NOTHING summarizes ‘s career Terence “Bud” Crawford quite like a light war in December against the Russians David Avanesyan on a pay-per-view streaming service called BLK Prime. A risky fight, a challenging fight, a fight he won’t get credit for, Crawford’s fight this Saturday (December 10) at CHI Medical Center in Omaha getting more weird and frustrating when one considers 2022 supposedly the year he finally faces big rival Errol Spence to bring clarity to the welterweight class and solidify respective legacies their.
As it happened, that fight was lost as soon as we were told it was going to be done and now we have to settle, as before, as both Crawford and Spence are fighting rivals. other heavyweights and thus take time. Here, when Crawford fights Avanesyan, we get a fight worth it, a recent run of Avanesyan might even be worth it, but it’s still not Crawford versus Spence, as it is when one Taking into account both Crawford and Spence’s positions in their careers, a fight that makes any kind of sense.
After all, Avanesyan, despite his recent form, is a man virtually unknown in America; therefore, his scalp is unlikely to further enhance Crawford’s legacy in any way. He’s a good fighter, a capable fighter, but defeating him doesn’t make Crawford more first or second in the world than any of Crawford’s previous wins.
That’s what makes this match so frustrating for all who rate Crawford, 38-0 (29), as one of the finest talents of the modern era. At 35, he can’t take on too many more of this quest, not when, as is the case with this quest, it marks his only appearance of the year.
Even the last time we saw him, against Shawn Porter in November 2021, he was at least involved in a bout against an opponent most boxing fans recognize; one who, despite being used to losing, shared the ring with most of the world’s top heavyweights. It wasn’t Errol Spence, no, but someone who had fought Spence before and someone who had proven pedigree in and around that level.
There are, of course, some solid wins on Crawford’s resume, that’s no doubt. For example, wins against undefeated fighters like Jose Benavidez (TKO 12) and Egidijus Kavaliauskas (TKO 9) are pretty good recent matches (albeit against names that have already sunk without a trace), as well as conversely, wins over Jeff Horn, Julius Indongo and Viktor Postol, all undefeated.
But worryingly, the reputations of the aforementioned fighters pale in comparison to Crawford’s, meaning that at the time he fought them, they were relatively unproven opponents whose “legacy” ” in this sport has yet to be decided. Furthermore, one could still make the argument, in 2022, that the best win on the Crawford record is still the ninth round TKO he won against Cuban talent Yuriorkis Gamboa all the way back. back in 2014. If that doesn’t serve as a wake-up call, nothing will.
Surely, whether you believe Gamboa represents his best victory or not, there is an argument to be made that Avanesyan, his next opponent, is no better than Gamboa, Postol, Indongo , Horn, Kavaliauskas or Benavidez. Yes, it’s true, he gives Crawford some of the things those men can’t do, however, if we look at the cold, hard facts and measure the achievement accordingly. their victory, Avanesyan’s victory over the likes of Josh Kelly (TKO 6), Liam Taylor (TKO 2) and Oskari Metz (TKO 1) doesn’t suggest that Crawford is meeting a new rival from rising through the ranks of killers.
The best you can say is that Avanesyan, while unproven at this level, has at least shown the ability to take out sub-world-class opponents with style and assertiveness. certain. In other words, the 34-year-old doesn’t waste time with Kelly, Taylor or Metz, nor give them enough to make them think they can compete with him in any way. Instead, as had become his custom, Avanesyan discovered the weakness of those opponents and attacked it like a dog biting a bone, refusing to let go of them until the referee or their corner intervened. and save them.
This, right or wrong, has earned Avanesyan, 29-3-1 (17), a reputation as a destroyer, though to what extent he can be destructive remains to be seen. Obviously, this reputation will be tested more than ever on Saturday against Crawford.
On Saturday, Avanesyan, unlike previous bouts, will be up against a man who has not only encountered his style before but also a man, so far in his professional career. , has shown the ability to adapt his own style to fight and surpass any opponent. the style he has faced in the ring. That’s what makes Terence Crawford a tough proposition for anyone fighting him. That’s also what makes him still not fight Errol Spence so very sad.
David Avanesyan’s late stop won’t tell us anything we don’t already know about Crawford, nor will it greatly help his career. But that still looks like the most likely outcome this weekend.
On the card below Omaha, the Ukrainian is based in Philadelphia Arnold Khegai18-1-1(11), vs Mexico Eduardo Baez21-3-2(7), over 10 rounds in featherweight, while undefeated Steven Nelson17-0(14), meet fellow Americans James Ballard10-4(3), more than eight light-heavy classes.
