Just what was Terence “Bud” Crawford’s toughest fight? Some might say his exciting fight with Yuriorkis Gamboa. Others may point to Crawford’s more recent fight with Israil Madrimov. Others still might say that Crawford, as special as he is, has never really had what could be called a tough fight.
Crawford, the best in the world right now pound-for-pound (or top two of three at worst), is without a single doubt a future Hall of Famer, and the 37 year old with the spotless 41-0(31) record may retire having never lost a single fight. But when it comes to Crawford himself on the subject of the toughest fight he was ever given, the man dubbed “The Mean Machine” is given the distinction.
It was five years ago today when Crawford met Egidijus Kavaliauskas at Madison Square Garden. Crawford’s WBO welterweight title was on the line and both men were unbeaten. Crawford was 35-0, Kavaliauskas was 21-0-1. What followed was an exciting fight, a fight with a dash of controversy thrown in for good measure, and a fight that saw Crawford fight more aggressively than he is accustomed to doing.
Crawford, speaking recently with Froch on Fighting YouTube channel, said Kavaliauskas hit him “more than another other opponent to this day.”
The man from Lithuania also scored a knockdown over Crawford that wasn’t officially called, hence the dash of controversy. Crawford scored three knockdowns that were called, but he had to take some shots in the process.
“My toughest opponent I would say was Egis,” Crawford told Carl Froch. “Me and Egis, I think me fighting the wrong style made it tough, even though I got the stoppage. If you watch that fight, he hit me more than any other opponent to this day. [Israil] Madrimov hit me with right hands here and there, but Egis hit me with hooks, right hands, we were really in there fighting.”
Regarding the knockdown Egis was not credited with in the third round, Crawford absolutely did take a big right hand to the head and then, as he tried to hold, Kavaliauskas landed a couple of inside shots. Crawford went to a knee. It was indeed a knockdown. But Crawford recovered and, in showing his own sharp, accurate punches, he dropped Egis in round seven and then stopped him in the ninth, this after scoring two more knockdowns.
It’s a comment on how great Crawford is when we have to search and search for a brief period of time in which he was hurt, or buzzed, in any single fight of his career. But, yes, Egis did score a knockdown. It might have been Crawford’s toughest fight, as he says himself. It was also one of Crawford’s most exciting fights.
However, when all is said and done, which fight of Crawford’s career will go down as his defining fight? That’s a tougher question to answer. But might “Bud” fight Canelo Alvarez next year? If so, win, lose or draw, that could be the one Crawford is best remembered for many years from now.
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