LIVE! Crawford vs Kavaliauskas LIVE FIGHT TONIGHT BOXING NOW | Kavaliauskas VS Crawford live FIGHT | BOXING LIVE FIGHT TONIGHT NOW
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Crawford vs. Mean Machine viewing information
Date: Dec. 14 | Start time: 9 p.m. ET
Location: Madison Square Garden -- New York, New York
TV: ESPN | Stream: WatchESPN
Location: Madison Square Garden -- New York, New York
TV: ESPN | Stream: WatchESPN
Not
only is Crawford in action on Saturday, but so are a pair of Top Rank
Boxing's best prospects in Teofimo Lopez and Michael Conlan. Lopez will
be challenging Richard Commey for the IBF lightweight title in just his
15th professional fight while Conlan will be looking to end a grudge
three years in the making. Let's take a closer look at those fights.
Undercard
IBF Lightweight Championship -- Richard Commey (c) vs. Teofimo Lopez:
Lopez (14-0, 11 KOs) has all the markings of a future superstar. He has
a flashy style, a compelling personality and shown the ability to go
viral through things like busting out post-knockout Fortnite dances.
He's also a 22-year-old newlywed struggling with depression and panic
attacks, a family feuding with his new wife, a father who has trained
him through learning techniques via YouTube and who puts endless
pressure on his son through his antics to the frustration of Lopez's
promoters. In his most recent fight, against Masayoshi Nakatani, Lopez
looked far less than the impressive top-tier prospect he'd become known
as, struggling with Nakatani's height and jab while taking an ugly
decision win. Now, he heads into a fight against a heavy-hitting
champion with the kind of grit who can make a night hell on a young
boxer.
Commey (29-2, 26 KOs) is a Ghanaian knockout artist.
Pressure and power define him in the ring. He can shut out an opponent's
lights with either hand and will take a punch to deliver one of his
own, a liability and a strength in his game. His two career losses came
via split decision and he is a world traveler, having fought in his
native Ghana, Russia, England, Denmark, Germany, South Africa and the
U.S. The IBF lightweight champ is exactly the kind of fighter you want
to see stand across from a young prospect like Lopez. He's gritty and
dangerous, not the type to fold to the pressure or hype. This fight has
all the makings of a great battle and may be Saturday's true main event.
There are so many factors playing into the result in the ring, not to
mention Lopez's mental state outside of it, that it's hard to get a read
on the exact way this fight will play out. Prediction: Lopez via UD
Michael Conlan vs. Vladimir Nikitin: Conlan
(12-0, 7 KOs) and Nikitin (3-0, 0 KOs) have history. Nikitin was handed
a very controversial decision over Conlan at the 2016 Olympic Games,
resulting on Conlan holding up two middle fingers in the ring and
calling AIBA officials "f---ing cheats" in a profanity-laced post-fight
interview. He quit amateur boxing after the decision and turned pro,
being regarded as a legitimate prospect in the featherweight division.
Nikitin has far less pro experience and there have been previous
attempts to match the two as pros to allow Conlan a shot at righting the
wrongs of the Olympics. Finally, this chapter of boxing history may end
when the two step into the ring in MSG to let their fists fly. Prediction: Conlan via TKO3
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