It ended in a flash, and once again, Terence “Bud” Crawford let his fists do the talking. Crawford successfully defended his WBO welterweight world title with a fourth-round TKO Saturday evening over former welterweight world champion Kell Brook.

Brook (39-3, 27 KOs) was leading on two of three judges’ cards entering the fourth round, but it was Crawford (37-0, 28 KOs) who unleashed the boom. A right jab forced Brook into the ropes for a knockdown. The end was near, as Crawford unleashed a combination that prompted referee Tony Weeks to stop the fight.

Crawford has now won eight straight fights by knockout dating back to July 2016.

“I already said who I want {next}. I want Pacquiao. I want to revisit that fight,” Crawford said. “That was a fight that should’ve happened right now. But being that the pandemic happened, and they weren’t going to allow fans in the Middle East, they had to put a hold to that. Everything was 95 percent done. We had the venue. The money was almost there. It wasn’t quite there. That was the only thing we were waiting on.

“Kell is a tremendous talent. He came and he tried to take my title. He was in shape. He made the weight. There were no excuses to be put on the table. He came off of three wins.”

Added Brook, “Never in my career, nobody has ever done that to me in sparring or anything.

“It was one of them… I got caught with a shot I didn’t see. I’m gutted because nobody could’ve gotten me in better condition. I was bang on the limit. Maybe I could’ve been a bit more relaxed and loose and let the shots go.”

Top Rank chairman Bob Arum said, “Terence Crawford showed, once again, why he is the best welterweight in the world. It was a dominating performance over a very good fighter in Kell Brook. Terence ranks up there with all the great welterweights I’ve promoted.”

(Photo Credit: Mikey Williams/Top Rank via Getty Images)

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TOMORROW at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT live on ESPN & ESPN Deportes

(ESPN & ESPN Deportes, 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT)

• 3-Division WBO World Champion and former Undisputed Jr. Welterweight Champion Terence Crawford 146.4 lbs vs. Kell Brook 147 lbs.
(Crawford’s WBO Welterweight World Title — 12 Rounds)
Judges/Referee: Patricia Morse Jarman, Dave Moretti and Benoit Roussel / Tony Weeks.

• Joshua Franco 114.5 lbs vs. Andrew Moloney 114.7 lbs
(Franco’s WBA Super Flyweight World Title — 12 Rounds)
Judges/Referee: Steve Weisfeld, Tim Cheatham and Lisa Giampa / Russell Mora

(ESPN+, 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT)

• Joshua Greer Jr. 118.9 lbs vs. Edwin Rodriguez 118.9 lbs
(Bantamweight— 8 Rounds)

• Tyler Howard 161.2 lbs vs. KeAndrae Leatherwood 161.9 lbs
(Middleweight — 8 Rounds)

• Duke Ragan 126 lbs vs. Sebastian Gutierrez 126.3 lbs
(Featherweight — 4 Rounds)

• Vegas Larfield 119 lbs vs. Juan Alberto Flores 117.3 lbs
(Bantamweight — 4 Rounds)

• Raymond Muratalla 137.3 lbs vs. Luis Porozo 135.2 lbs
(Lightweight — 6 Rounds)

Photos by M. Williams / Top Rank

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The pound-for-pound king, WBO welterweight world champion Terence Crawford, renewed acquaintances with Kell Brook Wednesday afternoon, nearly nine months after they had a brief conversation at the Deontay Wilder-Tyson Fury 2 weigh-in inside the MGM Grand Garden Arena. This time, they sat six feet apart on a socially distanced press conference dais three days before their championship showdown, which will air LIVE on ESPN and Deportes (10 p.m. ET), and exclusively on Premier Sports in the UK. When it came time to face off, they edged closer, neither man willing to give an inch.

At the press conference, this is what they had to say.

Terence Crawford

“I’ve always felt that I’m number one pound-for-pound in the world. This is what I do.”

“I’m not the one to quit on a fight, but I can’t say the same about him. I wish him the best.”

“At the end of the day, this is nothing new to me. I have fought in an arena where there are 50 people. I’ll go in there and get the job done as I always do.”

Kell Brook

“I’ve been after this fight for a long time. I’m more than ready! I’m in the best condition of my life, and I’m ready to become a two-time world champion. I’m like fine wine. I’m getting better as I get older. I’m ready.”

”I think Terence knows I’m not an easy fight. I want him to bring the best out of me. I’m pushing myself to perform the best I can. I pulled myself away from my family and from all the distractions. I’m making the sacrifice of being away from my family because I want to be great.”

“It will be great for the UK for me to come through and become world champ against the number one fighter in the world. I know who Terence is, and that’s why I have prepared the way I have. I’m a big welterweight, and I can punch with both hands. This is what I do. The talking is done. All the work has been done. It’s time to perform.”

SATURDAY’S CARD

ESPN & ESPN Deportes, 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT

Terence Crawford vs. Kell Brook, 12 rounds, Crawford’s WBO welterweight world title

Joshua Franco vs. Andrew Moloney 2, 12 rounds, Franco’s WBA super flyweight world title

ESPN+, 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT

Joshua Greer Jr. vs. Edwin Rodriguez , 8 rounds, bantamweight

Tyler Howard vs. KeAndrae Leatherwood, 8 rounds, middleweight

Duke Ragan vs. Sebastian Gutierrez, 4 rounds, featherweight

Vegas Larfield vs. Juan Alberto Flores, 4 rounds, bantamweight

Raymond Muratalla vs. Luis Porozo, 6 rounds, lightweight

Photos by M. Williams / Top Rank

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Live coverage of Top Rank on ESPN continues this Saturday, Nov 14, when WBO welterweight champion and pound-for-pound king Terence “Bud” Crawford returns in an action packed main event against former welterweight world champion Kell Brook, live from the MGM Grand Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. Live coverage begins at 7 p.m. ET with undercard action on ESPN+ in English and Spanish. The Crawford-Brook main event card airs on ESPN and ESPN Deportes at 10 p.m. ET.

Crawford-Brook will feature a WBA super flyweight world title rematch between champion Joshua Franco and the man he defeated to win the title, Andrew Moloney.

Calling the action for ESPN from site will be Joe Tessitore (play-by-play), former #1 pound-for-pound two-division world titleholder and 2004 Olympic gold medalist Andre Ward (analyst), and former two-division world titleholder Tim Bradley (analyst). The on-location desk team will feature analysis from Bernardo Osuna and Mark Kriegel.

Fight week coverage includes:

SportsCenter segments: segments for ESPN’s flagship news and information program from Las Vegas

Crawford vs. Brook Final Press Conference (Wed at 3:10 p.m. ET, live ESPN’s YouTube Channel))

Crawford vs. Brook Official Weigh-In: (Fri at 5 p.m. ET on ESPN2): Joe Tessitore, Andre Ward, Tim Bradley, Mark Kriegel and Bernardo Osuna reporting live from site

Max on Boxing Weigh in Special (Fri, Nov 13 at 5:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2): ESPN’s boxing series hosted by Max Kellerman airing live following the weigh-in, which will include 1-1 interviews with Crawford and Brook

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The pound-for-pound king is set to reclaim his throne. WBO welterweight world champion Terence “Bud” Crawford will defend his title against former welterweight world champion Kell Brook in a special edition of Top Rank on ESPN Saturday, Nov. 14 at the Bubble.

Promoted by Top Rank and sponsored by GEICO, ESPN and ESPN Deportes will televise Crawford-Brook and Franco-Moloney 2 world title fight beginning at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT, while a full slate of undercard bouts will stream live on ESPN+ at 7:30 p.m. ET/4:30 p.m. PT.

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In anticipation of the Nov. 14 showdown between WBO Welterweight World Champion Terence “Bud” Crawford and former welterweight world champion Kell Brook, ESPN will debut Relentless: Terence Crawford, an in-depth interview with Crawford leading up to his return to the ring. Conducted by Andre Ward, ESPN boxing analyst, former two-division world champion and 2004 U.S. Olympic gold medalist, the special airs Sunday, Nov. 8 at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN.

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.”

Relentless: Terence Crawford will be preceded by ESPN, Updating the Welterweight Division, an in-depth look at one of boxing’s most talent-rich divisions, airing at 8:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.

Crawford-Brook headlines a packed card that will feature the WBA super flyweight world title rematch between champion Joshua Franco and the man he defeated to win the title, Andrew Moloney. Crawford-Brook and Franco-Moloney 2 and the return of junior welterweight knockout sensation Elvis Rodriguez will be broadcast live on ESPN and ESPN Deportes at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. ET, with undercard action to stream live on ESPN+ at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT.

Use the hashtags #CrawfordBrook and #FrancoMoloney2 to join the conversation on social media. For more information, visit www.toprank.com, www.espn.com/boxing; Facebook: facebook.com/trboxing; Twitter: twitter.com/trboxing;twitter.com/ESPNRingside.

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The pound-for-pound king is set to reclaim his throne. WBO welterweight world champion Terence “Bud” Crawford will defend his title against former welterweight world champion Kell Brook in a special edition of Top Rank on ESPN Saturday, Nov. 14.

Promoted by Top Rank and sponsored by GEICO, ESPN and ESPN Deportes will televise Crawford-Brook and Franco-Moloney 2 world title fight beginning at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT, while a full slate of undercard bouts will stream live on ESPN+ at 7:30 p.m. ET/4:30 p.m. PT.

Venue information for Crawford-Brook will be announced soon.

“Kell Brook is one of the elite fighters in the world. He has faced so many of the top boxers,” said Top Rank chairman Bob Arum. “He is a real test for pound-for-pound great Terence Crawford. This is another premium fight that will be available to boxing fans for no extra charge live on ESPN.”

Crawford (36-0, 27 KOs), the pride of Omaha, Neb., has reigned as WBO welterweight world champion since June 9, 2018, when he stopped Jeff “The Hornet” Horn in nine one-sided rounds. He has since defended that world title three times, including a sixth-round demolition over former unified junior welterweight champion Amir “King” Khan in April 2019. Crawford has not fought since last December’s ninth-round TKO over Egidijus “Mean Machine” Kavaliauskas and will enter the ring against Brook coming off a career-long 11-month layoff. He has won seven straight bouts by knockout since a one-sided decision over Viktor Postol in a July 2016 junior welterweight unification bout. Prior to his welterweight world title campaign, Crawford was the lineal lightweight and undisputed junior welterweight world champion.

Brook (39-2, 27 KOs), from Sheffield, England, is a former welterweight world champion who made three successful defenses of the IBF title he won from Shawn Porter in 2014. His only defeat at welterweight came to Errol Spence Jr. in May 2017, a competitive fight that ended in the 11th round after he suffered a broken orbital bone. Since the Spence defeat, “The Special One” has won three bouts at junior middleweight, including February’s seventh-round stoppage over Mark DeLuca. Brook has long campaigned for the Crawford bout, and earlier this year, he ran into Crawford at the Deontay Wilder-Tyson Fury II weigh-in.

“You gonna make weight?” Crawford asked Brook.
“You’re running out of opponents,” Brook responded. “I’m here.”

Brook said, “I would just like to say a big thank you to Bob Arum and his team at Top Rank and to Baz Kandiara and my management team for getting the fight made. Thank you also to Terence Crawford and his team. It’s a fantastic fight, a proper fight for the fans to get excited about. I’m sure it’s one that will have viewers on the edge of their seats, whichever side of the pond they’re from.

“I’ve been told there are people writing off my chances, questioning my age, and my ability to make the weight. Well, let them talk. Some people focus on reading headlines, I focus on making headlines. Those people writing me off as a big underdog? No problem. I guess this big dog will be making a few people richer during a difficult time.

“Terence isn’t too much younger than me. They know that I’ve never ducked a challenge, and they should know that I’ve never failed to make 147 on the scales. With age comes experience. My knowledge and experience make me a different fighter, a more mature fighter. Couple that with a happy fighter, and you’ve got yourself a dangerous fighter.”

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vargas986

By Scott Gilfoid: WBO welterweight champion Jessie Vargas (27-1, 10 KOs) has signed his contract for a unification match against IBF 147lb belt holder Kell Brook (36-0, 25 KOs) for a contest that will be taking place in September in the UK. There’s a possibility the fight could take place on August 27, according to Dan Rafael.

If not, then September 3. The fight will be in Brook’s home city of Sheffield at Bramall Lane. The fight is going to be at a large football stadium. Brook and his promoter Eddie Hearn have spoken about wanting to fight in a large football stadium in the summer, but I never thought this would be the fight.

I mean, I don’t see Vargas as being a stadium worthy opponent. I’m just saying. I know Brook wants a big name, but Vargas is not a big name. I don’t be the bearer of bad news for Brook and Hearn, but Vargas is not a big name in the U.S at least.

I don’t know. Maybe Vargas is a huge star in the UK? If so, then more power to Brook for getting him as his opponent. Brook wants to collect welterweight titles. I guess it’s some kind of thing that will validate him. I don’t think so. If Brook wins the WBO title off Vargas, he’ll still be a paper champion in my eyes because he still will not have faced Keith Thurman, Danny Garcia or Errol Spence. Beating Vargas is small time stuff in my view. Brook needs to face Spence, Thurman, Garcia and he needs a rematch against Shawn Porter.

Vargas will be getting a career high payday of $1.7 million. That’s pretty good money for a fighter that arguably no better than ninth best fighter in the 147lb division. Vargas is a decent fighter, but I rate many welterweights ahead of him including Brook. It’s good that Vargas is getting a nice payday but I can’t see him beating Brook.

“It’s really exciting,” manager Cameron Dunkin said to ESPN.com. “It’s a great opportunity for Jessie. It’s a fight think he can win. I love his attitude. He’s so positive. He’s training like a madman. He’s really serious about getting this win. It’s not just the payday. He wants to win the fight. I love the attitude. Win, lose, whatever, he’s so confident in himself. I’m really proud of him.”

Nah, I don’t agree with Dunkin. I think Vargas is a good basic fighter, but I do not see him beating Brook, especially with the fight taking place in Sheffield. Vargas is going to need to be looking for a KO because I can’t see him winning a decision.

If I was to give Vargas in how to prepare for the Brook fight, I would tell him to work on fighting out of a clinch because Brook may resort to holding all night long if he doesn’t like the sting from Vargas’ shots. Brook was clinching all night long against Porter and getting away with it by not losing points. Vargas needs to train in how to keep throwing punches while being held in a clinch because he may need these tools to help him get Brook to let go of him.

Vargas is a step up for Brook for who he’s been fighting lately. In Brook’s last three fights, he’s beaten Kevin Bizier, Jo Jo Dan and Frankie Gavin.

www.boxingnews24.com/2016/06/jessie-vargas-signs-contract-kell-brook-fight/

 

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