A world title fight in Omaha, Nebraska may not be the norm, but that's what will take place on Saturday night at the CenturyLink Center as hometown fighter Terence Crawford takes a big step up in competition when he takes on Yuriorkis Gamboa (10 p.m. ET, HBO).
The fighters come in touting identical records of 23-0 with 16 KOs and both have something to prove. Gamboa, once considered a potential pound-for-pound star, has seen his career stall with inactivity. Crawford has risen up the ranks in his last few fights which included wins over notable names like Breidis Prescott and Ricky Burns, but neither of them brings the notoriety a win over Gamboa would.
To add to the build-up, a war of words between the two on Twitter has spiced up this intriguing matchup even more, but Crawford says for him, it has added nothing.
"I was already motivated," Crawford said. "That didn't motivate me more than I already was. The stakes were already high. I'm defending my title for the first time. I'm going to fight my fight no matter what, get the job done, and that's what I plan to do."
That said, he acknowledged the magnitude of this opportunity.
"I think it would do more for me than winning the Ricky Burns fight," Crawdord said. "I feel like this is a fight that's going to turn me over to the next level."
The 26 year-old Crawford describes the last two years as a "roller coaster." He took the fight with Prescott on short notice, but stepped up on a big stage to easily outpoint the Colombian puncher. Since then, his career has been building toward this Saturday night.
"I always asked to get on TV and get on certain fights and they always told me to be patient, your time is coming and when the time came and they called my number and asked me about Prescott, I didn't hesitate to answer," Crawford said. "I was waiting on a reasonable name like that to let everybody know who Terence Crawford is and it's been great since Prescott."
While their records are the same, Gamboa and Crawford have distinctly different styles. Crawford is a slick, athletic boxer while Gamboa is an offensive whirlwind. When he was at his best the "Cyclone of Guantanamo" overwhelmed his opponents with volume.
"I've faced a lot of guys like that," Crawford said. "The thing is, when somebody's punching back, is he going to want to keep coming forward like that?"
It would have been easy for Crawford to not accept his fight with Prescott. It would have been easier for him to take an easy fight for his return home, but that's not how he operates and that is also not how he plans to reach the apex of his sport.
"I grew up like that. You didn't run from any fight. You don't do that and I never have," Crawford said. "They told me about the Gamboa fight and I was all in for it. It's a big opportunity for me, as well."
After fighting just twice in the last two years, many wonder how ready Gamboa will be. Crawford, who plans to move to 140-pounds after this fight, is, always, prepared for anything.
"You can expect a real crisp and sharp Terence Crawford that's ready to get this W."
