In boxing, the best should fight the best. Unfortunately, Top Rank insists on feeding Terence “Bud” Crawford “stay busy” fights throughout his prime. Up next for the P4P star is Egidijus Kavaliauskas, simply known as “Mean Machine.” The two will headline a solid ESPN+ card on December 14th at Madison Square Garden. Crawford’s WBO welterweight belt will be on the line.
While Crawford (35-0) is arguably one of the best fighters of his generation, his resume doesn’t reflect it. Since clearing out the light welterweight division, he’s fought Jeff Horn, Jose Benevidez and Amir Khan. Three talented albeit second-tier welterweights that posed no serious threat to his undefeated record. To make matters worse, Kavaliauskas is a step down from Crawford’s last fight in April 2019 against multi-world-titlist Khan.
To be fair, “Mean Machine” isn’t a bad fighter. The Lithuanian with the killer nickname is also undefeated (21-0-1), with a win over former world champ David Avanesyan. Still, he’s not Manny Pacquiao (even at 40), Shawn Porter (coming off an L”) or pre-accident Errol Spence.
Crawford is already in the later rounds of his prime at 32, so his potential super-fight against the aforementioned Spence may not happen for years if ever following “The Truth’s” car crash.
Despite the anti-climactic reception behind Crawford-Kavaliauskas, you won’t find boxing fans complaining about the co-main event. ESPN Prospect of the Year Teofimo Lopez challenges world champ Richard Commey in a fight with massive implications. On the line is the IBF title, the only belt that has eluded Vasyl Lomachenko in the lightweight division. The winner of the fight is almost guaranteed a shot to fight “Loma” for the right to be called undisputed champion. Devin Haney thinks differently:
Rounding out the main card will be popular Irish featherweight Michael Conlan (12-0-0). The Belfast boxer gets a grudge match against recently debuted Russian Vladimir Nikitin (3-0), who beat Conlan in the 2016 Olympics.
You can watch all the action on the ESPN+ card on December 14th.
