David Avanesyan was by no means the precedence for Terence ‘Bud’ Crawford however was at all times on the listing of welterweights he’d need to doubtlessly face someday.
That day arrived the second the unbeaten three-division and reigning WBO welterweight titlist was in want of an opponent for the sake of getting in no less than one struggle this calendar yr.
“He hasn’t been an opponent I focused, however he’s been on my radar since I’m conscious of everybody in my division,” Crawford advised BoxingScene.com. “I’ve taken discover of him for fairly a while now.
“This isn’t one thing that’s new to me, his combating type. However I’ve saved my eye on him for some time, getting ready for the day if I needed to struggle him.”
December 10 is now that day for Crawford (38-0, 29KOs), who will finish a career-long 55-week layoff together with his title protection versus the streaking Avanesyan (29-3-1, 17KOs). The 2 meet this Saturday at CHI Well being Heart in Crawford’s hometown of Omaha, Nebraska (BLK Prime Pay-Per-View/PPV.com, 9:00 p.m. ET, $39.99).
The bout is available in lieu of an industry-wide most well-liked undisputed championship showdown with unbeaten and unified WBA/WBC/IBF titlist Errol Spence, Jr. (28-0, 22KOs). Talks dragged out for months, lengthy sufficient to depart Crawford and not using a struggle since a tenth-round knockout of former two-time welterweight titlist Shawn Porter final November 20 in Las Vegas. As soon as it was realized {that a} Spence struggle wasn’t going to occur in 2022, Crawford—amongst different causes—moved onto the following one.
Avanesyan enters the ring armed with a six-fight win streak—all inside the space—since a sixth-round knockout loss to former Crawford challenger Egidijus Kavaliauskas in 2018. The 34-year-old Armenian-Russian based mostly out of the UK has got rid of beforehand crushed Kerman Lejarraga and Josh Kelly alongside the best way, rebuilding from former secondary WBA titlist and opponent standing to returning contender as he weapons for his first main title.
“We all know what he brings to the desk,” famous Crawford, who’s 16-0 (13KOs) in main title fights as he makes an attempt his sixth protection of the WBO 147-pound strap. “I don’t look an excessive amount of at how he’s fought the blokes he beat as a result of I don’t struggle something like that. However I do know he’s going to deliver his A-game and I simply acquired to raise it to a different stage to verify he don’t get that [seventh] straight win.”
Jake Donovan is a senior author for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox