Terence Crawford is ranked by many experts as one of the world’s best fighters. The American now pits his wits against British superstar Amir Khan.
A switch-hitting dynamo who has reigned supreme in three weight classes, Crawford won the WBO lightweight world title on March 1, 2014 in Glasgow, Scotland.
Crawford travelled to dethrone hometown hero Ricky Burns via unanimous decision. Further proving his lightweight supremacy that year with a thrilling ninth-round TKO win over then-undefeated Yuriorkis Gamboa. The triumph was followed by a near-shutout decision victory over Ray Beltran.
Sometime later, Crawford made history when he unified all four 140-pound titles. ‘Bud’ punctuated his dominance over the division with a third-round knockout against Julius Indongo on Aug. 19, 2017.
With nothing left to prove at 140 pounds, Crawford moved up to welterweight.
In his first bout at the weight, he knocked out Manny Pacquiao conqueror Jeff “The Hornet” Horn in the ninth round to win the WBO crown.
For his first welterweight title defense, Crawford returned home to the CHI Health Center Omaha and knocked out bitter rival Jose Benavidez Jr. in the 12th round in front of 13,323 passionate fans.
The 31 year-old is ready to cement his legacy on April 20.
“I can’t wait to head back to New York City and Madison Square Garden for this fight with Amir Khan,” said Crawford.
“The Garden is the perfect venue for a fight of this magnitude. I know that my fans will make the trip up to New York. I’ll have a ton of support when I step into the ring.
“I expect Khan’s British fans to come out as well. I believe we will have a packed house on April 20. It’s going to be a great fight so make sure to get your tickets.”
Explaining his choice to battle Khan, Crawford added: “It’s always been my goal to fight the best fighters out there. I look at Amir Khan as one of the top fighters in my division.
“I know some people are writing him off, but I am by no means overlooking him. He’s a former unified world champion, and come April 20, I’ll be looking to go out there to seek and destroy.
“I’m excited about this fight because I believe it can push my career to another level.”
ESPN Executive Vice President, Programming and Scheduling, Burke Magnus was excited at the prospect of Crawford v Khan.
“Showcasing Crawford-Khan as the first pay-per-view event under the Top Rank on ESPN banner is truly a cause for celebration.
“Crawford is a world champion, a global phenomenon and perhaps the best pound-for-pound fighter in the sport.
“Khan is a fighter that everyone wants to see every time he steps in the ring. This is what boxing needs, more big-name showdowns.
“This fight is a perfect example of the vision that we had when we teamed up with Top Rank.”
CRAWFORD v KHAN
Two kings are set for the year’s most anticipated welterweight showdown when pound-for-pound king Terence “Bud” Crawford puts his WBO welterweight world title on the line against former unified 140-pound champion and the pride of Bolton, England, Amir “King” Khan.
The fight goes down on Saturday, April 20, live on pay-per-view at 9 p.m. ET/ 6 p.m. PT. Details on how fans will be able to access the pay-per-view event will be announced at a later date.
Promoted by Top Rank, in association with Matchroom Boxing and Khan Promotions. Details on the undercard will be announced soon.
For more information visit: www.toprank.com, www.espn.com/boxing; Facebook: facebook.com/trboxing; Twitter: twitter.com/trboxing.
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