CRAWFORD NAMED WBO FIGHTER OF THE YEAR THREE YEARS IN A ROW
By Dong Secuya
PhilBoxing.com
Sun, 04 Nov 2018
PANAMA CITY ? After being awarded 'Most Promising Fighter' in 2015, Terence Crawford romped up with the WBO 'Best Fighter of the Year' award every year thereafter. Thursday night during the WBO 31st Convention gala night at the iconic El Panama Hotel here, Crawford received his 'Fighter of the Year' award for 2018 from WBO president and WBO first vice-president John Duggan of what is now a familiar sight at every WBO convention since 2016.
In last year's acceptance speech, Crawford, who has been tagged as the poster boy of the WBO, said, ?I am glad to receive another 'Fighter of the Year' award from the WBO as was last year. Next year, I intend to win another 'Fighter of the Year' award.? Crawford was true to his word and looking at how good he was in the past three years, he may keep on returning to WBO conventions year after year to receive the same award.
Crawford, 31, who grew up in a tough family and environment in Omaha, Nebraska, burst into boxing fame in 2014 when he defeated Ricky Burns of Great Britain, the then WBO world lightweight champion, at Burns' homeland. The win, and the succeeding conquest of the then highly touted Yuriorkis Gamboa and Raymundo Beltran, netted him the BWAA 'Fighter of the Year' award.
L-R: WBO Championship Committee chairman Luis Batista Salas, WBO president Francisco 'Paco' Valcarcel, Crawford's trainer Brian McIntyre, Terence Crawford and WBO first vice-president John Duggan during Thursday night's awards. Crawford was adjudged WBO 'Fighter of the Year' 2018 while McIntyre was named 'Outstanding Trainer'.
Crawford went on to win the WBO world super lightweight crown in April, 2015 against Thomas Dulorme and cleaned up the division by defeating WBC champion Viktor Postol in 2016 and IBF/WBA champion Julius Indongo in August of last year becoming the first male fighter to unify the four belts since Jermain Taylor in 2005.
This year, Crawford moved up to the highly packed welterweight division and announced his arrival by stopping WBO welterweight champion Jeff Horn of Australia last June in Las Vegas and three weeks ago, knocked out the obnoxious Jose Benavidez Jr in the last round in front Crawford's hometown fans.
Boxing are in good hands with Crawford around as he could bring mouth-watering matches against the other top dogs in the division including the undefeated Errol Spence, Keith Thurman, Danny Garcia, Shawn Porter and even Manny Pacquiao.
Incidentally Crawford's trainer Brian McIntyre told Philboxing that they had been wanting the Pacquiao fight for a long time but every time they talk to Top Rank about it, the answer was always 'no'.
Pacquiao recently said he wants to face Crawford. If the Filipino boxing legend can survive the elite fighters of Al Haymon's Premier Boxing Champions, and if continues to evade father time's blows, we may just get the Crawford-Pacquiao fight in the end.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Dong Secuya.
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