AngryGoon38 wrote: ↑11 Mar 2024, 10:45
Terribly Interesting hypothetical.
I'd probably have to pick Crawford, likely by a decision.
Jose Benevidez made it to the 12th round versus Big Bad Craw in 2018.
Oscar was at least a tad bit better than Jose.
Therefore, I think Oscar wouldn't get ko'd or even tko'd.
It'd probably be a 7-4-1 type of decision win for Mr Craw.
Note: I think that them fighting at 135 or 140 would make for a closer matchup.
I could see It being a Draw, or at least "Looking Like a Draw" (Despite one or the other getting the slight Nod on the judges score-cards), at either one of them lighter weight-divisions.
Good points. I don't disagree with you that this match-up could've been more interesting at 135 and 140. But I think it's a great fight at 147, too. A welterweight version of Oscar, starting from the Whitaker and up till the 1st Mosley fight, was still pretty dazzling.
Another interesting thing is - yes, Crawford didn't have a fight, where someone would question his win or anything like that. But Spence fight aside, Crawford was touched by lesser talents, than ODLH. I think, Terence would need to be very defensively alert here.
As far as the fight breakdown - against Oscar, Crawford would need to start slow, as he usually does. He'll have to make Oscar commit first, throw him off a bit, make him expand his energy by throwing those shoe-shine flurries and look for opportunities to counter (of course, he'd better not get hit by one of ODLH's lightning left hooks in the process).
I think, Crawford is patient enough to make these tactics work. He'll drop several rounds and will have trouble with Oscar's speed early. But he'll also succeed in making Oscar waste a lot of nervous energy and tire himself out. I expect De La Hoya to (traditionally) get fatigued down the stretch of the fight and Crawford to take over in the late rounds.
Now, I don't think Crawford stops De La Hoya. But Oscar will be in for some painful late rounds. That said, it'd still be a somewhat competitive fight on the scorecards. Terence better not give away too many early and mid rounds. My hunch is, Oscar will get one favourable card in his favour. But the other two judges will recognize Crawford's advantage.
That's the way I see it.
