Terence Crawford explodes on social media!
Well it seems that WBO world welterweight champion Terence “Bud” Crawford (36-0, 27 KO’s) has definitely turned a social corner in his career. For quite some time, Crawford has carried the stigma of being a reserved, almost reclusive, soul when it came to dealing with the boxing press and social media.
A NEW DAY
Sure, here and there he would post some items but being a proud father, the bulk of his contributions were pictures and updates revolving around his young son’s athletic adventures. However, in recent times, the nature of Bud’s social media posts have taken a drastic turn. Following WBC ‘regular’ lightweight champion Gervonta “Tank” Davis’s (23-0, 22 KO’s) December 28 dust-up with Yuriorkis Gamboa, Bud has remained a near permanent fixture on Twitter.
Despite initially taking to his account to warn Davis away from Devin Haney, Crawford has dedicated the majority of his tweets to pursuing a fight with WBC and IBF world welterweight champion Errol “The Truth” Spence Jr (26-0, 21 KO’s). As would be expected, his tweets have ignited a firestorm among his own and Spence’s fan bases. The real question that needs answering is: will this all lead to the 147lbs showdown that the world wants to see?
EXAMPLES OF CONTRADICTIONS IN CRAWFORD’S STATEMENT
Truthfully speaking, Bud’s latest episode of public woofing is good for the sport and hyping a potential fight with Spence. Although, this does not mean that it’s flawless. In fact, Crawford has actually contradicted himself and his own promoter in rather glaring fashion.
According to Bud, all a fighter needs to do is instruct his promoter to make a fight and then that bout should take place. However, both he and Manny Pacquiao have stated that they wanted to fight one another. Not only did they want to get it in, at the time, they were both housed under the same Top Rank promotions umbrella.
Sadly for them, and the boxing world, the meaningful prizefight never materialized. Yet, in somewhat shocking fashion, their common promoter, Bob Arum, has publicly admitted that he personally “killed the fight”. Arum reasoned that Pacquiao would be damaged too badly and, therefore, he was unwilling to make the fight. This confession flies directly in the face of Bud’s claim that a promoter is at the beck and call of the fighter.
After murdering Crawford v Pacquiao, Arum supplied a low-ball offer to Danny Garcia while arguably over-paying a shop-worn Amir Khan. Once again, these maneuvers completely contradict the ease with which Bud says a fighter and promoter’s relationship should work.
EXAMPLES OF TRUTH IN CRAWFORD’S STATEMENT
However, there is the situation of Canelo Alvarez vs Erislandy Lara in 2014. After the Mexican star took out Alfredo Angulo, the Cuban champion crashed Canelo’s post-fight press conference demanding a fight. The move had Mexican fans waiting to see what their star would do next.
After Golden Boy promoter Oscar De La Hoya pleaded that Canelo look towards then respected junior middleweight contender James Kirkland and forget about Lara, fans began to chastise Alvarez. This prompted him to demand that De La Hoya make the fight in an attempt to preserve his reputation. Eventually the fight would be made and the rest is history!
Also in an interview with Vice President of Operations and Match-Making for Main Events, Jolene Mizzone, she explicitly states that the promoter works in the best interest of the fighter. Sure they may try to advise a fighter from taking a certain challenge, however, if a fighter demands a bout, her job is to try her best to get it made.
FINGERS STILL CROSSED
Ideally, first Crawford and Arum can get on the same page and then hopefully Crawford v Spence would soon follow. Until then, we certainly can’t be mad at Crawford’s nimble new social media fingers. At the very least, this new version of Bud is most certainly entertaining and the source of all kinds of budding controversy. So keep it coming!
By: Bakari Simpson
Be the first to comment