SPORTS SHORTS 108: BARRY MCGUIGAN SAYS MANNY PACQUIAO IS A DIFFICULT OPPONENT FOR TERENCE CRAWFORD, BOOM BOOM MANCINI BELIEVES KEITH THURMAN IS STRONGER THAN "BUD"
By Maloney L. Samaco
PhilBoxing.com
Sun, 18 Apr 2021
Promoter Barry McGuigan would prefer to see a fight between Terence Crawford and Errol Spence, but he believes Manny Pacquiao will give Crawford a lot of things to ponder.
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McGuigan, now age 60 years, a former WBA and lineal featherweight world champion, believes that Crawford should forget about the proposed challenge by the Filipino boxing icon and instead shift his goal on a match with WBC and IBF welterweight champion Errol Spence Jr.
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“The only show in town for Crawford is Errol Spence,” said McGuigan to the Daily Mirror. “Yet that looks no nearer happening. I get it to a degree. With Covid still in play the economics of the fight would take a hit."
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“It would be a travesty for both and a missed opportunity for the sport were they to dance around each other much longer. [Floyd] Mayweather enhanced his record with victory over Pacquiao but not his reputation. Crawford and Spence need each other to really cement their names in history," added McGuigan.
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Even if McGuigan prefers to see Crawford and Spence fight, he insists that Pacquiao is still a difficult opponent for the undefeated champion from Omaha, Nebraska if their June 5 fight becomes a reality.
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“Crawford is in a class of two with Canelo Alvarez at the top of the Pound for Pound scales. Pacquiao is a remarkable fighter, one of the greatest of all time," McGuigan was quoted by DAZN.
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"He is still here at 42 and good enough to keep Crawford honest. Crawford will have to keep his eye on the ball against Pacquiao. At least the Thurman result has given the match legs.”
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McGuigan founded and is the current president of the Professional Boxing Association (PBA). He is the founder and CEO of Cyclone Promotions. He is a dual citizen of both the Republic of Ireland, where he was born, and the United Kingdom.
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Famous commentator and promoter Teddy Atlas thinks Crawford is the top fighter of the world pound-for-pound. He believes a Crawford fight could be the swan song for Pacquiao.
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“I love both guys, I think Crawford is pound-for-pound right now, the best fighter in the world,” said Atlas. “I know Canelo is up there, I know Spence is up there. For me, I have Crawford."
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“I mean we can only go by where we feel, what our taste is. For me, it’s Crawford. He can fight inside, outside. He carried his power, he went up all these weight classes. Three weight classes, I believe. He carried his power, he got great trainers,” said Atlas.
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Manny Pacquiao
Nickname: "Pac Man"
Record: 62-7-2, 39 KOs
Height: 5'5 1/2"
Weight: 145.5 pounds (last fight in 2019)
Reach: 67"
Age: 42
Stance: Southpaw
Rounds: 486
Per BoxRec.com
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Terence Crawford
Nickname: "Bud"
Record: 37-0, 28 KOs
Height: 5'8"
Weight: 146.25 pounds (last fight in 2020)
Reach: 74"
Age: 33
Stance: Southpaw
Rounds: 208
Per BoxRec.com
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Crawford's KO rate is far superior to Pacquiao's. Bud has stopped more than 75 % of his opponents or 28 in 37 fights, while Pacquiao has stopped 39 of the 62 opponents he triumphed.
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Lyle Fitzsimmons of Bleacher Report writes "Though he's scored just one KO since the arrival of 2010, Pacquiao still can rattle world-class 147-pounders." He did it by dropping Thurman in 2019, downing Lucas Matthysse three times in 2018 and crashing Jessie Vargas and Timothy Bradley to the canvas in 2016.
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For his part, Crawford has accomplished better in ending fights in short distances, stopping 12 of 15 title-bout foes at lightweight, super lightweight and welterweight. "Still, his finishes are much more the product of attrition than pure power, as evidenced by an average of nearly eight rounds per KO," added Fitzsimmons.
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Ray "Boom Boom" Mancini, now age 60 years, a former WBA lightweight title holder from 1982 to 1984, told Bleacher Report that Pacquiao's knockdown of Keith Thurman could provide a precedent. "He's never fought anyone like Manny," Mancini said. "Crawford's strong but not stronger than Thurman, and Manny handled him just fine."
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The Los Angeles Lakers came up with a big win on Saturday as they defeated the league-leading Utah Jazz in overtime, 127-115. After the game, Dennis Schroder just reminded everyone that the Lakers managed to beat the Jazz without their two superstars.
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Schroder sent out a warning shot to the rest of the league as to the impending return of LeBron James and Anthony Davis. He came up big for the Lakers on Saturday, getting 25 points, six rebounds, eight assists, a steal, and two blocks in 39 minutes of action. He also delivered a game-tying layup to send the game to OT.
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Drummond scored a team-high 27 points on 10-of-15 shooting, together with eight rebounds, three assists, two steals, and a block.
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The former Soviet Union/USSR was most successful country with 112 medals per Olympic appearance compared to the US with 93 medals per appearance. However, the USSR can be considered also as a combination of several countries.
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Ranking based on the average total medals per Olympic Games:
Rank, Country, No. of Olympics participated, gold medals per Olympic, and total medals per Olympic
1. Soviet Union 10, 44.0, 112.2
2. United States 27, 37.9, 93.4
3. East Germany 5, 30.6, 81.8
4. Russia 6, 24.8, 71.0
5. China10, 22.4, 54.6
6. Germany 24, 11.5, 39.0
7. Great Britain 28, 9.4, 30.4
8. France 28, 7.6, 25.6
9. Italy 27, 7.6, 21.4
10. Ukraine 6, 5.7, 20.0
From Top End Sports
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For Soviet Union, combining the results of USSR and the 1992 Unified Team. And for Germany, combining the results of Germany, West Germany, and the United Team of Germany and excluding East Germany.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Maloney L. Samaco.
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