Three televised boxing events in one day gives us a hard decision tonight, but I’m going with HBO’s fight. Terence Crawford (27-0, 19 KOs) puts his WBO Super Lightweight belt on the line tonight against Hank Lundy (26-5-1, 13 KOs) inside Madison Square Garden.
In our undercard we get another title fight between Felix Verdejo (19-0, 14 KOs) and William Silva (23-0, 14 KOs) for Verdejo’s WBO Latino Lightweight title.
Scroll on down for the live blog. Keep reading for the press release.
NEW YORK (Feb. 25th, 2016) — The playful ribbing between Hank Lundy and Terence Crawford that began in mid-January continued at Thursday’s final press conference when Crawford’s trainer, Brian McIntyre — a former fighter himself — walked to the podium at Chase Square with a T-shirt that read, “I went to the Madison Square Garden and all I got was knocked out by Terrence Crawford,” an obvious jab at Lundy.
“These will be available for Hank and his team following the fight,” McIntyre deadpanned.
Team Lundy, led by CES Boxing president Jimmy Burchfield Sr., Lundy’s promoter, enjoyed a quick laugh at its own expense, with Burchfield taking the shirt, folding it carefully and placing it on his lap while McIntyre continued his monologue, merely an extension of the month-long social media war between the two sides.
Though the verbal back-and-forth has helped turned Saturday’s event into a near sellout — Top Rank vice president Carl Moretti reported only 23 tickets remain at the box office — Lundy (26-5-1, 13 KOs) is leaning on a more powerful source of motivation heading into the biggest fight of his life Saturday night in New York City.
Saturday’s 12-round showdown against the unbeaten Crawford (27-0, 19 KOs), the reigning World Boxing Organization [WBO] Junior Welterweight Champion, is the main event of HBO’s World Championship Boxing doubleheader, promoted by Top Rank and CES Boxing.
Written off by the press as the third or fourth choice for this fight by Crawford’s camp, Lundy’s quick wit and boastful pride have turned many fans onto what Burchfield says could be the “fight of the year” against the heavily-favored Omaha, Neb., native, who’s defended his world title four times since winning it in 2014.
Unlike most interviews or press gatherings, where Lundy tends to steal the spotlight, the Philadelphia native was unusually subdued Thursday, simply referencing his family and hard work leading up to this fight while eschewing the desire to “go on and on” or “talk your head off.” Lundy even refrained from barking back at McIntyre, whom he already went to war with several weeks ago via social media when he publically drudged up McIntyre’s less-than-stellar 7-14 record as a pro.
The typically reserved Crawford offered another backhanded compliment for Lundy, applauding him Thursday for giving “the best speech you gave the whole time you’ve opened your mouth.
Both sides have had ample opportunities to speak their piece and take shots at one another through the press and on social media. The real fight begins in 48 hours and Lundy is prepared to bring the world title back to Philadelphia, a fitting tribute to a consummate road warrior who’s paid his dues and taken the long road to the top.
The fight is on HBO at 10 p.m. Watch it with me.
