By Geno McGahee
One of the best fighters in the game, Terrance Crawford, 33-0, 24 KO’s, goes to war tonight on ESPN against Jose Benavidez, JR., 27-0, 18 KO’s, with the WBO Welterweight Title on the line. Crawford is an emotional fighter and Benavidez, JR., seems to know that and decided to shove the champion in hopes to get under his skin…and it worked. Crawford threw a hook that missed and that might be a mental victory for the heavy underdog, Benavidez. He was able to dodge it.
Crawford is a guy that not many want to fight and has yet to land that big fight that will bring him to the next level. He recently stopped Jeff Horn, but the fight flew under the radar and there wasn’t much doubt as to who would win. A potential match with Manny Pacquiao never materialized and I’m not surprised. The PacMan could not handle five rounds with Crawford at this time in his career. Crawford is a beast and there is plenty of opportunity for him out there, including Shawn Porter, Keith Thurman, Errol Spence, Adrien Broner and Danny Garcia to name just a few, but he has to win tonight. The bout will be featured on ESPN and it should be fun for as long as it lasts. Benavidez has not had an opponent close to the quality of Crawford. It will be the moment of truth for him, but he’s got the psychology down.
