Terence Crawford continues march toward stardom, but is his goal attainable?
NEW YORK - Terence Crawford fights like a star is supposed to.
He boxes beautifully, is incredibly patient, possesses no major flaws, and when his opponent is there to be knocked out, Crawford finishes him. He's also engaged in some excellent action fights, chiefly his 2014 lightweight title encounter with Yuriorkis Gamboa before his adoring hometown fans in Omaha, Neb.
Crawford (27-0, 19 KOs) is already a star in the heartland city, that much is clear. In a place without a professional sports franchise to call its own, the 28-year-old filled the void. He proudly wore Creighton gear during fight week, an ode to the college basketball team that plays near his home, and brought a large contingent to the Big Apple for his Saturday junior welterweight title bout against Hammerin' Hank Lundy on HBO (10 p.m. ET/PT) at the Theater at Madison Square Garden.
Whether Crawford can become a star outside of Nebraska remains to be seen. He must keep winning and looking good doing it. Lundy should test him, but he's a massive underdog and a victory over the Philadelphian won't catapult him.
What Crawford needs is a worthy foil, a passing of the torch bout that, should he win, would carry him into the public consciousness and give him the necessary jolt to push him over the top.
The 140-pounder was one of three finalists for Manny Pacquiao in April, but Crawford's buddy, Timothy Bradley, drew the assignment. Crawford was disappointed, especially since the Filipino says it will be his final fight, but he holds out hope he can mix it up with the future Hall of Famer.
"Manny is the only fighter in the Top Rank stable," Crawford said Thursday, "who can take me to the next level."
Therein lies part of the problem. Bob Arum currently doesn't do business with Al Haymon, who has many fighters under his PBC banner campaigning at 140 and 147 pounds who could conceivably improve Crawford's name recognition.
There's Shawn Porter, Keith Thurman, Danny Garcia, Adrien Broner, Amir Khan, and, should he return, Floyd Mayweather.
For now, though, and maybe for the long run, Crawford will have to settle for boxers not under Haymon's control. One man who was considering retirement, but is now inching closer to return is Juan Manuel Marquez.
He's a legend in Mexico, and one of the few practitioners worthy of carrying a pay-per-view. Arum said Thursday that Marquez, who is still rehabbing a knee injury, is looking to return for a tune-up bout in the summer, but after that, one last high-profile bout is possible.
"He said the knee is fine. We'll put him in a fight in Mexico City and then if he comes through that fight we'll match him in a real marquee fight - maybe against a guy like Terence Crawford, assuming he's victorious here."
Marquez is the kind of guy who could greatly increase Crawford's stock, and could mark the switch-hitting fighter's debut on pay-per-view. Arum maintains that the plan is for Crawford to fight three times in 2016, with a fall bout on PPV.
A Crawford-Marquez bout would be at 140 for the WBO title, per Arum, and while Crawford would be the favorite, Marquez is perhaps the only intriguing opponent with big-name recognition who is available.
For now, though, Crawford can only do what he has done since his HBO debut in 2013: win. His New York debut can only help his appeal, should he continue to dominate, and sooner or later, the marquee foe he seeks will materialize.
"It's real big," Crawford said of fighting in New York. "The best fighters have fought there and many legendary fights have taken place there. I am just ready to go in there and put my name in the record books."
(Photo by Mikey Williams/Top Rank)