Terence Crawford (37-0, 28 KOs) says he views his previous opponent Egidijus ‘Mean Machine’ Kavaliauskas and Jose Benavidez Jr as both above Kell Brook (39-3, 27 KOs) after defeating him by a fourth-round knockout last Saturday night in ‘The Bubble’ at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada.
It’s surprising that WBO welterweight champion Crawford, 33, rates Brook below Benavidez and Kavaliauskas, considering this was supposed to be a step up for him.
Brook is a former IBF welterweight champion with a win over Shawn Porter, and he gave Errol Spence Jr and Gennadiy Golovkin a hard time in losing to them. If Crawford is on the level about him viewing Brook as below Benavidez and Kavaliauskas, it doesn’t say much about him.
Crawford went further by saying that he views Brook and Amir Khan to be on the same level talent-wise.
Crawford: Brook isn’t the best I fought at 147
“I can’t rate him the best, no,” said Crawford when asked if Kell Brook is the best he’s fought at 147. “Mean Machine [Egidijus Kavaliauskas] is better than him from my last fight.
“I think [Jose] Benavidez is better than him. Amir Khan was around the same. Jeff Horn was more awkward than anything. So I can’t say he’s the best I’ve ever faced,” said Crawford.
For Brook to be rated below Benavidez and Kavaliauskas, it shows you how much he’s lost from his game due to age, inactivity, and ring wear. If Brook had fought Crawford three to four years ago, he would have an excellent chance of defeating him.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rgET0fbRBl4
But the fragile-chinned Brook that we saw last Saturday night getting taken out in the fourth from a punch that looked like a jab, it was troubling. It was like watching past his prime baseball great Willie Mays muff a simple ground ball hit to him in the outfield in his final game with the New York Mets.
It might be time for Brook to consider retirement. If he’s not as good as Benavidez and Kavaliauskas, neither of which will likely ever capture a world title, it shows you where he’s at this point in his career.
Terence wasn’t awed by Brook’s size
“When you talk about big dudes, and when you look at Jeff Horn. After he fought me, he went up to 160. He’s a big dude,” said Terence Crawford after his fight with Brook.
“And when you look at [Jose] Benavidez, he went up to 154. He’s a big dude. Amir Khan fought Canelo at 154; he’s a big dude. Mean Machine [Egidijus Kavaliauskas], he’s physically a big guy.
“So when everybody says I’m fighting all these big dudes, I don’t see any difference because I’ve been fighting big guys since I came into this division [147].
Brook was bigger and probably stronger than Crawford, but he lacked hand speed and his reach was considerably shorter.
“Of course, I’m considered the number one pound-for-pound fighter in the world,” Crawford said when asked if he deserves to be #1 pound-for-pound.
“Given my size, me moving up two weight classes from 135, and me stopping every opponent I’ve faced at welterweight, that says a lot,” said Crawford.
The pound-for-pound stuff has gone to Crawford’s head, because what really matters the money-making potential. Crawford isn’t the #1 money-maker in the U.S, and he’s arguably nowhere near Teofimo Lopez and Canelo Alvarez in terms of bringing excitement to his fights. Lopez and Canelo are fun to watch due to their explosive offense.
