Terence Crawford vs. Jose Benavidez Jr. - October 13, 2018

[Ruthless-RKO]

Welterweight world titlist Terence Crawford, one of boxing's pound-for-pound elite fighters, signed a contract extension with promoter Top Rank on Thursday, the same day the company announced details of his first defense.

The first fight of Crawford's new promotional deal will take place against unbeaten contender Jose Benavidez Jr. in Crawford's hometown of Omaha, Nebraska, at the CHI Health Center on Oct. 13 (ESPN and ESPN Deportes, 10:30 p.m. ET with the full card streaming on ESPN+ beginning at 7 p.m. ET).

The 30-year-old Crawford (33-0, 24 KOs), who has been with Top Rank since 2011, still had about two years remaining on his deal with Top Rank but both sides were happy to do a new one.

Crawford's new contract comes a month after the announcement of the agreement between Top Rank and ESPN on a new seven-year rights deal that runs until August 2025.

Crawford said the alliance between the promotional company and network was a key reason for his decision to re-sign well before he would have become a free agent.

http://www.espn.com/boxing/story/_/id/2 ... navidez-jr

[Ruthless-RKO]

Good news for Bud.

He earned $3m as a challenger against Horn. He’ll be paid handsomely going forward.

[Ruthless-RKO]

[Best Coast]

Not as bad of a defense as some people are saying. Benavidez was a junior welter most of his career too but he is 6'2" so he's got a major height advantage over TC. I expect a KO for Bud but he's still getting a feel for 147 at this point. Eventually he will face some of the top names at 147: Thurman, Garcia, Porter, Spence, etc

In this one I see Crawford methodically breaking him down and stopping him around 6th or 7th round.

[gilgamesh]

Not as bad of a defense as some people are saying. Benavidez was a junior welter most of his career too but he is 6'2" so he's got a major height advantage over TC. I expect a KO for Bud but he's still getting a feel for 147 at this point. Eventually he will face some of the top names at 147: Thurman, Garcia, Porter, Spence, etc

In this one I see Crawford methodically breaking him down and stopping him around 6th or 7th round.

I hope Bob and Al work together at some point to make those fights at least. I wouldn't hold my breath.

[Best Coast]

Not as bad of a defense as some people are saying. Benavidez was a junior welter most of his career too but he is 6'2" so he's got a major height advantage over TC. I expect a KO for Bud but he's still getting a feel for 147 at this point. Eventually he will face some of the top names at 147: Thurman, Garcia, Porter, Spence, etc

In this one I see Crawford methodically breaking him down and stopping him around 6th or 7th round.

I hope Bob and Al work together at some point to make those fights at least. I wouldn't hold my breath.

If Arum & King can overcome their differences when big $$$$ are on the line, then I assume Arum & Haymon can do the same. That's why they are in the bu$ine$$.

[jamamb]

its an okayish fight but really not that great, benavidez really only fought 1 world class/fringe world class opponent and i thought he lost. craw is a great fighter and has lots of solid wins but really nothing overly impressive. hopefully that changes and he fights one of the big name wws eventually

btw when did benavidez become 6'2. he was listed at 6'0 his whole career and even talked in an interview saying he was that height,strange how so many guys just get random height increases, recently kovalev got bumped from 6'0 to 6'2 on boxrec like benavidez, although he got changed back

[Ruthless-RKO]

Ticket info

[bmilligan]

Not a bad fight, it could have been a lot worse of course.

Hopefully the promoters can iron out their stuff and give us great fights in WW in 2019.

[jamamb]

its at least a young unbeaten guy who should come with some ambition. and benavidez has some size and some ability to i think not be so hapless as horn

but benavidez really hasnt fought many good opponents (so lacking serious level experience) and i thought he lost to herrera, who was defo his biggest test. since then his best opponent was prob francisco santana and that was actually a really competitive fight despite the sh!t cards

so ya, id say its okay, but nothing more. craw has lots of solid wins but nothing really that impressive, hope he can fight one of the elite wws soon

[Ruthless-RKO]

so ya, id say its okay, but nothing more. craw has lots of solid wins but nothing really that impressive, hope he can fight one of the elite wws soon

It's only Craw's 2nd fight at WW.. Horn is a big WW.. Benavidez should be more Crawford's size.

[Ruthless-RKO]

This weekend.. Fight has had no build or anything.

[Enlightened-One]

This weekend.. Fight has had no build or anything.

Terence Crawford’s affiliation with Top Rank and ESPN seem to be hindering his career progress.

He’s facing fringe contenders in bouts that aren’t being pushed by ESPN or Top Rank.

His anonymity will limit his PPV buys potential and consequently the lack of financial viability will render bouts against his PBC world-rated peers as being highly-unlikely.

And as Showtime’s Stephen Espinoza previously explained when asked on the likelihood for a potential bout between Errol Spence Jr. and Terence Crawford:

““It would have to be worth the trouble and the opportunity… If it doesn’t make sense from the business perspective or an opportunity perspective, then you’re talking about jumping through a lot of hoops for very little payoff.”

At the moment, there doesn’t seem to be any real reason why Showtime would be motivated to work with ESPN to stage a bout between any of the PBC guys and Terence Crawford, which seems to be due to the manner in which Top Rank has marketed Bud’s career.

I wonder if Terence Crawford’s career path will follow the same direction as his stable mate, Gilberto Ramirez?

[Ruthless-RKO]

This weekend.. Fight has had no build or anything.

I wonder if Terence Crawford’s career path will follow the same direction as his stable mate, Gilberto Ramirez?

I bloody hope not. Welterweight was a good move, but he needs to fight better opponents.

[Enlightened-One]

This weekend.. Fight has had no build or anything.

I wonder if Terence Crawford’s career path will follow the same direction as his stable mate, Gilberto Ramirez?

I bloody hope not. Welterweight was a good move, but he needs to fight better opponents.

With Manny Pacquiao seemingly likely to sign a two-fight deal with the PBC, then Crawford’s options for top-ten world-rated opponents will be limited solely to his stablemate, Egidijus Kavaliauskas (assuming Bud overcomes the challenged posed by the borderline fringe contender, Jose Benavidez Jr, this weekend).

A rematch against Jeff Horn makes zero sense, whilst the rest of the top-ten world-rated fighters are all affiliated with Al Haymon’s PBC (and by proxy to both Showtime & Fox):

• Keith Thurman
• Errol Spence Jr.
• Shawn Porter
• Danny Garcia
• Jessie Vargas
• Yordenis Ugas
• Jamal James

I don’t expect to see Terence Crawford facing any of the above guys anytime soon, which is disappointing.

[Ruthless-RKO]

A rematch against Jeff Horn makes zero sense, whilst the rest of the top-ten world-rated fighters are all affiliated with Al Haymon’s PBC (and by proxy to both Showtime & Fox):

• Keith Thurman
• Errol Spence Jr.
• Shawn Porter
• Danny Garcia
• Jessie Vargas
• Yordenis Ugas
• Jamal James

I don’t expect to see Terence Crawford facing any of the above guys anytime soon, which is disappointing.

You do have other unlikely possibilities.. like Amir Khan.

[Enlightened-One]

A rematch against Jeff Horn makes zero sense, whilst the rest of the top-ten world-rated fighters are all affiliated with Al Haymon’s PBC (and by proxy to both Showtime & Fox):

• Keith Thurman
• Errol Spence Jr.
• Shawn Porter
• Danny Garcia
• Jessie Vargas
• Yordenis Ugas
• Jamal James

I don’t expect to see Terence Crawford facing any of the above guys anytime soon, which is disappointing.

You do have other unlikely possibilities.. like Amir Khan.

Amir Khan will either engage in meaningless stay-busy bouts against 100% “safe” opposition and/or seek to engage in high-risk lucrative fights against the likes of Mayweather, Pacquiao and/or Brook.

I wouldn’t expect Terence Crawford to be matched against Amir Khan, but it’s possible, since Bob Arum states that he would consider promoting this bout. If Top Rank are willing to "splash the cash", then it may happen, but I feel the chances are remote, since the Brit has bigger fish to fry.

I doubt that the majority of boxing’s die-hard aficionados would consider the Brit as a top-ten 147lb-er (he isn't rated by ESPN or The RING), which means that a victory for Crawford over a fringe contender, such as Khan, wouldn’t enhance his reputation one iota.

[tfgrudin]

I think Crawford wins by ko!

[abovethesink]

Unrelated to the fight itself, but I'm curious. Why does boxrec consistently not have the full Top Rank cards on their schedule? Its like that every week while the cards of other major promoters are always listed top to bottom. TR shows usually just have the TV fights listed on the boxrec schedule, and sometimes only the main event. For instance, Mike Alvarado, Mikaela Meyer, and Steve Nelson all have fights missing for Saturday. As do other names I don't recognize as per Dan Rafael's schedule.

[siablo14]

Uninteresting mismatch.

[Best Coast]

A rematch against Jeff Horn makes zero sense, whilst the rest of the top-ten world-rated fighters are all affiliated with Al Haymon’s PBC (and by proxy to both Showtime & Fox):

• Keith Thurman
• Errol Spence Jr.
• Shawn Porter
• Danny Garcia
• Jessie Vargas
• Yordenis Ugas
• Jamal James

I don’t expect to see Terence Crawford facing any of the above guys anytime soon, which is disappointing.

You do have other unlikely possibilities.. like Amir Khan.

Unlikely for sure. Khan is not a serious option for ANY of the welter world champions (or 140 & 154 for that matter).

[KiwiRider]

Amir Khan will either engage in meaningless stay-busy bouts against 100% “safe” opposition.

sorry EO, but there aren't any 100% safe bouts for Khan.
The guy could hit the canvas from his ice bag being placed on his head too roughly.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Here are eight facts about the Arizona man, who has won all 27 professional fights following a glittering amateur career:

1) He is the older brother by 4 1/2 years of WBC Super-Middleweight Champion, David Benavidez.

2) He was the youngest boxer ever to win the National Golden Gloves Championships, aged 16 in 2009.

3) He is now trained by his dad, Jose Sr, but when he turned professional was with Freddie Roach and sparred with Amir Khan.

4) When he turned professional he was also the youngest boxer, at 17, to be licensed as a professional by the Nevada State Athletic Commission. Top Rank Promotions made an exception for the minimum age requirement of 18 years because of his exceptional talent.

5) In August 2016 he was shot while out walking his dog in Phoenix and suffered a serious leg injury. He was told he would never box again. It took him two years to walk, but he was back fighting earlier this year inside 18 months, and showed no effect in two winning fights. "I was losing so much blood I almost died," he recalled.

6) He has spent six months training in Las Vegas for his career-defining fight against Crawford, leaving behind his Arizona home comforts.

7) His sparring partners have included Jose Valenzuela. His dad, Jose Sr revealed: "He's the one I brought personally. He's a natural southpaw and he has that little boxing style. I would never compare him to Terence Crawford, but he can move kind of like that."

8) Benavidez started boxing aged six: "My parents put me in soccer, baseball, and I didn't really like any of those sports. My dad would always watch boxing, so I told him to take me to the gym one day and I just fell in love with the sport.”

[pound per pound]

I wonder if Terence Crawford’s career path will follow the same direction as his stable mate, Gilberto Ramirez?

I bloody hope not. Welterweight was a good move, but he needs to fight better opponents.

With Manny Pacquiao seemingly likely to sign a two-fight deal with the PBC, then Crawford’s options for top-ten world-rated opponents will be limited solely to his stablemate, Egidijus Kavaliauskas (assuming Bud overcomes the challenged posed by the borderline fringe contender, Jose Benavidez Jr, this weekend).

A rematch against Jeff Horn makes zero sense, whilst the rest of the top-ten world-rated fighters are all affiliated with Al Haymon’s PBC (and by proxy to both Showtime & Fox):

• Keith Thurman
• Errol Spence Jr.
• Shawn Porter
• Danny Garcia
• Jessie Vargas
• Yordenis Ugas
• Jamal James

I don’t expect to see Terence Crawford facing any of the above guys anytime soon, which is disappointing.

Crawford needs to step it up. Benavidez isn't a good opponent for him, he could have done much better.

I'm beginning to wonder if Crawford is picking his opponents like Roy Jones did.

[adislav123]

Compared to the defenses other so called champions regularily come up with it's not a bad fight whatsoever. Guess crawford learned from that wasted time he has behind him, a good start to step the pace up.

Benavidez is a young, big, strong & confident, unbeaten fighter who comes to fight not a dug up, handpicked, shot, ancient mummy or some undersized, obscure, african/south american rookie with an unbeaten/padded record of 13-0 who just shows up for a cheque.

Crawford should wear him down but i don't think it will be a walk in the park for him.