Terence Crawford believes fighter of year honors in reach with convincing win over John Molina
Terence Crawford was the boxing writers' choice for 2015 fighter of the year, and he's looking to become one of the few fighters in history to win the honor twice.
With a victory Saturday over John Molina Jr. in his native Omaha, Neb. (9:35 p.m., HBO), he believes he can accomplish the feat.
"A convincing victory will get me the award," Crawford (29-0, 20 KOs) said during a phone conversation with Paste BN Sports on Wednesday."I was looking at a lot of the people in the running and they fought twice.
"I (will have) fought three times and unified (titles) and stopped (Hank) Lundy in tremendous fashion. I'm the lead guy."
Crawford was referring to Carl Frampton and Vasyl Lomachenko, the two favorites for the award (as a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America, I have a vote). Both men fought just twice, but Frampton did unify titles as well.
Lomachenko won a title in a second weight class in spectacular fashion and then dominated a top fighter in Nicholas Walters.
Andre Ward did fight three times, but his disputed victory over Sergey Kovalev could hurt his chances with voters.
Crawford's victories in 2016 have all left no doubt, though. He is the ruler of the 140-pound division after toying with Viktor Postol in July to unify titles and now meets Molina, who shouldn't pose too much of a threat,
Sure, he's coming off a nice upset win over Ruslan Provodnikov, but the Californian surprisingly used boxing ability to do the deed. He's not out-boxing Crawford and must revert to his brawling ways.
"These are the fights that I still get up for because you never know what they're going to bring to the table," Crawford said.
"You gotta be careful with the type of guys that throw wild punches and come in with their head. He's a strong puncher. He's upset a lot of people and he's hurt a lot of people."
There's no question Crawford is one of the best fighters in the world. But in order for him to elevate his game, he needs a proper foil. Someone like, say, Manny Pacquiao.
Crawford has been bandied about as a possible foe for Pacman for over a year now, and he hopes 2017 will finally be his time.
"I think it's another level I can step up to," he said. "But right now, we just gotta get the right opponent to bring it out of me and get me to that next level."
Said Crawford's trainer and co-manager Brian McIntyre: "We need someone to pass the torch to us. Oscar (De La Hoya) did it for Manny. Manny should do it for Terence. It's just a cycle in boxing just like in life in general. we are looking for that big fight. We're just sitting back licking our chops."
McIntyre is dubious Pacquiao will actually get in the ring with his charge, though. The former heavyweight fighter referenced trainer Freddie Roach's comments that he doesn't love the style matchup.
What gives both Crawford and McIntyre hope, though, is the chance of promoter Bob Arum - who works with Crawford - doing more business with Al Haymon.
Save for the Floyd Mayweather-Pacquiao super fight, Arum and Haymon haven't pitted their fighters against one another. Arum even sued the former music mogul.
But with the lawsuit settled, they struck a deal for Crawford to face Molina, the first Haymon fighter to appear on HBO since 2013 (not counting mandatory fights ordered by sanctioning bodies).
Arum's Top Rank stable is thin at 140 pounds and 147, and Haymon's group of fighters is deep there. With boxers such as Adrien Broner Keith Thurman, Danny Garcia and Amir Khan competing under the Premier Boxing Champions banner, there could be a chance for Crawford to obtain a marquee fight.
"As a trainer and a manager, you keep your fingers crossed they continue to work together," McIntyre said. "There's Broner at 140 and he easily could be considered one of the best in the division. If they continue to work together that could be a fight down the line."
(Photo of Crawford by Mikey Williams/Top Rank)