want him to have no excuses when Terence starts touching him.”

Virgil Hunter (Khan’s trainer)

“It’s been a pleasure having Amir back. It came at the right time and a good time for a fight of this magnitude, to go up against a great fighter like Terence Crawford. As coaches, we live for these opportunities. Whether we win, whether we come up short, we thrive in these settings. It’s a great opportunity, and it’s a pleasure to be involved in this event.”

“He can’t have a mental lapse. He has to be focused every second of every round and be able to read the adjustments that a great fighter like Crawford will make. He’s {excellent} at making adjustments, and we have to be able to read those adjustments and adjust accordingly to stay competitive and try to win this fight.”

ESPN PPV, 9 p.m. EST/6 p.m. PST

Terence Crawford (champion) vs. Amir Khan (challenger), 12 rounds, Crawford’s WBO welterweight world title

Teofimo Lopez vs. Edis Tatli, 12 rounds, Lopez’s NABF lightweight title

Shakur Stevenson vs. Christopher Diaz, 10 rounds, Stevenson’s IBF Intercontinental, and vacant NABO featherweight titles

Felix Verdejo vs. Bryan Vasquez, 10 rounds, lightweight

ESPN2, 6 p.m. EST/3 p.m. PST

Carlos Adames vs. Frank Galarza,10 rounds, Adames’ NABF, and vacant NABO 154-pound titles

Edgar Berlanga vs. Samir Barbosa, 8 rounds, middleweight

Larry Fryers vs. Dakota Polley, 6/4 rounds, super lightweight

Vikas Krishan vs. Noah Kidd, 6 rounds, super welterweight

Lawrence Newton vs. Jonathan Garza, 6 rounds, bantamweight

ABOUT CRAWFORD VS. KHAN
CRAWFORD vs. KHAN is a 12-round fight for the WBO welterweight championship of the world, presented by Top Rank in association with Matchroom Boxing and Khan Promotions. The event is sponsored by Geico. CRAWFORD vs. KHAN will take place Saturday, April 20, beginning at 9 p.m. EST/6 p.m. PST at Madison Square Garden, and will be produced by Top Rank and ESPN and distributed live by ESPN Pay-Per-View.

Tickets for this world championship event priced at $606, $406, $306, $206, $106, $81, and $56 (including facility fees) can be purchased at the Madison Square Garden Box Office, all Ticketmaster outlets, Ticketmaster charge by phone (866-858-0008) and online at www.ticketmaster.com or www.MSG.com.

For more information, visit: www.toprank.com, www.espn.com/boxing; Facebook:facebook.com/trboxing; Twitter: twitter.com/trboxing.

Use the hashtag #CrawfordKhan to join the conversation on social media.

NEW YORK CITY (April 16, 2019) — WBO welterweight champion Terence “Bud” Crawford and Amir “King” Khan hosted a media workout today at EverybodyFights, as the pair prepares for Saturday evening’s Top Rank on ESPN PPV showdown at Madison Square Garden.

The stacked undercard will feature a pair of highly anticipated co-features: Lightweight sensation Teofimo Lopez will fight Edis Tatli in a 12-rounder, while featherweight phenom Shakur Stevenson will face former world title challenger Christopher Diaz in a 10-rounder.

In the 10-round televised opener, Felix Verdejo seeks to return to lightweight contention versus former interim world champion Bryan Vasquez.

Here is what the PPV fighters had to say.

Terence Crawford

“I feel like I’m already the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world. Beating Amir Khan would only solidify my place in the sport. Amir Khan is undefeated as a welterweight and can’t be underestimated. He has great hand speed, movement, and some power as well. I want to showcase all of my talents in this fight.”

“I don’t worry about the bigger names. My focus is on Amir Khan. He is the task at hand. I’ve never overlooked an opponent.”

“I feel like a lot of times people don’t give me credit for who I’ve beaten. I’ve defeated gold medalists, undefeated fighters, world champions. It doesn’t matter. Before my fights, people talk about how it’s going to be the hardest fight of my career. Then I beat them, and people make them seem like they were nothing. I am going to keep doing what I’m doing and keep being victorious.”

“I am on a high level right now, and the way I beat people makes it seem like they don’t belong in the ring with me. Against Khan, I will show everyone again why I’m the best fighter in the world.”

Amir Khan

“I wanted this fight because I wanted to fight the best. Terence Crawford presented the greatest challenge to me at this point in my career. Listen, the Kell Brook fight was there, but fighting Terence gives me the opportunity to show I am a pound-for-pound fighter.”

“I’m not going to be giving all that weight away when I fight Crawford. When I fought Canelo, he was a much bigger man. This is a fairer fight in terms of weight. I am confident I can win this fight because he has never fought anyone like me. I have power, speed, and movement, and he has certainly never fought a welterweight like me. I’ve grown into my weight. I’m not just another number on Crawford’s record.”

“When I lose focus is when I get in trouble. Against Samuel Vargas, it wasn’t even a great punch that put me down. I lost focus for a second and got caught. I’ve sparred with strong, heavy-handed guys this camp, and I know I can take a big welterweight punch.”

Teofimo Lopez

“Training camp has been great. It’s been a long time since someone has gone the distance with me, and that’s not changing come Saturday night. We’re working on new things in the gym, focusing on power and changing things up. I’ve shown people some of my arsenal, but no one has seen what I am capable of yet. Against Tatli, I will put on a show. I will steal the show.”

“My last fight {Feb. 2 against Diego Magdaleno} showed some people can withstand my power, but at the end of the day, they all fall.”

“There’s no bad blood with Tatli and me, but I’m still going to kick his ass. I’m still going to beat him up. That I can guarantee. They bumped this fight to a 12-rounder to get me ready for a world title shot. That’s coming soon.”

“All of the hard work that my father and I have put in is starting to pay off. Fans and media have recognized my talents, but I am focused solely on what’s in front of me this Saturday. Every time I fight at MSG, I take over the show, and that’s the plan. I will steal the show.”

“I don’t need a Lomachenko fight to be a superstar. But I want to be the best and I want to fight the best. This is my last year at lightweight, so after I get that world title, let’s make it happen!”

Edis Tatli

“I came a long way for this fight because I know I can win. I have been in with the better fighters, and my talent will show on Saturday night.”

“All fighters dream of fighting in America. To fight at Madison Square Garden on a card like this is a dream come true.”

Shakur Stevenson

“I was ready to take the next step in my career. This is a fight I wanted. I want to show everyone I am a top fighter. The time was now to step up.”

“My team and I know we can beat Diaz, which is why we took this fight. This is my time. This is what I’ve wanted since I turned pro following the Olympics.”

“I want all the champions, but first, I have to beat Christopher Diaz.”

Christopher Diaz

“Shakur made a mistake when he accepted this fight. I’m sure he’s going to be a world champion one day. He’s a very good fighter, but his team made a terrible error in judgment.”

“All fighters say this, but this was truly the best training camp of my career. This is my first fight with Freddie Roach, and we had perfect chemistry from day one. I’ve been sacrificing and training hard for three months. I am going to take his undefeated record. I am going to win this for my family and for Puerto Rico.”

“I am a different fighter since moving down from 130 pounds. This is the new and improved Christopher Diaz.”

Felix Verdejo

“I know this is a very important fight for my career. I’m going against a former world champion and a great fighter. But I am ready to show the world that I’m still an elite fighter.”

“Having my baby last year changed my life. I fight for her now. It puts things in perspective.”

“For me, this fight is about redemption. After beating Vasquez, I want to fight for a world title.”

Bryan Vasquez

“This fight means everything to me. I am going to give it my all in this ring. One thing I know is that Felix Verdejo has never faced anyone with my skills or my toughness. I want a world title shot, and beating Felix is my way to get there.”

“To fight on a card like this is a great honor. Since signing with Top Rank last year, I have been active and improving with every fight. I am ready to put the lightweight division on notice. Felix isn’t ready for me.”

“You haven’t seen the best of Bryan Vasquez. I have been in there with elite fighters, and that experience will show on Saturday night.”

About Crawford vs. Khan
CRAWFORD vs. KHAN is a 12-round fight for the WBO welterweight championship of the world, presented by Top Rank in association with Matchroom Boxing and Khan Promotions. The event is sponsored by Geico. CRAWFORD vs. KHAN will take place Saturday, April 20, beginning at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT at Madison Square Garden, and will be produced by Top Rank and ESPN and distributed live by ESPN Pay-Per-View.

Tickets for this world championship event priced at $606, $406, $306, $206, $106, $81, and $56 (including facility fees) can be purchased at the Madison Square Garden Box Office, all Ticketmaster outlets, Ticketmaster charge by phone (866-858-0008) and online at www.ticketmaster.com or www.MSG.com.

For more information, visit: www.toprank.com, www.espn.com/boxing; Facebook: facebook.com/trboxing; Twitter: twitter.com/trboxing.

Use the hashtag #CrawfordKhan to join the conversation on social media.

By Bart Barry-

Saturday morning (ET) once-defeated Ukrainian lightweight prodigy Vasiliy Lomachenko unconscioused Anthony Crolla before long in Los Angeles. Saturday night undefeated welterweight titlist Terence Crawford will batter and fry Amir Khan in New York. Both men are ESPN champions, both men are former HBO champions, and both men will have to wait at least a week before ESPN’s expert, formerly with HBO, tells us who’s the better man.

Saturday’s was not for Lomachenko a win for the ages, despite what saturation coverage said about it – coverage whose best feature was the hour at which it came. But it was a win that might age OK for what it tells us about the toll such wins take, the necessary suffering that comes with increasing one’s risk baseline till the easiest win exacts some tariff on the winner’s physical self.

For if Anthony Crolla does not represent an easiest win for a fighter that man does not belong in any meaningful conversation about the utterly meaningless pound-for-pound argument promoter Top Rank now goads ESPN to have with itself. The pound-for-pound title was/is on the line this/last week about the way the NBA championship is on the line annually at the Verizon Slam Dunk Contest; if a man might be recognized as prizefighting’s best for icing a thirdtier opponent balletically, why not crown professional basketball’s best player according to one’s talent for balletically dunking on an unguarded net?

As friend and colleague Jimmy Tobin so insightfully tweeted: “Talking about P4P shit is especially silly after a Crolla fight.”

But there they were, 2/3 of the HBO-recycle panel, well into the witching hour Saturday morning, talking about the importance of what Lomachenko did to hapless Anthony Crolla. What he did, apparently, was break his right hand on Crolla’s head, which is meaningful in the same way it was when Floyd Mayweather broke his right hand on Carlos Baldomir’s head in 2006. It mattered naught to the outcome but changed a career’s trajectory.

Never again after Baldomir would Mayweather fight often, cheaply or with a knockout in mind. If Mayweather were never naturally likable, after the Baldomir fight he marketed himself as a villain, sowing his fortune by putting as many pay-per-viewers on the against-side of the ledger as the for-. However well he performed financially Mayweather knew he was nowhere near the fighter he’d been with healthy hands.

And how did Baldomir turn the trick of changing Mayweather’s career? The same way Crolla, and before him Jorge Linares, changed Lomachenko’s career: By simply being a naturally bigger man. Unattributable to talent or fortitude or whatever other euphemism we employ for brutishness, Crolla needed to be struck hard by Lomachenko more times than his lighter predecessors did. Each flush shot Lomachenko felt his knuckles deliver emboldened Lomachenko to sauce even heavier the next.

Thing is, though, there just ain’t that much horsehair or foam or tape between Lomachenko’s knuckles and his victim’s cranium, and there’s but so much density in feathery human handbones and tensile strength in what ligaments keep them ordered at impact, and you can only court the catastrophic so many times before it accepts your proposal. There is no irony in Lomachenko’s having to wait till his right shoulder healed from surgery to generate enough torque to break his right hand; it all speaks to what brittleness age and weight-scaling visit on every prizefighter inevitably if not always proportionately.

Lomachenko knows this. And this knowing begins to explain the urgency with which he has made title fights and climbed weightclasses. In the increasingly entertaining Lomachenko cinema – that precedes his increasingly predictable fights – this time Lomachenko held his breath underwater for three minutes. It was an impressive feat suspensefully rendered. Impressive and suspenseful, that is, until Lomachenko revealed he’d been able to hold his breath 50-percent longer as an amateur.

If Lomachenko is 50-percent less adept at oxygen-denial than he was in his twenties, what else is deteriorated and how much – handspeed, footspeed, reflexes, derring-do? Anthony Crolla sure as hell didn’t tell us.

Until last month, the common wisdom was that Mikey Garcia could. That’s no longer quite so assured. If prizefighters are improved by winning championships they’re diminished by first defeats and especially shutouts. One imagines Garcia returning to lightweight and commencing a reign of terror on whichever taxistas and mecánicos PBC tees-up for him, and perhaps that farce shall endure a bit, but what happens the next time Garcia is across from a man more talented than he is? Does he relentlessly press violence, now confident no lightweight has the power to dent him, or does he 1-2-3 his way to another safe loss?

If Lomachenko-Garcia happens, and there is exactly no reason to think it will, here’s what we’ll tell ourselves: Garcia’s greatest advantage is the fundamentally sound and powerful way of his attack; a jab-cross combo thrown by a powerpuncher at 135 pounds is just the thing to scramble Lomachenko’s signals and reduce the Hi-Tech network from fiberoptic to can-on-a-string.

We’ll do this because as aficionados we’re a bunch adaptive as we are resilient. This week, in fact, we’ll be telling ourselves there’s something quintessentially heroic about Amir Khan’s next knockout loss.

Khan might have taken the easy route by retiring once he was no longer the best in his division but instead he has challenged himself to lose more brutally each year. No, he has not always succeeded in this quest, which proves its nobility. After Danny Garcia detailed him in 2012, Kahn spent two years making rehab matches with retreads who’d not spark him. Then came redemption proper: Khan’s faceplant against Canelo Alvarez won 2016 knockout of the year. Back to the lair went Kahn, effectively retiring in 2017 and 2018 despite fighting twice, before emerging like Zorro for a spectacular loss to Terence Crawford this Saturday.

Crawford, ESPN welterweight champion, and Lomachenko, ESPN lightweight champion, now engage in a pitched hypothetical battle for a still-more hypothetical title: If you take the Lomachenko who just broke his hand punching Crolla and the Crawford who seeks to widow Khan’s wife, and imagine they are the same size, and further imagine their promoter would deign make them fight, who would win Lomachenko-Crawford?

Once you’ve answered that hypothetical question according to the imagined criteria above, forget all of it and ask yourself even dreamier questions like who wows you more and what should the purse-split be for the number of pay-per-view buys you imagine this hypothetical match’d garner. Now take that heaping mess, go to Twitter and find someone who disagrees with you, and engage him relentlessly. Prove yourself a historian or a clairvoyant. Stay engaged.

For whatever you do, don’t refuse to participate in this nonsense till the best men in each division choose to fight one another.

Bart Barry can be reached via Twitter @bartbarry

NEW YORK CITY (April 12, 2019) — The undefeated pound-for-pound king, three-division world champion and reigning WBO welterweight champion Terence “Bud” Crawford will headline the inaugural Top Rank on ESPN pay-per-view broadcast against former unified super lightweight world champion Amir “King” Khan Saturday, April 20 at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT from Madison Square Garden.

Crawford vs. Khan will be available via all major cable and satellite providers with a suggested retail price of $59.95 (SD) or $69.95 (HD).

All undercard bouts will air live on ESPN2 and ESPN Deportes, beginning at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT.

Crawford (34-0, 25 KOs), the fighting pride of Omaha, Nebraska, unified all four super lightweight titles in August 2017 and moved up to the welterweight division intent on doing the same. In June 2018, he won the WBO welterweight title with a dominant ninth-round stoppage over Manny Pacquiao conqueror Jeff “The Hornet” Horn. Four months later, in front of a packed hometown house at the CHI Health Center Omaha, he stopped bitter rival Jose Benavidez Jr. in the 12th round.

Khan (33-4, 20 KOs), who captured an Olympic silver medal in 2004 for Great Britain at the age of 17, has long been one of boxing’s most captivating performers. He won his first world title in 2009 and has victories over Marco Antonio Barrera, Zab Judah, Marcos Maidana, Paulie Malignaggi, Luis Collazo and Devon Alexander. He is undefeated as a welterweight and is once again attempting to prove his greatness against boxing’s best.

In other action on the pay-per-view broadcast:

• Lightweight sensation Teofimo Lopez (12-0, 10 KOs) will face former world title challenger and two-time European lightweight champion Edis Tatli (31-2, 10 KOs) in a 12-round co-feature. Lopez is ranked in the top five by all four major sanctioning organizations and is coming off a savage seventh-round knockout over Diego Magdaleno.

• In the other co-feature attraction, Shakur Stevenson (10-0, 6 KOs), the 21-year-old featherweight phenom who earned a silver medal for the United States at the 2016 Rio Olympics, will face former world title challenger Christopher “Pitufo” Diaz (24-1, 16 KOs) in a 10-rounder.

• Felix “El Diamante” Verdejo (24-1, 16 KOs), one of Puerto Rico’s most popular fistic attractions, will fight former interim world champion Bryan Vasquez (37-3, 20 KOs) in a 10-round lightweight duel with potential world title implications.

CRAWFORD vs. KHAN is a 12-round fight for the WBO welterweight championship of the world, presented by Top Rank in association with Matchroom Boxing and Khan Promotions. The event is sponsored by Geico. CRAWFORD vs. KHAN will take place Saturday, April 20, beginning at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT at Madison Square Garden, and will be produced by Top Rank and ESPN and distributed live by ESPN Pay-Per-View.

Tickets for this world championship event priced at $606, $406, $306, $206, $106, $81, and $56 (including facility fees) can be purchased at the Madison Square Garden Box Office, all Ticketmaster outlets, Ticketmaster charge by phone (866-858-0008) and online at www.ticketmaster.com or www.MSG.com.

For more information, visit: www.toprank.com, www.espn.com/boxing; Facebook:facebook.com/trboxing; Twitter: twitter.com/trboxing.

Use the hashtag #CrawfordKhan to join the conversation on social media.

NEW YORK (April 4, 2019)–Welterweight contender, Ray Robinson believes that he should have deserved the decision in his bout with WBO number-one ranked Egidijus Kavaliauskas in a bout that was seen live on ESPN this past Saturday at 2300 Arena in Philadelphia.

Robinson of Philadelphia and Kavaliauskas battled to a majority draw in a bout where Robinson demonstrated great ring generalship and dictated the pace of the bout.

“This is why I fell in love with boxing. To hit and not get hit, i put on a boxing lesson,” said Robinson.

“I feel like I offset him. I was faster and the lateral movement confused him. I frustrated him. I just listened to my coaches and threw him off. I had a full camp, and it showed in my performance as I feel that I dominated,” continued Robinson, who won one scorecard by a 97-93 tally, while two others were even at 95-95.

Kavaliauskas has been mentioned for a chance to fight undefeated WBO champion Terence Crawford, but with his performance, Robinson would happily step in the ring with the Nebraska native, as he showed not only he is a worthy fighter, but he also, Robinson owns a win over the consensus pound-for-pound fighter in the amateur ranks. Robinson feels he would repeat that result in the pro ranks, with an opportunity at Crawford.

“I think now I deserve that shot. I am the last person to defeat Terence Crawford in the amateurs. The fans would want to see it, and I am sure he would want it. If it was me, I would want to fight the last person who beat me. If not Crawford, I feel that I deserve to compete with the top welterweights out there. Guys like Thurman, Porter, Spence, Sadam Ali, Kell Brook, Adrien Broner. Any of them. I am a promotional free agent, so it won’t be difficult to make a deal with any of them”