In anticipation of Saturday’s showdown between WBO welterweight champion Terence “Bud” Crawford and former welterweight champion Kell Brook, ESPN presented an in-depth interview with Crawford leading up to his return to the ring.
During the interview, Crawford discusses his desire to fight the other welterweight world champions, his win-at-all-costs mentality, and his legacy as a three-weight world champion and the fighter many experts regard as the pound-for-pound king.
Crawford said, “I always ask people, ‘What’s your why? Why do you do the things you do?’ Because I know mine. I’ve gotta feed my family. You’re not gonna take food off my family’s table. That’s my why. It’s my family.
“There’s nothing in this world that I can do or participate in that I don’t want to win in. If I’m gonna do it, I want to do it to win. People doubting you, everybody looking at you like you’re gonna be another nothing, so it just made me hungry.”
not convinced. he will actually have to fight someone…brooke is a darn good fighter…only ggg dominated him…spence lost every round before kels eye socket gave out (from ggg)..
I agree that Kell Brooke is a solid fighter. Triple GGG did not dominate him, and Spence did not lose every round. He was giving GGG a hard time. Spence was starting to come on when he caught up to Brooke. The fight Spence was ahead by a small amount or the fight was even.
The guys a bum, been living off his win over Horn for years. This clown needs to step up.
Living off of the Horn win???? Horn is hot garbage.
SST, at the time horn wasn’t. He was the greatest thing since sliced bread because of his lucky win over Pacquiao. It’s not like Pacquiao put a beating. Horn gave home trouble. Then comes Crawford and blows him out of there.
Roy, come on man. He’s not a bum.
Crawford is exceptional at switching orthodox and southpaw in any given round. Crawford’s lateral movement alone could frustrate any fighter trying to catch him on the ropes. Kell Brook is a good fighter and I give him respect. However, until someone solves the puzzle of Crawford’s style I will have to keep supporting him to win. Crawford in a split decision. If I am wrong, I will say I was wrong and take it with no problem. Have a great evening.
Brook is a solidly built dude, and I wonder how much he will weigh on fight night…160-167?? Brook’s eye has been his biggest enemy, so he may endure the fight as long as his eye withstands Crawford’s punches.
During rounds 1-6, I can see Brook using his size and some uppercuts to create inside pressure and discomfort to Crawford. Let’s hope Brook has some fire remaining in him, so Crawford can obtain challenging rounds. During the second half of the fight, I expect Crawford to take control for a late TKO victory.
However, in 2021, I hope Crawford fights Porter because all the other 147 Pound Champions had a true “gut check” fight against Porter. I would prefer to say Crawford vs. Spence in 2021, but I have serious concerns about Spence in a return fight against Garcia. Meaning, Garcia vs. Spence II is a possibility or Crawford vs. Garcia.
Yes it’s crazy to me how a 34 year old guy with wins over a total of zero top quality opponents in his weight class can be considered the best pound for pound fighter in the world. He didn’t look good in the first half of his last fight and looking past Brook could lead to a major disaster. I really believe a motivated Kell will give him all he can handle. Crawford is not a big puncher at welter. Getting 10-1 on Brook is too good to pass up.
Willis, how many guys actually clean out their Divisions? Crawford won at Title at 135, but he cleaned out 140’s belts prior to destroying Jeff Horn for a strap at 147.
Let’s say you thought Pacman deserved the Decision over Horn (I thought that too)…you still can’t deny that it was close. Pacman goes on to beat one of the top dogs in Thurman in a close fight and TC crushes Horn. Who’s win is more impressive? I submit that the PBC crowd are avoiding Crawford for a reason. Not the fighters as much as the Brass, but ultimately, the fighters are culpable.
Additionally, who would you have TC fight? Obviously, Spence’s accident and Covid slowed that most desirable match up down.
Pacman: haters would say he was over the hill if TC beat him down.
Garcia: the response would be, he’s little more than a high class gatekeeper.
Thurman: couldn’t beat Pac.
Porter: he’s about the only guy you might accept, but my guess is you’ll continue to hate.
Crawford is P4P King because of past Division dominance and the eye test plain and simple. The only Welterweight I think I’d call a pick em right now is a healthy Spence. Beyond that, I’m not sure why you’d think Kell Brook is lesser than the others I mentioned.
Scooby Doo. Well said. On the money. I think Terrence would be too sharp. This guy can change between stances and has razor sharp reflexes and counters and can go first too. Mid to Late stoppage
Crawford by TKO. As I have said in the past, Crawford’s ring IQ is what sets him apart from many fighters. Brook’s will enter the fight with a weight advantage and attempt to rough up Crawford. 1st three rounds will be a chess match, then Crawford dials in the range and adjusts to the hand speed and movement of Brook’s. Round 4 will be the start of the end. Crawford TKO 8th…
If Brooks eye holds up I have a gut feeling that this is going to be a repeat of a fight I remember where one guy was considered pound for pound top 1 or 2 in the world but got totally shocked. It was 1986 and I was equally shocked. I learned a valuable lesson that anyone can lose their 0…Although at that point in time Curry was a more legitimate and dominating welterweight against much better opposition than Crawford.
Curry vs Honeyghan was the fight.
Go Bud.
Crawford is good. How good is the question. We will never know because the PBC fighters are smart business men. They know they can freeze Crawford out and dominate the cash flow in the welterweight division. Bud put himself in this situation by resigning with Bob Arum. He needs to be a free agent, or fight no more than 2 fights with a promoter.
I like Brook vs TC as a fight! He’s as solid a fighter as anybody else in the Division not named Spence. With Spence needing to prove he’s truly healthy against a sturdy trial horse like Garcia, Brook is a pretty nice fight for TC to ensure he’s not rusty.
I think it’ll last 10 rounds, before TC finishes the night. Sadly, I expect the eyes to be Brook’s issue again. I have to wonder if fighting GGG was worth the damage?
Crawford knew what he was doing when he signed with Bob arum.in the welterweight division PBC is where you need to be. He could have played arum and PBC against each other and came out potentially with a better deal than arum (not gauranteed but he could have allowed them to negotiate with him.). Currently, at welterweight bud is untested. Yes he beat horn, but he has not fought any of the other top guys or gatekeepers. He needs some more Marquee fights at 147. Assuming he beats Brook, then Bob arum negotiates a big fight for him with ppaxquiao or Spence that will probably be it. I doubt Bob arum/pbc would continue making cross promotional fights. Hopefully they would but I doubt it. That would be a total of one or two Marquee fights in the most stacked division in boxing. It would not look good for Crawford’s legacy. He needs to fight Porter, Danny Garcia (maybe, depends on if he losses to Spence or not), Thurman, Pacquiao, maybe fight Maurice hooker if he can prove himself, ugas, Thurman, lipinets, Custio Clayton has just added himself to the mix. There are so many good fights to be made at this division. Crawford needs to get most or all of them. Fighting one pbc fighter then only other top rank fighters won’t work.
Bud Crawford has ducked no one – he fights whomever they put in front of him. He is a skilled boxer, a capable puncher and a determined man. He flips between R & L hands easier and has legit power. If his opponent makes him mad, they will pay a painful price. His eruptions in the ring are exhilarating. His training is relentless and he has zero bad habits. Not only that, he’s a good citizen, a family man and a role model.
Unfair and foolish to criticize him because others have dodged him – he is afraid of no one. Go TC!