11/14 ESPN: Terence Crawford vs Kell Brook (WBO Welterweight Title)

[patscorpio]

One of boxing's top fighters will be back in the ring next month.

Welterweight champion Terence "Bud" Crawford will square off against former titleholder Kell Brook, Top Rank chairman Bob Arum confirmed Wednesday. The fight is scheduled for Nov. 14 at a location that is yet to be determined, a source told ESPN.

Crawford (36-0, 27 KOs) is the No. 2 pound-for-pound fighter in ESPN's rankings and the current WBO champion in the 147-pound division. Brook (39-2, 27 KOs) is a former welterweight titleholder who is coming off a knockout win in February.

Arum said the bout will be on a linear ESPN platform. The Top Rank executive opted against having Crawford fight on pay-per-view because of the financial strains caused by COVID-19.

"These networks have to understand how people are hurting, how many people in this country and in the U.K. are out of work because of this pandemic," Arum said. "I think it's really immoral to require people to spend [more] money watching their favorite sport every week, every other week."


Crawford-Brook is the second major fight that will air on a linear ESPN platform. Arum's comments Wednesday came during a news conference featuring Vasiliy Lomachenko. Lomachenko (14-1, 10 KOs), ESPN's top pound-for-pound fighter, will face Teofimo Lopez (15-0, 12 KOs) in a lightweight unification fight on Oct. 17 on the network.

A location for Crawford-Brook is yet to be finalized, with sites in Las Vegas and Crawford's hometown of Omaha, Nebraska, as potential options. Arum said the Lomachenko-Lopez fight, which will feature 250 spectators inside the Top Rank "bubble" at the MGM Grand Convention Center, will be a trial run for future fights that potentially could have fans.

That could have implications for Crawford-Brook. Arum noted Top Rank has explored a scenario that could have up to 15,000 fans inside Las Vegas' Allegiant Stadium, which could be fitted for 75,000 fans for a boxing event.

"We hope this will lead to events where we can have paying spectators [at a] safe distance and [on] a limited basis," Arum said.

Crawford has made three successful defenses of his WBO belt and won his past seven fights by stoppage. The 33-year-old has not fought in 2020. The last time he was in the ring, he defeated Egidijus Kavaliauskas via technical knockout in December 2019.

 

[patscorpio]

The rematch between WBA junior bantamweight titlist Joshua Franco and Andrew Moloney will take place on Nov. 14 in Las Vegas.

The fight will be the co-main event with Terence Crawford's welterweight title defense against Kell Brook (ESPN, 10 p.m. ET).

On June 23, Franco (17-1-2, 8 KOs) won the belt by defeating Moloney (21-1, 14 KOs) by unanimous decision at the MGM Grand Conference Center in Las Vegas. In that fight, Franco pulled away in the late rounds to hand Moloney his first professional defeat.

Moloney held a rematch clause and made the decision to enforce it.

"There wasn't any other thought in his head," said Tony Tolj, who manages both Andrew and his brother, bantamweight title contender Jason Moloney. "He just had the tunnel vision to go straight into that fight because he was just so disappointed in himself and there were some factors with a couple of injuries in that fight -- but you never like to make excuses with injuries. That's part and parcel with this game."

Their first fight was a back-and-forth affair for about eight rounds, but Franco -- who scored a knockdown of Moloney in Round 11 -- took over the action in the championship rounds.

"Full credit to Franco because he did what a champion does -- he won the fight," Tolj said. "But we're full of confidence in the rematch because we see a lot of openings we can exploit. We're confident we can get the decisions and get the title back."

It's a busy stretch for both Moloney brothers. Andrew is facing unified bantamweight titleholder Naoya Inoue on Oct. 31, also in Las Vegas. The twins arrived at Las Vegas in early October to prepare for what are the most important fights of their careers.

"We're all very excited -- we believe it's their time," Tolj said. "They put up so much effort and so many sacrifices into boxing. It's about time they reap some of the rewards and get that notoriety."

 

[Black Haven]

I thought kell brook retired after the spence injury to his eye socket.

 

[DapMeUp!]

I thought kell brook retired after the spence injury to his eye socket.

Nah he had like another 2 fights after that.

 

[CodeBlaMeVi]

The UK ain’t even bother picking up this fight

 

[Conscious Pilot]

This doesn’t move me but I’m in

 

[krackdagawd]

this ya'll p4p

Brook out here playing w that eye socket

 

[Loose]

 

[Dallas' 4 Eva]

fukk it I'll pick Brook on points.

 

[patscorpio]

brook's career trajectory still makes me sad

in a rightful world he should have been floyd's last career opponent and he should have never faced the triple gawd

now dude is messing around with his eyesight for one last chance at a world title

 

[desjardins]

Stay busy fight for Bud. I am interested in seeing if Brook can make it interesting with his boxing and if he comes into the ring with a significant weight advantage

 

[Scottie Drippin]

brook's career trajectory still makes me sad

in a rightful world he should have been floyd's last career opponent and he should have never faced the triple gawd

now dude is messing around with his eyesight for one last chance at a world title

Love fighters for taking chances but that's one no one was asking him for. That GGG fight is almost exactly why there's weight classes. GGG didn't even get to him that bad and it literally broke him permanently.

Definitely gonna go down in history as a fighter we never saw the best of.

 

[BOXINGGEMS]

I got Kell Brook by decision ... fighting all those bums going to catch up to Bud eventually. If Brook is anywhere near what he used to be it’s going to be a long night for Crawford. I have to go watch Brook last couple fights to gauge where he’s at though.

 

[patscorpio]

I got Kell Brook by decision ... fighting all those bums going to catch up to Bud eventually. If Brook is anywhere near what he used to be it’s going to be a long night for Crawford. I have to go watch Brook last couple fights to gauge where he’s at though.

one of those fights he looked bad; the others he looked like himself

 

[BOXINGGEMS]

one of those fights he looked bad; the others he looked like himself

Yea I just watched the last fight with Deluca ... I’m standing on the Brook pick, fukk it