Crawford, Top Rank Aim To Repeat The Magic in Omaha

By Jake Donovan

From the moment the night ended with Terence Crawford slaying Yuriorkis Gamboa in the 9th round of their Fight of the Year contender in June, HBO knew the next step was to catch lightning in a bottle.

The night marked the first time in its 40 years in the boxing business that HBO aired a show live from Omaha, Nebraska. The occasion granted Crawford the opportunity to fight in his hometown for the first time in his career, coming three months following his lightweight title-winning effort over Ricky Burns on the road in Glasgow, Scotland.

His hometown fans could not have been more appreciated, with nearly 11,000 pouring into the CenturyLink Center to watch its favorite son come home for a title fight. Those who couldn’t attend made sure to tune win, with the event registering as the highest-rated fight of the year for HBO’s Boxing After Dark series.

All parties involved hope history repeats itself, when Crawford returns to the same venue on November 29th—two days after Thanksgiving—to face top lightweight contender Raymundo Beltran.

“We fell in love with Omaha and more importantly, our subscribers fell in love with Terence Crawford,” HBO’s Peter Nelson noted of the June fight during Tuesday’s press conference in Omaha. “It was a revelatory performance by Terence.”

In addition to establishing himself as the class of the lightweight division, Crawford also proved his drawing power. Tickets were priced moderately with the local audience kept in mind, a formula insisted upon by Crawford’s team to Bob Arum.

The results spoke loudly enough to where the Hall of Fame promoter knew to bear in mind ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.’ Ticket prices mirror those from the June event, ranging from $27 for the upper deck to $127 for ringside seating.

“We made ticket prices really affordable,” Arum noted to the rabid crowd on hand. “It’s great prices for a perfect sports weekend. Friday in Iowa, the (University of Nebraska) Cornhuskers are playing (the Iowa Hawkeyes). It’s on a Friday so it doesn’t affect this show. On Saturday, even for those attending the game, it’s a short drive home from the University of Iowa to attend the fight.”

Crawford (24-0, 17KOs) had only fought once in his home state through seven years as a pro, coming on the undercard of a lightweight title defense by Antonio DeMarco more than three years ago. His placement on the show in Grand Islands, Nebraska drew upwards of 9,000 fans, sending a red alert to his handlers that a homecoming was in order once the occasion seemed proper.

Now fighting for the second straight time at home, Crawford and his team plan to go all in for the event and the holiday season.

“On fight week there will be a turkey giveaway at Terence Crawford's gym, for those who can't afford,” Arum informed the public. “Terence Crawford is showing you don't forget your roots. His story is truly a remarkable one.”

Jake Donovan is the Managing Editor of BoxingScene.com, as well as the Records Keeper for the Transnational Boxing Ratings Board and a member of Boxing Writers Association of America. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox