SI

Terence Crawford's Hiatus Ends in Title Defense vs. David Avanesyan

Plus, Teofimo Lopez returns this weekend at MSG to campaign for a world title fight. And what’s the impact of the Gervonta Davis-Mayweather Promotions split?

Chris Mannix

Terence Crawford's Hiatus Ends in Title Defense vs. David Avanesyan
Terence Crawford's Hiatus Ends in Title Defense vs. David Avanesyan /

Ten rounds while reminding people that Manny Pacquiao will be in a boxing ring this weekend …

10. Terence Crawford returns to the ring Saturday, ending a 13-month layoff when he defends his 147-pound title against David Avanesyan. Crawford, who was deep in negotiations for a fight with longtime rival Errol Spence Jr. when he abruptly pivoted to the fight with Avanesyan, has received heavy criticism for this matchup, a fight few are interested in (Avanesyan is a 9-1 underdog, per SI Sportsbook) that will stream as a pay-per-view on a network (BLK Prime) no one has ever heard of.

Still—it’s hard to blame Crawford. He didn’t like the Spence offer—both Crawford and Spence have spent weeks passing around the blame for that—and has what he says is a $10 million offer from BLK Prime in his pocket. At 35, the chance to make eight figures for what amounts to a tune-up was too good to pass up. The real question is, what does BLK Prime get out of this? The Crawford-Avanesyan fight, which will be available for $39.99 on pay-per-view, figures to be a financial disaster. BLK Prime officials say they intend to become a player in boxing broadcasting. A Crawford title defense—which in promoting Crawford has spent more time talking about the fight that isn’t happening (Spence) than is (Avanesyan)—is a strange place to start.

Terence Crawford (yellow trunks) trades punches with Amir Khan (white trunks) during the WBO welterweight title fight at Madison Square Garden.
Crawford, the heavy favorite Saturday against Avanesyan, puts his perfect 38-0 record on the line :: Sarah Stier/USA TODAY Sports

9.  Speaking of BLK Prime, it may have its next fight lined up. Adrien Broner, the former four-division world champion who signed a multi-fight deal with BLK Prime in October, is in advanced discussions to face veteran Ivan Redkach, sources told SI. Broner-Redkach is being targeted for February.

8. It has been just over a year since Teofimo Lopez lost his 135-pound titles in a shocking upset to George Kambosos at the Theatre at Madison Square Garden. Lopez, who moved up to 140 pounds after that fight, is back at MSG this weekend, taking on Sandor Martin. A win will propel Lopez into a world title fight against either Josh Taylor, who will take on Jack Catterall in early 2023 in a rematch of Taylor’s hotly contested decision win last February, or Regis Prograis, who won a version of the junior welterweight title last month.

Against Kambosos, Lopez wasn’t right. Not physically (Lopez struggled mightily to make weight and it was later revealed that Lopez had fought with pneumomediastinum, a dangerous condition where air gets in between the lungs) or mentally (Lopez was going through a public split with his wife, Cynthia, who had just given birth to Lopez’s son less than two weeks earlier).

I asked Lopez how different he felt heading into this fight.

“I died twice last year, man,” says Lopez. “I died twice just so I could come back this third time to do it right. That's really what happened. I had to go through these dark times and rough times. I think we all go through them. But it's not about how we go through them, it's how we come out of them. And I think that was just really the key factor. I let everyone else dictate how I should move my life when I think I'm doing just right with my decisions.

“I don't know everything, I'm not supposed to. However I feel like I carry myself well enough to know that at least with [my fists], the sport that I do with these hands, I know I can handle myself. And if I can handle myself with these hands then I should handle myself up [mentally] as well. And that was a big difference maker. But I had to really settle it in.”

7. Derek Chisora says he will keep fighting in the aftermath of a one-sided beating from Tyson Fury last weekend. He shouldn’t. Chisora is 38 and has been in some hellacious battles in his 15-year professional career. He’s lost four of his last five with his lone win (a split decision over Kubrat Pulev) coming against an opponent more washed up than he is. Chisora has had a nice career and has been a fun fighter. But for his own health, that career needs to be over.

6. Will Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez continue on after a close loss to Juan Francisco Estrada last weekend? At 35, Gonzalez showed he has plenty left after rallying in the second half of the fight. After talking to several members of Gonzalez’s team last weekend, my sense is that Gonzalez won’t officially retire—but he won’t come back without a high six-figure payday either. Gonzalez is no longer concerned about his legacy; he’s a first-ballot Hall of Famer, regardless of what happens next. He wants to cash in. So whether it is a fourth fight with Estrada or a potential king-making fight against Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez, if a promoter wants Gonzalez back in the ring, he better bring his checkbook.

5. Diego Pacheco is the real deal. Pacheco (17-0) completed a four-win 2022 with a brutal knockout of veteran Adrian Luna last weekend. Pacheco, just 21, has devastating power at 168 pounds. Working with Jose Benavidez Sr., Pacheco has polished some of his boxing skills in the last year while growing into his man strength. Eddie Hearn, Pacheco’s promoter, told me that the plan is to bring Pacheco over to the UK for his next fight. A shot at a world title could come as early as 2024.

4. As SI reported on Monday, Ryan Garcia is finalizing a deal to face two-time title challenger Mercito Gesta in his next fight. While Golden Boy had hoped to schedule fight for Jan. 21 in Austin, Texas, plans this week have shifted to Jan. 28, with a venue in southern California emerging as the most likely destination.

3. If you’re not following the ongoing social media war between Mikaela Mayer and Alycia Baumgardner, you’re missing out. Baumgardner, who unified three 130-pound titles in a narrow decision win over Mayer in October, and Mayer were both in Arizona last weekend for Estrada-Chocolatito III. During the event, Mayer handed roses and a card to Baumgardner through the crowd; Baumgardner responded by bringing Mayer a chocolate bar with “salty” on the wrapper. Baumgardner is targeting a title unification fight with Hyun-Mi Choi—that fight could happen in early February—while Mayer is planning a move to 135 pounds. But these two need to meet in the ring again, sooner than later.

2. Gervonta Davis confirmed that he had split with Mayweather Promotions this week. At a press conference to announce his January fight against Hector Luis Garcia, Davis was diplomatic, thanking his now former promoter while insisting there was no bad blood. “This just a test run right now,” Davis said. “Just on my own type of joint. But much love to Mayweather Promotions, Leonard [Ellerbe], Floyd [Mayweather], all them guys. I definitely appreciate them but I’m just doing my own thing now.”

Davis parting ways with Mayweather is notable. But does it matter? Davis is still managed by Al Haymon, who was the point man for the Davis negotiations with Ryan Garcia. Davis is well positioned for significant fights in the 135-pound division, with Garcia, Devin Haney and Shakur Stevenson among the options. It will be interesting to see if, after this split with Mayweather, Davis gets more aggressive towards making cross-promotional fights.

1. More than a year after his last fight and months after relinquishing his middleweight title, Demetrius Andrade will return, opening the Davis-Garcia undercard next month with a 168-pound non-title fight against Demond Nicholson. It’s been a pretty brutal year for Andrade. He lost out on a seven-figure payday when an injury forced him to withdraw from a scheduled fight with Zach Parker. He surrendered his 160-pound title rather than defend it against Janibek Alimkhanuly (a source told SI that Top Rank was willing to pay Andrade in the neighborhood of $500,000 for that) then withdrew from an attempt to reschedule the fight with Parker after the purse bid came in considerably lower. At 34 and now formally aligned with PBC, Andrade should have the opportunity to take on some of the best in the super middleweight division, which includes David Benavidez, Caleb Plant and Jermall Charlo. Is it too late for him to capitalize on it?

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Chris Mannix
CHRIS MANNIX

Chris Mannix is a senior writer at Sports Illustrated covering the NBA and boxing beats. He joined the SI staff in 2003 following his graduation from Boston College. Mannix is the host of SI's "Open Floor" podcast and serves as a ringside analyst and reporter for DAZN Boxing. He is also a frequent contributor to NBC Sports Boston as an NBA analyst. A nominee for National Sportswriter of the Year in 2022, Mannix has won writing awards from the Boxing Writers Association of America and the Pro Basketball Writers Association, and is a longtime member of both organizations.

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