Arum: Crawford Back in June/July - Maybe Against Provodnikov

By Miguel Rivera

WBO junior welterweight champion Terence Crawford is going to return on a date in June or July, according to his promoter Bob Arum of Top Rank.

Crawford (28-0, 15KOs) returned on Saturday night at the Theater in New York's Madison Square Garden, with a fifth round stoppage of Hank Lundy. Crawford broke Lundy down, dropping him in the fifth and then finishing him off with a series of combinations against the ropes.

One of the options Arum is considering is the former WBO champion at 140-pounds, Ruslan Provodnikov (25-4, 18KOs). The 'Siberian Rocky' has claimed that Crawford and his camp have been avoiding him. Provodnikov says that he was offered an opponent for Crawford last year and rejected by Top Rank, twice.

Provodnikov last fought in November in Monaco and stopped unbeaten Jesus Rodriguez in six rounds.

"This is the kind of guy who is going better and better in each fight. It's amazing what Crawford shows us," said Arum. "We have several options for him. He could return in June or July and Provodnikov is one of our options."

Arum wants to build Crawford to a pay-per-view fight in the fall. The only pay-per-view option that makes sense is eight division world champion Manny Pacquiao, but that fights will depend on Pacquiao's ability to defeat Timothy Bradley in their scheduled trilogy fight on April 9th. Pacquiao has also claimed that his upcoming fight will be his last before a planned retirement to pursue a political career. If he intends to continue fighting, Arum has already gone on record with his intention to match him against Crawford.