Not Your Average Bud
Genius can come in all shapes and sizes. It can come in the form of a great inventor, or a musician who inspires the world. It can come from those who are well off, or those who needed to overcome personal adversity. Regardless of where it comes from, all who have earned the moniker of genius have one thing in common: they blur the line of what is possible and not possible in their craft.
The genius in question here is not a scientist or a mathematician, but a 29 year old man from the streets of Omaha named Terence Crawford, who, before a less than stellar crowd of 8,026 at Madison Square Garden last night, dispatched of his world lightweight title challenger Felix Diaz by 10th round corner stoppage. But it was not just that he won the fight or that he even shut out his opponent on the scorecards. It was the way that the deed was done that made it special.
Diaz, a 2008 Olympic Gold Medalist, was billed to be one of Crawford’s toughest challenges. He is a tough scrappy fighter who has registered only one disputed defeat to a top tier opponent in Lamont Peterson. He came in with some ringside experts touting his admittedly slim chances, saying that he had the opportunity to give Crawford problems. What he instead received was a masterclass in the sweet science.
Crawford, a naturally orthodox fighter, chose to fight the entire fight southpaw to counter the natural left hander Diaz. Why? “Because I do what I want to. It’s my ring.” The personality of Crawford was displayed throughout the bout, as he repeatedly shook his head no as Diaz tried to lure him to the ropes. He knew he was in control of the fight from the very beginning, and his demeanor displayed it.
What he also displayed was his unbelievable skill. The first several rounds set the tone for the fight as Crawford used his brilliant snapping jab to prevent Diaz from getting inside and pressuring him. He then unleashed combinations with the pinpoint accuracy of a marksman. Nearly every time Diaz stepped in to pressure the champion and throw one of his looping right hooks, Crawford either countered with the left or slipped and let the punch go by the wayside. Diaz never stopped coming forward, even landing a few big shots of his own. But as the rounds wore on, Crawford’s display of power and precision was too much as the corner of Diaz was forced to stop the fight immediately following the 10th round, saving their man from six more minutes of brutality.
There is simply no competition for Terence Crawford at 140 pounds. A step up to the stacked 147 pound division is likely, where foes such as Keith Thurman, Shawn Porter, and Errol Spence could be waiting. But there is one opponent that looms over all: Manny Pacquiao. The 38 year old phenom fights unknown Jeff Horn in July, but could be looking for one last hurrah in the form of a big money showdown with Crawford at his more natural weight of 140. If it were to happen, this showdown could cement Crawford’s superstar status, or put Pacquiao into the pantheon of all time great fighters. No one as old as Manny has ever defeated anyone as good as Crawford.
But all that is in the future. For now, we must appreciate what we are witnessing in Crawford: a master at his craft. A man with the skill to box his way around a brick wall, and the power to go through it. Terence Crawford paints a picture with his fists, and the ring is his canvas. That picture is one of skill and precision, of movement and defense, of power and destruction. A masterpiece ideed.
BELTRAN vs MAICELO
When crafty veteran Ray Beltran stepped in the ring with Peruvian slugger Jonathan Maicelo on the undercard, a tough scrap was expected. Nobody could see what was on the horizon however.
A vicious headbutt knocked Beltran down in the first, cutting him above the eye and leaving the fan favorite Maicelo with a nasty cut near the top of the head. Referee David Fields incorrectly ruled it a knockdown. Marcelo proceeded to pounce on Beltran in the second round, and was nearly on the verge of finishing him until Beltran uncorked a left hook right on the proverbial button and knocked Maicelo cold. As Beltran celebrated, Maicelo was almost immediately taken out on a stretcher.
SHAKUR STEVENSON
The 19 year old Silver Medalist from Newark, NJ received a very warm welcome from the Garden crowd as he entered the big room for the first time. The youngster with the electric smile then turned up the heat in the ring, dropping his unknown opponent in the first round, and then watched as referee Arthur Mercante Jr. bizarrely called a stop to the contest. Another electric performance it was for the future star.
