Terence ‘Bud’ Crawford to defend WBO and WBC Super Lightweight titles against Felix Diaz on May 20
By Peter Kahn
Terence Crawford is set to defend his World Boxing Organization and World Boxing Council belts against Felix Diaz May 20 at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.
Undefeated super lightweight champion Terence Crawford (30-0, 21 KOs) will face Felix Diaz (19-1, 9 KOs) on May 20. The fight card, promoted by Top Rank, will be televised on HBO. Crawford’s promoter, Bob Arum, confirmed a deal had been reached for the fight this afternoon.
At 29 years old, Crawford is regarded as the most dominant fighter in the 140-pound division. Crawford, a two-division world champion, has won four out of his last five fights by knockout since moving up to the super lightweight division in 2015. His most recent victory was a TKO in Round 8 over John Molina, Jr. (29-7, 23 KOs) on December 10, 2016.
Diaz, the light welterweight gold medal winner for the Dominican Republic at the 2008 Olympics games in Beijing, will be making his first world title challenge at the age of 33 years old.
The Dominican southpaw, who lives and trains out of Brooklyn, New York, had this to say about finally receiving his first attempt to challenge for a world title since turning pro in 2009: “Well, what can I say? The fight is finally made. This is my dream to fight the best fighter in my division and on HBO. I get the opportunity to show the world what I could bring to the ring. I thank everybody that made this fight possible, especially the fans that were heard.”
When asked what he had learned from the only loss on his record in October 2015, at the hands of WBA world welterweight champion Lamont Peterson (35-3-1, 17 KOs), Diaz said, “Every fight is different and every fighter has their own flaws. I just have to follow the game plan.” Diaz continued, “I will feel stronger at 140 pounds. That is why my manager hired Alex Ariza as my strength and condition coach.”
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Diaz has the boxing skills to be Crawford’s toughest challenge to date. A top-10 pound-for-pound fighter, Crawford’s name is already being mentioned for a potential Manny Pacquiao fight in November. Diaz could be the beneficiary of good timing if Crawford looks past Diaz’s maturity and experience on May 20.