The Bucket Breakdown: Terence Crawford vs. Kell Brook

 

Today, we’re going to break down this weekend’s WBO Welterweight title fight between boxing’s #1 pound-for-pound fighter, Terence Crawford, and former champ Kell Brook. The bout between two fighters whose careers are going in entirely opposite directions goes down on November 14 in Las Vegas.

Here are my thoughts ahead of this bout.

Does Kell Brook Have A Chance?

 

Kell Brook might be shit out of luck this weekend

 

Last week, Terence Crawford was a 21-to-1 favorite to win. Today, he’s at 30-to-1. There’s no faith in Brook this weekend and for good reason. Five years ago, things started happening to him that whittled him down and left him washed up.

He couldn’t make 147, so he went up to 160 to get one side of his face broken by Gennadiy Golovkin. He followed that up by moving back down in weight to get the other side of his face broken by Errol Spence.

After that fight, he started talking about how he was mentally and physically tired from those setbacks and considered calling it quits. He didn’t, instead coming back at 154, but the work he’s done from Spence to now hasn’t been impressive.

On top of that, the man is going back down in weight again for a payday against a certifiable killer. I have to emphasize that because people tend to forget how ruthless Terence Crawford can be when he smells blood in the water. He’s Jaws. He’s the Predator. He’s the Candyman. 

Back when Brook was in his prime and had some tread on his tires, he maybe could make it to the end. Now, it’s just a matter of time before Crawford dings him with something, and then he’ll beat him until either he drops him or his corner gets nauseous watching what’s going on in there.

I honestly don’t see this going beyond eight rounds.

Is This A No-Win Situation For Terence Crawford?

Crawford has little to gain in victory

As good as Crawford is, he’s still a fighter who relies on a promoter to find him work. He can talk about his hit list all he wants, but fights like this are a result of his long term deal with Top Rank. Crawford can either fight the best fighters Top Rank has on staff or the best of what’s left. Brook is clearly the latter.

We just saw Devin Haney turn in a comprehensively dominant performance against Yuriorkis Gamboa that saw him take a hit to his marketability. The big reason for that was because, despite Haney’s technical prowess, he was never at a point where he was threatening a stoppage against his overmatched foe. 

Crawford doesn’t sit back to admire his work. If he can get a fighter out of there, he will. I don’t expect he’ll struggle much with Brook, but I do believe that many will see a drawn out fight as a referendum on Crawford. He’s not getting the fights we need to see to determine how good he is at 147, but that’s not his fault.

Can Crawford Get A Big Fight With Top Rank?

Top Rank won't get Crawford the big fights

A big knock on Crawford has been his competition since moving up to 147, especially as his contemporaries are seemingly involved in one captivating fight after another. Fans are growing restless of wanting to see Crawford against the likes of Errol Spence, Keith Thurman or Manny Pacquiao, but we can’t ignore Top Rank’s inability to work with PBC.

Crawford can only fight the guys put in front of him, and he only really loses if he loses in the ring. It really comes down to how hard Crawford is pushing his promoter to get the work done. Mikey Garcia had a similar predicament with Top Rank to the point where he gave up two years of his prime to fight Bob Arum in court for his release. Garcia turned that into the biggest paydays of his career.

So too did Floyd Mayweather, and Oscar De La Hoya, and recently, Canelo Alvarez. The problem with Crawford is that he is not a marketable fighter like those previously mentioned. I also think that despite his pining for a big fight, he’s happy with the state of his career and how it’s been handled. Then again, we don’t know what we don’t know.

Howard's End: The Delirious Days of Deontay Wilder

I'M INSAAAAAAANE!

 

 

Ernest Hemingway once said that “A man can be destroyed but never defeated.” No truer words have been spoken, especially we’re seeing it unfold in front of our very eyes as Deontay Wilder seems to have lost his damn mind.


The former WBC heavyweight champion has come completely undone in the months following his KO loss to Tyson Fury. In just nine months, Wilder has given a plethora of bullshit excuses ranging from:

 

• Cosplaying as The Shredder took away his legs.

• Mark Breland poisoned him.

• After poising him, Mark Breland threw in the towel.

• Kenny Bayless is a drunk.

• Something about Andre Dirrell. I forget.

• Fury, a 270 pound man, loaded his gloves.

All of this has come at a time when Wilder is trying, at the same time, to force a third fight with the man who has broken his mind and his spirit. 

I’m not sure what has caused Wilder to take this loss so seriously like he has, but it isn’t like we’ve seen this before. For all the ballyhoo about how Wilder was the hardest punching champion in the history of all things, it didn’t require a nuclear-powered telescope to see that this disaster was on the horizon.

Wilder has always been a fundamentally compromised champion with a meme worthy technique. By some miracle he took home a bronze medal in the 2012 Olympics, something that is easy to forget when watching him in the ring. His overly wide stance, sloppy footwork and bewildering lack of upper body movement would doom him the moment he fought an elite opponent. 

Oh, and his title reign? That came after being matched against a set of opponents so awful that you would swear the mob was running things in the heavyweight division again. Things as a reigning champion didn’t exactly look much better. 

 

As it stands now, Wilder’s signature wins are Bermane Stiverne, Chris Arreola and Luis Ortiz. Hardly Hall of Fame material, but Arturo Gatti and Ray Mancini got in, so what do I know?

The whole time this was going on, Wilder was being built up as this indestructible machine that was going to take over the sport. He made stupid statements with impunity, like wanting to “catch a body” and somehow managed to dodge a bullet with this...uh, disturbing twerking video? 

Following the Fury loss, Wilder is showing the same tell-tale signs of a fighter who bought in on all the hype his team was selling to the public. Once reality came crashing down on him as he was mangled and embarrassed by a man who was not phased by his marketing, his psyche crumbled as his aura of invincibility vanished.

What we’re seeing now is the ramblings and ravings of a man that has been facing his biggest defeat in a Groundhog’s Day scenario. Wilder is not putting the loss behind him, but rather letting it consume him and will no doubt affect him when he returns to the ring. When the Fury fight does happen, he’ll collapse under the weight of Fury’s mind games and potentially be driven further into this alternate reality he’s created for himself. Not to mention, he'll be beaten into a delicious paste.

I don’t think there is any coming back from this for Wilder. It’s clear that all the years of puffing up his chest with hype put him in a horrible position for any setback he’d occur. Speaking in a historical context, we’ve seen that when fighters with “the world is mine” complex get a dose of humbling reality, the long-term outlook isn’t that great. 

While many will get a kick out of Wilder’s baseless claims, and I’m sure we’ll be hearing more soon, these are the acts of a broken man. Considering he’s on the wrong side of his prime and not of the right mind, there’s a solid chance that Wilder may never pick up the pieces of his damaged psyche. If he can’t, then maybe it’s time to step away from the sport while he has some semblance of dignity left. 

And yes, I’m giving that twerking video (again, ugh) a pass.

What We Learned From Devin Haney vs. Yuriorkis Gamboa

 

An easy night at the office for Devin Haney wasn't without its share of issues

Hot on the heels of Gervonta Davis and Teofimo Lopez’s star-making performances, WBC Lightweight champion Devin Haney made the first defense of his title against aged and faded former two-division champion Yuriokis Gamboa. Haney was just too many things for the 38-year-old, practically pitching a shutout by the end of the night.

Haney’s win highlights an emerging division that’s become unexpectedly deep with talent, but what statement was made in his victory last weekend?

Expecting The Expected

Gamboa, left, never stood a chance against Haney

 

The biggest problem for Haney last night was something that is out of his control. He is a reigning and defending world champion. While he didn’t win the title in the ring, the WBC elevated him to a full champ via email, Haney needed to prove that he was worthy of the title. He couldn’t have asked for an easier opponent, but he needed to win in a big way to damper the blow back that comes with fighting a shot veteran like Gamboa.

Instead, Haney played it safe and let Gamboa take him the distance. Keep in mind that against Davis, Gamboa was dropped three times before being stopped. There’s nothing wrong with a win, but it’s not a good look when Haney previously promised to beat Gamboa in a way he hasn’t been beaten before.

Champion In Training

A belt doesn't make a fighter.

 

The concept of a champion in training wheels isn’t new in the sport, especially with the WBC. Saul Alvarez and Andre Berto were the most notable examples of fighters who got belts early on in their career. They became champions due to timing and technicalities. Their initial title runs were rife with subpar opponents until they eventually had to step up their game. Canelo flourished, Berto floundered.

Davis and Lopez have gone above and beyond to prove that they are worthy of their hardware. Haney and his team can’t walk away from the Gamboa fight expecting this to be his coming out fight. Ironically, Haney would have all the praise and almost none of the flak if he came into this fight without a world title.

Haney Shouldn’t Chase Lopez or Davis Yet.

 

Haney should target a top ten contender in 2021.

 

The champ has called out Davis and Lopez throughout the buildup and aftermath of his fight. There is nothing that I saw last weekend that suggests he’d fare well against either man. I also don't like his chances against recently disposed champion Vasyl Lomachenko. There’s potential there, but making a Haney/Davis or Haney/Lopez fight would be a cash out for Haney and Eddie Hearn at this point. It is a blessing for him that there is enough red tape involved to prevent those fights from happening.

However, a champion needs a foil and Haney needs legitimacy. A quick look at the division gives me two standout foes for Haney to face in 2021: Javier Fortuna and Jorge Linares. Fortuna is as tough as they come and would serve as a major step up, and besides a bogus decision loss to Robert Easter in 2018, he’s faced solid opponents. Linares saw his fight against Ryan Garcia go up in smoke, but he’d jump at a chance to reclaim his old title.

There’s a lot to like with Haney, but he’s going to have to endure a lot of frustration while defending his title over the next few months.

Five Burning Questions: Canelo Alvarez, Free Agent

Saul "Dinero" Alvarez is a free agent

The time has finally come for Saul “Canelo” Alvarez to be his own man. Boxing’s biggest attraction is going solo, and the state of the game is going to change. Let’s take a look at what this means for Canelo, Golden Boy Promotions, and the sport of boxing as a whole.

What Happened?

Last month, Canelo Alvarez refiled a breach of contract lawsuit against both DAZN and Golden Boy Promotions seeking an amount in excess of $280 million. This came after DAZN refused to pay Canelo his guarantee for not facing “premium opponents” like his long retired boss, Oscar De La Hoya, or UFC contender Jorge Masvidal. Gennadiy Golovkin was on that list, but more on him later.

Eddie Reynoso took to social media to announce that Canelo is now a free agent. This was the end result for Canelo all along, and now he can conduct his business on his terms with whomever he wants to work with. Canelo has long outgrown the need for a promoter, and now he’s free to conduct himself and his brand as he sees fit.

Like Floyd Mayweather before him, Canelo’s newfound freedom will only serve to make him a bigger star in the years to come. 

When Will Canelo Fight Again?

While nothing is official yet, Alvarez may yet face IBF Super Middleweight champion Caleb Plant on December 19 on a PBC pay-per-view. Canelo has been itching to fight this year, but between the COVID outbreak and DAZNs stupidity in handling him, he’s yet to make an appearance. Plant has been actively campaigning for the fight and Canelo is looking to win a legitimate title at 168. The trinket he got from Rocky Fielding doesn’t count.

I would imagine if he doesn’t fight Plant next month, he’ll still be making his first appearance on a PBC card in early 2021 in a tune up fight. Should Canelo opt to stay between the 168-175 lb range, PBC has a monopoly on those divisions, including a potentially huge fight against David Benavidez.

If he is looking to work his way back down to 160, that could mean a bout with Jermall Charlo or even Errol Spence in 2022 and beyond. 

What Does This Mean For Boxing?

When Oscar De La Hoya and Floyd Mayweather broke away from Bob Arum, they became the biggest stars of their generation. Both set viewership records on pay-per-view, helped increase visibility of the sport and crossed over into the mainstream in a way that’d be impossible with a promoter present. 

While traditional members of the boxing media hated De La Hoya and especially Mayweather (I’ll add Andre Ward to the list after he left Dan Goossen), it ultimately benefited the sport. There are DAZN blowhards masquerading as journalists that will be sure to run to the network’s aid, and heaven forbid he does work with Haymon and trigger their own personal apocalypse, but the fans are going to be the big winners here.

Oh, and Canelo is going to make a nauseating amount of money, so good for him, I guess. 

Can Golden Boy Promotions Survive Without Canelo? Can DAZN?

"Oh, Shit."

When Golden Boy Promotions sued Al Haymon back in 2017, we learned that almost all of their revenue came from Alvarez. The only thing that has kept De La Hoya’s company from being a small time company struggling to fill hotel ballrooms to being an elite outfit was Alvarez. Considering the destroyed relationship with their main star, and a similarly toxic one between their #2 guy in Ryan Garcia, Golden Boy’s top brass can’t be feeling too hot right now. 

DAZN fares far worse. Their subscriber costs are increasing at an exponential rate, not to mention they’ve been throwing around huge contracts for fighters to the point where another lawsuit wouldn’t be out of the question. Golovkin, for example, signed a supposed nine-figure contract with them. 

Without Canelo, there’s a chance that Golden Boy and DAZN will turn their ire towards each other in the coming months.  

What About Gennadiy Golovkin?

In Golovkin’s case, he could care less about all of this. Golovkin and Canelo hate each other enough not to do business with one another. It was Golovkin who demanded a 50-50 split of a trilogy purse and a change of venue, forgetting perhaps that he lost the second fight. Though Canelo may have had exorbitant expectations as to who he had to fight with his DAZN contract, Golovkin is clearly exempt from the “premium” clause on his contract as he steadily awaits a mandatory defense against some guy named Kamil Szeremeta.


With Canelo out of the picture for now, and considering Golovkin’s age, expect him to march towards either a bout with the painfully green Jaime Munguia or the dreadfully boring Demetrius Andrade. DAZN will lean on Golovkin more than ever, and by matching him up against these two, they could start the “Canelo is ducking Golovkin” crap that fools so many people.


At this stage of his career, Golovkin will be happy to fight whoever he wants as long as DAZN can afford his bill.