Page 23 - aruba-today-20191214

A23
SPORTS Saturday 14 december 2019
Welterweight Crawford out to make his case as boxing’s best

By BRIAN MAHONEY tain you.” That might help
AP Sports Writer sell tickets, though. Pro-
NEW YORK (AP) — Terence moter Bob Arum said that
Crawford believes he’s the short of staging cards in
best fighter in the world fighters’ hometowns, such
and wanted more chanc- as when Crawford packs
es to prove it this year. the place when he fights in
He hoped to have three Omaha, the key to drawing
fights in 2019 but will be big crowds is having what
boxing for only the second he calls 50-50 fights, and
time when he defends his Crawford’s fights certainly
welterweight title Saturday aren’t that.
night at Madison Square But the fight preceding
Garden. The boxer who has it may be, when Richard
had the answers every time Commey (29-2, 26 KOs)
he’s climbed into the ring is defends his lightweight title
stumped about why he fell against 2016 Olympian Teo-
short of his goal. fimo Lopez (14-0, 11 KOs).
“I really don’t know,” Craw- Lopez represented Hondu-
ford said. “Maybe budget. I ras, his parents’ country,
don’t know.” but he’s from Brooklyn and
Or maybe it’s because it’s boasted that “all of New
hard enough just finding York” is coming to see his
one guy who can give him In this June 9, 2018, file photo, Terence Crawford celebrates after defeating Jeff Horn, of Australia, first shot at a title.
in a welterweight title boxing match in Las Vegas.
a real contest. Associated Press The winner is expected to
Egidijus Kavaliauskas (pro- move on to a 2020 unifica-
nounced Egg-ID’-di-yus at 147 pounds who would and show the world why never had the pleasure of tion showdown with two-
Ka-val-YAUS-kus) is the next make for an attractive I feel like I’m the No. 1 getting knocked upside time Olympic gold med-
fighter who will try in the matchup with Crawford, pound-for-pound over any the head for 12 rounds,” alist Vasiliy Lomachenko,
main event of a card to be such as Errol Spence, Man- other fighter,” Crawford Crawford said. “You know, who is scheduled to at-
televised by ESPN following ny Pacquiao and Keith said. Perhaps a tough fight like, it’s not fun. We do it tend the fight. The Ukrai-
the Heisman Trophy pre- Thurman, but he’s been un- that forced Crawford to because it’s our job. But nian, like Crawford, is in the
sentation. It’s the second able to get fights with any dig deep and overcome boxers go in the ring one discussion for most skilled
straight bout at Madison of them and seems tired of adversity would earn him person and leave a differ- fighter in the world, but the
Square Garden for Craw- getting asked about it. He extra appreciation, but he ent person. 22-year-old Lopez has al-
ford (35-0, 26 KOs), who wanted to talk only about has no interest in getting “You go home, you eat ready been pushing for the
stopped Amir Khan in April. his bout with Kavaliauskas into a slugfest just to do your popcorn, you talk to fight — and says he’s not
That was Crawford’s third (21-0-1, 17 KOs), a Lithua- that and bristles at the no- your family, you say, ‘Oh, sure Lomachenko wants it.
consecutive stoppage nian who is the mandatory tion that a fighter needs to that was a great fight,’ but “Everybody wants that
since moving up to welter- challenger for his WBO belt. risk injury to be interesting. it was a great fight for you fight,” Lopez said. “Every-
weight after unifying all the “Like I said, I’m always look- “All those people that criti- to watch. But you don’t body wants to see the fight,
major titles at 140 pounds. ing to go out there and put cize boxers for boxing never think about the fighters that so hopefully we can make
There are many big names on a great performance been in a ring before. They went through hell to enter- all those things happen.” q

Olympic mile, 800-meter champion Peter Snell dead at 80

WELLINGTON, New Zealand yards, 1,000 meters, and when the mile was the mous stamina but he also opportunities in the United
(AP) — Three-time Olympic the 4x1-mile relay. blue riband event of world had unusual speed. States.
champion and world mile Snell’s death was con- athletics. He began imme- Snell’s friend and training Snell graduated with a
record-holder Peter Snell firmed by family friend and diately after Roger Bannis- partner, Olympic marathon Bachelor of Science de-
has died in Dallas. He was New Zealand sports his- ter’s epoch-making sub- bronze medalist Barry Ma- gree in human perfor-
aged 80. torian Ron Palenski, who four-minute mile and while gee said “there will never mance from the University
Snell, who is regarded as heads New Zealand’s Sport the glow of that achieve- be another New Zealand of California, Davis, and
one of the greatest mid- Hall of Fame. ment still suffused the sport. athlete like him.” later with a Ph.D. in exer-
dle-distance runners, won “It is very sad news, a griev- In his physique he was un- “He won three Olympic cise physiology from Wash-
the 800 meters at the 1960 ous loss for New Zealand,” like milers of the time: Snell gold medals, two Com- ington State University.
Rome Olympics aged 21, Palenski said. “In terms of was strong and powerful monwealth Games gold He became a research
and the 800-1,500 double track and field, he is prob- — more like a 400-meter medals, and broke seven fellow at the University of
at the 1964 Tokyo Games. ably the greatest athlete runner — and not like the world records. He was the Texas Southwestern Medi-
He was the first man since New Zealand has had.” mostly lithe athletes who best-conditioned athlete cal Center in 1981, later
1920 to win the 800 and Snell was coached by Ar- vied for world supremacy of his time.” becoming director of the
1,500 at the same Olym- thur Lydiard, an innovator over the mile. Snell’s wife, Miki, said he university’s Human Perfor-
pics. No male athlete has who was regarded as one His stride was so powerful died suddenly at his home mance Center.
done so since. of the world’s finest coach- he often scarred the tracks in Dallas around noon on Snell was knighted by New
Snell also won two Com- es of middle and long dis- on which he ran, kicking up Thursday. He had been suf- Zealand in 2009. A statue in
monwealth Games gold tance athletes. Lydiard also puffs of debris, especially fering from a heart ailment his honor stands at Cooks
medals in the 880 yards coached Murray Halberg on grass or cinder tracks. and required a pacemaker Gardens, Whanganui, near
and mile at Perth in 1962. to win the 5,000 meters at Lydiard’s training — based for several years. his birthplace of Opunake,
He twice held the mile world Rome in 1960. on massive mileage mostly Snell’s athletics career was where he broke the mile
record, and held world re- Snell was the best miler of on the road rather than the relatively short. He retired in world record for the first
cords in the 800 meters, 880 his generation, at a time track — gave him enor- 1965 to pursue educational time in 1962.q