Leo Adam Biga's My Inside Stories

The coronation of Terence “Bud” Crawford as the world’s best prizefighter pound-for-pound has officially begun, though this crowning has been in the works for three years. His complete dismantling of Viktor Postol last night in a unification bout waged in Las Vegas on Pay Per View sealed the deal, as it was the latest and perhaps most complete performance yet in a string of dominant showings Bud’s made against top contenders and champions. You could just hear in the ringside commentators’ words that there is no longer any doubting his greatness. His opponents always look vastly inferior. That’s caused some to question the quality of his foes but now the consensus is that while they may not be all-time great fighters themselves, they are world-class for this era and the fact of the matter is that Bud is that much better than them because he is The Truth and for real as an elite fighter on his way to all-time great status himself. His dramatic rise to the top of his profession took many by surprise and caused some to wonder if he’d really been tested. Well, there are precious few fighters left in his division to issue much of a challenge. He’s answered the call every time. Now, it seems, he’s fought his way into position to finally facing one of the two legends in the lighter divisions, Manny Pacquiao, who is ending his retirement. They could meet as soon as November. That matchup would push Bud into the $100 million range as far as purses go and should he win, and I would guess he’d be a slight favorite, Bud will become a legend in his own right and join the likes of Manny and that other icon, Floyd Mayweather, in the pantheon of Boxing Gods. Mayweather would then presumably come out of retirement to square off with Bud. The growing greatness of Omaha’s own world champion is happening before our eyes and it’s a beautiful thing to see. In the space of a little over three years he’s gone from being a rising young star with potential to the No. 1 fighter in the world, period. He’s become a darling of HBO, whose new documentary about him has helped to immortalize and mythologize him while simultaneously making him more human. He’s become Bob Arum’s and TopRank’s new moneymaker and branded superstar.

The grooming of him to be the next big thing in boxing has been under way and Bud keeps reinforcing that image and reality. This has all happened in a very short time by pro boxing standards. Bud’s become a fan favorite well beyond Omaha for his success in the ring, where he has proven to be a master tactician and technical fighter who also has great toughness, heart, stamina and more power than you might think. His ability to fight both lefty and righty and to go back and forth between the two is not only uncanny but unnerving to foes. His gift for diagnosing fighters and adapting his strategy and tactics as needed while in the throes of action is rare and makes him especially difficult to beat. And as the commentators admire, Bud uses the first two or three founds to feel and figure out his foe and then once he adjusts to whatever he’s seeing, he really gets down to business and presses the attack with great skill and patience. Then there’s the story of his life that appeals to many because, as that HBO film makes clear, he’s always had to fight to get ahead. Well, he’s made it to the pinnacle of his sport and he’s remained fiercely loyal to his hometown, family and friends. He represents his community like no one else.

The Champ is the best fighter in the world and the single most important and dynamic athlete to ever come out of Nebraska, with the possible exception of Bob Gibson and Gale Sayers. The biggest difference between them and Bud is that they achieved their brilliance within the context of team sports, whereas Bud is all on his own in that square circle. Of course, Bud’s the first to acknowledge the superb team he has around him in his trainers, coaches, managers, mentors and advisors. But pound-for-pound, man-for-man, Bud is the best and no one, not Gibson, not Sayers, not Johnny Rodgers, was as masterful at what they did as Bud is at what he does. Hail, hail, Omaha’s own champion of the world.

Link to my other stories about Bud at–

https://leoadambiga.com/?s=crawford