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OMAHA, Neb. – After Terence Crawford, one of the elite boxing fighters, gave up the undisputed junior welterweight world title and went on to welterweight, where he devastated Jeff Horn by winning a one-sided playoff victory in the ninth round in June. claiming a belt in a third weight division, the pressing question was who he would fight next.
Most of the best non-named welterweight Terence Crawford's activities under the leadership of boxing champions Premier – Errol Spence Jr., Shawn Porter, Keith Thurman and Danny Garcia – and scheduling a fight against them was not realistic for the rest. of this year. But Crawford's promoter, Top Rank, had an unbeaten welterweight named Jose Benavidez Jr. with a giant chip on his shoulder about Crawford.
Benavidez has been calling Crawford for some time, strangely asserting that Crawford dodged him.
Crawford-Benavidez odds
| fighters | Opening odds | Chance from October 11th |
|---|---|---|
| Crawford | -1400 | -3000 |
| Benavidez | +800 | 1200 |
| Chances are offered by the WestBook Las Vegas SuperBook | ||
Although Benavidez (27-0, 18 KO), a promising prospect when he turned pro at 17, remains undefeated, he has yet to win a big nine-year career. His ceaseless scrambles about Crawford and his February showdown during a weigh-in made the bulk of the fight. Crawford, tired of the noise, decided to defend himself for the first time against Benavidez. The health center CHI is unleashed on Saturday (22:30, Paris time) on ESPN and ESPN Deportes. ESPN + from 19h ET).
"By beating him, I hope to have some respect," Benavidez said. "But I do not care what people think, I know I'm going to beat him, and I know what I'm capable of, I'm going to shock the world."
Said Crawford (33-0, 24 KO's), In the first fight of a new contract with Top Rank: "Once he feels the punches go up his head, I do not even know he's going to want to stay next to me." "
Here is your ESPN.com Ringside Headquarters for the fight:
Bad blood
Terence Crawford and Jose Benavidez Jr. had a lot to say at the press conference on Friday, in anticipation of their welterweight title fight.
Photo of Mikey Williams / Top Rank
The inconvenience shared by Crawford, 31, and Benavidez, 26, is obvious. What started as a one-way traffic on Benavidez's side, with Crawford's call during this weigh-in in Corpus Christi, Texas, has spread to Crawford as and when 39, progress of the struggle.
"These guys have had public words … and I think it's a personal battle," said Top Rank President Todd Duboef. "Since we've released amateurs, Benavidez has been very skilled and has had a great career, and that's his defining moment.
"At this point, along with Terence Crawford, he's the gold standard of boxing.He just electrified everyone with his talent and his boxing power, taking all his And anecdotally, when Terence Crawford gets into the ring, it feels like Alabama football He is the dominant, and he will have his hands full with a guy who will not back down. "
On Wednesday, Crawford and his team arrived at the gym a little earlier for media day, before Benavidez finished with his and a protest match broke out between the fighters and their camps.
"It's been true since day one, since the announcement of the fight.This is not nothing but real," Crawford said, adding that whatever happens in the fight of Saturday he would not shake Benavidez's hand afterwards. "I'm just going to go and shut up, that's all, that's all."
Benavidez showed disdain for Crawford.
"I do not see anything special about Terence Crawford, I do not see why everyone is afraid to fight him," he said. "I'm Sparring Manny Pacquiao since the age of 16, [I sparred] Timothy Bradley, I fought Amir Khan, Shane Mosley and Shawn Porter. For me, Terence is really not that special. He is beatable and I will show him.
"Everyone still doubts me, it's not new, it motivates me more to show them what I'm capable of, this fight I'm happy to be oppressed because everything the world thinks I'm going to lose, I'm not going to lose, I have not come to Omaha to leave empty-handed, I'm going to leave with this belt. "
The spirits resumed on Thursday during the last press conference before the replay, during which senior officials have made sure that their teams arrive and leave separately to avoid any confrontation.
"Everyone is asleep and soon he's going to wake up and I'm going to beat him on the ass Saturday night, you're not scary to anyone," Benharidez told Crawford. "It's better for you to bring your A-match on Saturday because you're going to get bumped in. Guaranteed, you'd better take advantage of this belt because on Saturday, this belt will be mine."
Crawford retorted, "He said we all bark, but we do not bite, Come on Saturday, he'll find out how hard I bite, I do not even have to talk too much because I know what's going to happen this Saturday. "
Mr. confident
Benavidez, who measures 6 feet 1 inch and measures several inches longer than the Crawford 5-8, has been laser focused on his decision to take advantage and has shown himself extremely confident.
Benavidez, the older brother of David Benavidez, former world super middleweight champion, did something unusual before this fight.
While Crawford was training in Colorado Springs, Colorado, as usual, Benavidez was starting to feel comfortable on the Crawford field. He set up camp in Omaha, Crawford's home town, three weeks before the fight, instead of just hitting the city for a week.
"It's time to show the world what I can do, I've been waiting for it all my life," said Benavidez. "I'm here, I'm going to take care of this city and I'm going to take his belt, I'm not scared."
He did not hesitate when the fight was organized for the hometown of Crawford.
"I know what to do, I can not let this fight go to a decision, I'm in his yard," he said. "I have to beat him every turn or take him out, I'm coming to win and I'm not going empty-handed. thought I'm going to win. I know I'm going to win.
"I am the greatest fighter, I am the strongest.Everything he can do, I can do it better.So he wants to hit, I can hit and I guarantee you that I hit more It will be a war, and it will not come out of this ring with the belt, it is guaranteed, believe me, mark my words.
"You know, when you come into someone's yard, you have to take it and I'm going to wear it to him.I feel like the strongest fighter, I'm the fastest fighter." he wants to hit, well, good luck with that because he will not go very far. "
In numbers
Terence Crawford
-
Four-battle knockout series from May 2017
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Electrical connection rate of 48%, according to CompuBox (weighted average weight average is 38%)
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Fifth fight in his hometown of Omaha, Nebraska
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According to ESPN, welterweight and pound-to-pound ranked second
Jose Benavidez Jr .:
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KO with two losses and three KOs in his last five fights
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Returning from 18 months of layoff in February after being shot from a shot in the leg
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38.3% of his shots in his last five fights, according to CompuBox
Worthy challenger?
While Crawford established himself as one of the best boxing players, winning titles in three divisions, winning the title of fighter of the year twice and defeating multiple title holders and contenders, Benavidez earned the title mainly because of his mouth.
Even Crawford said that he did not deserve the title shot.
"No, not at all," he says. "But that's not the point, the fact is we're here and we're fighting on Saturday, and on Saturday the whole discussion will be at the window.
"He just wants to promote the fight, he just wanted the fight, now he's fighting, he's going to eat his words."
Brian McIntyre, the coach and director of Crawford, said: "I can not say whether they are worthy or not, but I'm sure they've never gone to that level before. So that they can come to our city and talk They talk about their garbage and do not know what they are getting in. I have to say two things: I respect that because it's a total trust , and you fucked dude. "
Benavidez briefly held an interim junior welterweight belt from 2014 to 2015 before leaving to gain weight, but his biggest wins were against Mauricio Herrera and Francisco Santana (on a map under Crawford).
In his last fight, on the map under Crawford-Horn, Benavidez eliminated Frank Rojas, undefeated at the time but untested, in the first round of what was essentially an audition for the fight with Crawford.
"I fought a guy 22-0, 21 KO, so I had to take this guy," said Benavidez. "I had to make a statement if I really wanted to fight Crawford, I had to take him, and that's exactly what I did." We train to win and do not believe in second place I've kidnapped the guy, and that's what I'm going to do to Terence Crawford.
Leg injury
Benavidez is lucky to be alive, let alone boxing. In August 2016, he wandered with his dog to his hometown of Phoenix and was shot by a stranger above the right knee. The bullet touched his femoral artery.
"It touched my main artery and I almost died," Benavidez said. "I almost bled."
The doctors told him that his career was over, but Benavidez never believed it.
"As long as you put 100%, everything is possible," he said.
He was out of the ring for 19 months but has won two bouts since returning in February.
"Since I was a child, many people have said," Oh, he will not go anywhere "or" He will not do anything with his life ". I beat those chances, and those who returned to boxing. I love this sport and I will continue to do it until I can not do anything anymore. I have motivation. Everyone was saying: "You're done, your career is over. The doctors said that your career was over, but I knew I would come back, I feel strong and I feel that everything is going as planned. I am more motivated than ever. I'm ready and I'm ready to take the belt.
"My leg will never be 100%, but when I get in, I do not think if my leg is hurting me, I'm doing what I have to do, I'm training to win, and I'm going to do it. what are we going to do. "
The prediction of Rafael: Crawford by late KO.
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