Terence Crawford has a tough assignment.
Not against David Avanesyan, his opponent in a pay-per-view bout Saturday night in Omaha, Nebraska, Crawford’s hometown. His burden is trying to sell the fight to fans.
Crawford was expected to face fellow welterweight titleholder Errol Spence Jr. for the undisputed championship next in a monstrous event but talks fell apart. Instead, he’ll take on a solid, but limited fighter who doesn’t stir the imagination.
He did his best to promote the matchup we’re stuck with.
“David Avanesyan is a good fighter,” Crawford said. “He’s on a good winning streak, and beat a guy in the U.K. in Josh Kelly who people thought was going to be a star. I have to train like I am facing King Kong on December 10th, because Avanesyan has everything to gain and nothing to lose.
“I know he is going to bring everything on December 10th, so I’m not looking past him. This will be the best Avanesyan, so I have to be the best Terence Crawford.”
Avanesyan (29-3-1, 17 KOs) is, indeed, on a hot streak. He has stopped all six of his opponents since he was stopped by contender Egidijus Kavaliauskas in six rounds in 2018.
The problem is that he has never faced an opponent near the ability of Crawford (38-0, 29 KOs), who stopped Kavaliauskas the following year. Thus, at least on paper, the fight on Saturday is more of a showcase for the champion than a compelling matchup.
Crawford, No. 1 on Boxing Junkie’s pound-for-pound list, is around a 10-1 favorite (average of multiple outlets).
“My goal is to remind the world that I am the best fighter on the planet, so everyone needs to tune in December 10,” he said.
Spence? That fight or one with another top 147- or perhaps 154-pounder could happen next year. Crawford seems to be optimistic that the big fights will come.
“My thing is to keep doing what I’ve been doing, which is winning in a tremendous fashion, and everything else will fall into place,” he said.
Meanwhile, Avanesyan, a U.K. based Russian, isn’t traveling to the U.S. with the intention of losing.
“I’m going into this fight with a lot to prove as no one is giving me a chance to win,” Avanesyan said. “But he has a lot on his plate, he’s got a lot of distractions, and none of the interviewers ask him about me.
“It is always about the fight that didn’t happen or other stuff. I am more focused than ever, and coming in as a massive underdog, is just the way I like it. … A win against the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in boxing will make me one of the biggest names in the sport.
“I would become a household name and a top-5 pound-for-pound fighter. These are motivations, I get to take everything Crawford worked for, and I will.”
Fans would be satisfied just to see a good fight and then hope Crawford and Spence get back to the table.
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