Last night in Omaha, Neb. Terence Crawford defended his WBO World Lightweight Title against the challenge of Raymundo Beltran in front of his hometown fans.
Crawford is now an undefeated (25-0) and he put on a great display against Beltran, who was a (+525) underdog, but was credited with paying his dues and then some. He dropped and broke the jaw of then WBO titlist Ricky Burns in the UK, only to walk out with a draw on the books. Burns went on to drop the belt to Crawford, but it always seemed that Beltran and that belt had a mixed destiny.
Beltran entered the fight of his life in great shape, but from the early going Crawford was ready to put on a special performance. From the outset, Beltran was ready to pressure and was working a solid little jab, but Crawford would not be corralled into a corner and he was able to hit Beltran on the way in.
Recently Crawford had out-boxed Cuban phenom Yuriorkis Gamboa, knocking him down multiple times and getting the stoppage in the 9th. Gamboa is no joke, but it is a tribute to Beltran’s toughness that he went the distance with Crawford. Just hours after the fight, Beltran was on his social media accounts complimenting the skill of Crawford and apologizing for not getting the job done. Beltran has a likeable quality that sets him apart.
And Crawford? A step up to light welterweight is expected for him. The competition and the money will improve as it should. The next step for Crawford is going to be a big fight in Vegas or somewhere that takes him out of the comfort zone of fighting in Omaha. He has big time skill and with all-world Manny Pacquiao dropping to light welterweight as well, there will be talk of Crawford stepping up into the big money. Personally a match with Adrien Broner would be a big fight between two guys who crave the next level. Be assured that it will be Crawford who captures the heart of America against the not clever Broner,
Here is a nice HBO piece on Terence Crawford from a little while back, but he is a likeable, feel good story:
