Boxing’s Greats of the States | Nebraska: Terence Crawford

Boxers come from every corner of the globe. Sometimes, fighters are products of their environment, favoring styles prevalent in the country or state from which they hail. Various regions of the United States are considered factories for great fighters, though that certainly is not the case with each state. In this weekly Sherdog.com series, the spotlight will shine on the best boxer of all-time from each of the 50 states. Fighters do not necessarily need to be born in a given state to represent it; they simply need to be associated with it.

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Even in a state that produced Max Baer, Terence Crawford stands out.

Crawford has a long way to go before he calls it a career, but he has the skills necessary to become an all-time great. Already one of the sport’s best pound-for-pound fighters, “Bud” has raced out to a 29-0 record, with 20 knockouts, and his ability to adapt on the fly thanks to perfect game planning and a calm, confident approach makes him even more dangerous.

The 28-year-old Omaha, Nebraska, native captured the WBO lightweight championship in a 12-round unanimous decision over Ricky Burns on March 1, 2014. He successfully defended it twice, first in a knockout against Yuriorkis Gamboa and then in a dominant decision over Raymundo Beltran. From there, Crawford moved up to junior welterweight, snatching the WBO championship by taking out Thomas Dulorme in the sixth round in April 2015. Crawford continued his destruction of the 140-pound weight class by dismantling Dierry Jean within 10 rounds and stopping Hank Lundy in the fifth. A showdown with Viktor Postol came next. Postol had just knocked out Lucas Matthysse, and some believed him to be too big and sturdy for Crawford. That was not the case. He defeated Postol in a 12-round unanimous decision on July 23, laying claim to the WBC junior welterweight crown and the vacant The Ring and lineal junior welterweight championships.

With so many young, talented and dangerous fighters lurking at 140 and 147 pounds, Crawford will likely have plenty of opportunities to build on an already sterling resume.

HONORABLE MENTIONS: Max Baer, Ace Hudkins, Kid Graves