Fight Week: Terence Crawford vs. Kell Brook, women’s tripleheader

Terence Crawford will defend his welterweight title against Kell Brook on Oct. 14 in Las Vegas.

FIGHT WEEK

A look at the coming week in capsules

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TURSYNBAY KULAKHMET (1-0, 1 KOS)
VS. MACAULAY MCGOWAN (14-0-1, 3 KOs)

Tursynbay Kulakhmet (right) won a bronze medal in the 2019 World Championships in Russia. Pavel Lisitsyn / Sputnik via AP

When: Wednesday, Nov. 11
Where: Production Park Studios, South Kirby, England
TV/Stream: ESPN+
Division: Junior welterweight (10 rounds)
At stake: No titles
Pound-for-pound ranking: None
Odds: NA
Also on the card: Jack Rafferty vs. Tom Hill, 8 rounds, welterweights; Inder Bassi vs. Jack Martin, 6 rounds, junior middleweights
Prediction: Kulakhmet UD
Background: Kulakhmet is a former amateur star from Kazakhstan, Gennadiy Golovkin’s country. The 26-year-old native of Kyzylorda won a middleweight bronze medal at the 2019 World Championships. He made his pro debut on Aug. 23 in Almaty, the capital of Kazakhstan, stopping countryman Sagadat Rakhmankul after four rounds of a scheduled eight-rounder. McGowan, from the Manchester area, has built his record against journeyman in his native country. He has never faced anyone near Kulakhmet’s pedigree or apparent talent. This also will be McGowen’s first scheduled 10-round fight.

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TERENCE CRAWFORD (36-0, 27 KOS)
VS. KELL BROOK (39-2, 27 KOs)

Does Kell Brook have what it takes to push pound-for-pound king Terrence Crawford on Saturday? George Wood / Getty Images

When: Saturday, Nov. 14
Where: MGM Grand, Las Vegas
TV/Stream: ESPN
Division: Welterweight (12 rounds)
At stake: Crawford’s WBO title
Pound-for-pound ranking: Crawford No. 1
Odds: Crawford 7½-1 (BetMGM)
Also on the card: Joshua Franco vs. Andrew Moloney, 12 rounds, junior bantamweights
Prediction: Crawford KO 10
Background: Those hoping to see Crawford face a highly ranked welterweight rival will have to settle for the veteran Brook. The 33-year-old Nebraskan will be fighting for the first time since he stopped Egidijus Kvaliauskas last December. He’ll be making his fourth defense of the belt he won by knocking out Jeff Horn in nine rounds in June 2018. The former 140-pound titleholder has stopped seven consecutive opponents, John Molina Jr., Felix Diaz, Julius Indongo, Horn, Jose Benavidez, Amir Khan and Kavaliauskas. His critics will point out that none of the above were comparable to the top 147-pounders with Premier Boxing Champions. Brook isn’t either. The Brit was a top fighter at the time he outpointed Shawn Porter to win a welterweight title in 2014. However, he has since lost by knockout to Gennadiy Golovkin (at middleweight) and Errol Spence Jr, didn’t fight at all last year and will have to come down from 154 to 147 for this fight. The 34-year-old from Sheffield is coming off a seventh-round knockout of Mark Deluca on Feb. 8.

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KATIE TAYLOR (16-0, 6 KOS)
VS. MIRIAM GUTIERREZ (13-0, 5 KOs)

Katie Taylor (right) outpointed Delfine Persoon in their rematch Saturday. Mark Robinson / Matchroom Boxing

When: Saturday, Nov. 14
Where: Wembley Arena, London
TV/Stream: DAZN (Sky Sports in U.K.)
Division: Lightweight (10 rounds)
At stake: Taylor’s IBF, WBA, WBC and WBO titles
Pound-for-pound ranking: None
Odds: NA
Also on the card: Terri Harper vs. Katharina Thanderz, 10 rounds, junior lightweights (for Harper’s WBC title); Rachel Ball vs. Jorgelina Guanini, 10 rounds, bantamweights (for vacant WBA title)
Prediction: Taylor UD
Background: Taylor is the biggest star on a historic card featuring three women’s world title fights. The 2012 Olympic champion from Ireland, now 34, is coming off a hard-fought unanimous-decision victory over Delfine Persoon to capture all the major 135-pound titles in their rematch on Aug. 22. Every big-name woman boxer around Taylor’s weight wants to fight her because of her star power. She’ll have to get past the relatively obscure Gutierrez first, though. The 37-year-old from Spain is taking a significant step up in opposition even though she holds an “interim” world title. She turned pro at 34 and has fought only in her native country, where she outpointed Keren Batiz to win her belt in November of last year. Harper (10-0-1, 5 KOs) is coming off a split-decision draw in a high-profile defense of her title on Aug. 7. Thanderz (13-0, 2 KOs) is a Spain-based Norwegian. She won an interim title by outpointing Danila Ramos in November of last year. And Ball (6-1, 0 KOs) will be fighting for a title for the first time. Guanini holds a junior bantamweight title.

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AMILCAR VIDAL (11-0, 10 KOS)
VS. EDWARD ORTIZ (11-0-2, 4 KOs)

When: Saturday, Nov. 14
Where: Microsoft Theater, Los Angeles
TV/Stream: Fox Sports 1
Division: Middleweights (10 rounds)
At stake: No titles
Pound-for-pound ranking: None
Odds: NA
Also on the card: Efetobor Apochi vs. Joe Jones, 10 rounds, cruiserweights; Henry Arredondo vs. Eros Correa, 8 rounds, featherweights
Prediction: Vidal KO 2
Background: Vidal is a Southern California-based middleweight prospect from Uruguay. He will be fighting for the second time in the United States, having stopped previously unbeaten Zach Prieto in the first round in November of last year in Sloan, Nev. Vidal last fought in January, when he knocked out Leopoldo Reyna in Uruguay, also in the opening round. The 24-year-old from Montevideo reportedly comes from a boxing family; his two older brothers and father also were boxers. He starting boxing at 6 in his father’s gym. Ortiz, a 29-year-old from San Antonio, will be fighting at Microsoft for the second time. He defeated Antonio Todd by a split decision in an eight-rounder on Aug. 22. This will be his first scheduled 10-round fight.

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