TERENCE CRAWFORD
VS. KELL BROOK
EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO
KNOW ABOUT THE BIG FIGHT
When: Saturday, Nov. 14
Start time: 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT
Where: MGM Grand, Las Vegas
TV: ESPN
Division: Welterweight (12 rounds)
At stake: Crawford’s WBO title
Odds: Crawford 7½-1 (BetMGM)
***
TERENCE CRAWFORD BIO
Record: 36-0, 27 KOs
Current titles: WBO welterweight (2018-)
Other titles: WBO lightweight (2014-15); WBO junior welterweight (2015-17); WBC junior welterweight (2016-18); IBF and WBA junior welterweight (2017)
Home country: United States (Omaha, Neb.)
Age: 33
Pro debut: 2008
Pro rounds: 204
Height: 5 feet, 8 inches (173 cm)
Reach: 74 inches (188 cm)
Stance: Southpaw
Trainer: Brian McIntyre
***
BROOK BIO
Record: 39-2, 27 KOs
Current titles: None
Other titles: IBF welterweight (2014-17)
Home country: United Kingdom (Sheffield)
Age: 34
Pro debut: 2004
Pro rounds: 216
Height: 5 feet, 9 inches (175 cm)
Reach: 69 inches (175 cm)
Stance: Orthodox
Trainer: Carlos Formento
***
WHY YOU SHOULD WATCH
You should watch anytime Terence Crawford fights. The Nebraskan is one of the best fighters of his generation — he’s No. 1 on Boxing Junkie’s pound-for-pound list — and he’s entertaining to boot. He’ll be in the International boxing Hall of Fame one day. Brook is not on the level of Crawford’s primary rivals, guys like Errol Spence Jr., Manny Pacquiao, Keith Thurman and Shawn Porter, but he’s certainly no pushover. He could test Crawford if he’s on top of his game and fights the perfect fight.
***
FIVE KEY QUESTIONS
How much does Brook have left? Some. He’s no longer the fighter who beat Shawn Porter to win his title but he still has ability and experience. The problem is he’s been inactive, has to transition from 154 to 147 and won’t have longtime trainer Dominic Ingle in his corner.
Does Brook have a realistic chance to win? Yes. Crawford is a 7½-1 favorite for a reason but, again, Brook has ability and experience. And declining veterans have been known to turn back the clock.
What does a victory do for Crawford’s career? Not much. That’s the price you pay when you face an opponent who is perceived to be overmatched.
What does a victory do for Brook’s career? Everything. In one stroke, he would regain a 147-pound title and become a major player again in one of the sport’s most-lucrative divisions.
Is this Crawford’s last fight with Top Rank? Could be. His contract with the promotional company expires next year, according to reports. That would free him up to sign with any promoter he chooses.
***
WHY CRAWFORD WILL WIN
Crawford has it all — the skills, speed, power, experience and a killer instinct — and is at the peak of his abilities, as seven consecutive knockouts against contender-level opposition indicates. He hasn’t fought since he stopped Egidijus Kavaliauskas in nine rounds last December but he had been consistently active before the COVID-19 pandemic took hold. Brook has fought once since December 2018. Crawford also is motivated. It seems the long-awaited fights against his prime rivals are around the corner. He knows he has to beat Brook first.
WHY BROOK WILL WIN
Brook has the liabilities mentioned above — his relative inactivity the past several years, an unfamiliar trainer and the fact he’ll have to come down in weight. He also might have a few advantages. He has fought more recently than Crawford, stopping Mark Deluca in February. That’s can’t hurt. And, again, he has been fighting at 154 pounds. If he can come down to 147 comfortably — without sacrificing strength or stamina — he could be considerably bigger than the champion when they step into the ring. If you combine that with his ability and experience, he has a shot.
PREDICTION
Crawford is the pound-for-pound king because he’s exceptionally good and at the top of his game. Brook arguably hasn’t won an important fight since he took a 147-pound title from Porter in 2014. He hasn’t been in an important fight since his back-to-back knockout losses against Gennadiy Golovkin (at 160 pounds) and Spence (at 147) in 2016 and 2017 No one will surprised if Crawford replicates the success of Triple-G and Spence against an older, less-effective version of Brook.
Crawford KO 9
***
ALSO ON THE CARD
- Joshua Franco vs. Andrew Moloney, 12 rounds, for junior bantamweights
- Joshua Greer Jr. vs. Edwin Rodriguez, 8 rounds, bantamweights
- Tyler Howard vs. KeAndrae Leatherwood, 8 rounds, middleweights
- Elvis Rodriguez vs. TBA, 8 rounds, junior welterweights
- Raymond Muratalla vs. TBA, 8 rounds, lightweights
- Duke Ragan vs. TBA, 4 rounds, featherweights
- Vegas Larfield vs. Juan Alberto Flores, 4 rounds, bantamweights