Crawford vs Jean Official
Terence Crawford, one of boxing’s biggest rising talents, will be defending his WBO championship against Dierry Jean on October 24th. The Top Rank 12-rounder will take place in Crawford’s native Omaha of Nebraska. This isn’t a huge challenge for the undefeated Crawford, but the once-beaten Jean is no slouch, and could well ask a few questions of the champ.
Crawford (26-0, 18 KO) needs little introduction to most boxing-heads. The 27-year-old has looked exceptional in his recent performances, which include a Unanimous Decision over Ricky Burns, a 9th round TKO of then-unbeaten Yuriorkis Gamboa, a Unanimous Decision of Raymundo Beltran, and a 6th round TKO of Thomas Dulorme. The guy is rather special, to say the least, and should be cracking our Pound for Pound Rankings in the very near future.
Jean was unbeaten until he came up against Lamont Peterson in 2014, but has won his next four outings, which includes a Unanimous Decision over Jerry Belmontes in June. Jean can fight, and is far from done in boxing. Let’s remember that his only conqueror, Peterson, is a fighter who gave absolute hell to Danny Garcia last April. In other words, we shouldn’t write off the Canadian just yet.
There’s also talk of a Pacquiao fight dangling in front of Crawford. Should he get past Jean (29-1, 20 KO) in style, there’s no reason that fight shouldn’t get made. Well, as long as Amir Khan’s mouth is duck-taped, that is.
At Least the Undercard is Good
If you’re still in disbelief over the Mayweather vs Berto match-up, you might be pleased to know that the undercard has just became a whole lot more appealing. Mexico’s Jhonny Gonzalez (58-9, 49 KO) has been added to the lineup, and will be taking on Puerto Rico’s Jonathan Oquendo. The Super Featherweight bout will complete the card.
All right, Oquendo (25-4, 16 KO) isn’t exactly a serious threat, or too well known to most. But unlike the headliner, it should prove more competitive. Which should hopefully make it worth a watch. It’s of course not only the undercard fight worth getting your teeth into.
In the co-feature, George Groves (21-2, 16 KO) will be looking to dethrone Badou Jack of his WBC Super Middleweight crown. Groves is probably one of the greatest fighters in the sport yet to win a world title, and Jack (19-1-1, 12 KO) is no pushover himself, capturing the title from Anthony Dirrell in April. Groves, as the world knows – especially the Brits – is a special talent who couldn’t quite overcome throwback warrior Carl Froch in 2013/2014.
Another decent match-up will come in the form of Roman Martinez vs Orlando Salido. The pair first waged war in April, with Martinez taking home the W via Unanimous Decision. Martinez will enter 19-2-2, 17 KO, and Salido a seasoned 42-13-2, 29 KO. The night’s kick-starter will then of course be Gonzalez vs Oquendo.
So how about it, fight fans? How will Crawford vs Jean play out, and what’s your take on the not-too-shabby Mayweather vs Berto support?
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