Terence Crawford to receive Omaha sendoff ahead of superfight

Terence Crawford’s pride in hailing from Omaha, Nebraska, is a powerful influence, a source he plans to summon from next week when he breaks training camp and leaves for Las Vegas.

Four-division champion Crawford, 41-0 (31 KOs), will be honored by the community and a wealth of dignitaries August 29 at Omaha’s Stinson Park and Aksarben Village as he heads to the biggest fight in a decade, the September 13 undisputed super middleweight title fight against fellow four-division champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez at Allegiant Stadium.

Crawford, who often wears a Nebraska ballcap, will be sent off by Cornhuskers football coach Matt Rhule; the popular professional volleyball team, the Omaha Supernovas; and his gym mates and undercard fighters Lester Martinez and Steven Nelson during the 6 p.m. CT event.

Crawford, 37, has brought seven world title defenses back to Nebraska during his career, and typically bases his training camp under 2023 Trainer of the Year Brian “Bomac” McIntyre in Omaha.

As he seeks to move up two weight classes to meet Mexico’s Alvarez, Crawford has spent the majority of his camp in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

The event will certainly touch on Crawford’s underdog status in the bout versus the granite-chinned Alvarez, but Crawford has made a career of drawing inspiration from the various chips on his shoulder, and his skill and two-handed power punching ability has many experts picking him to win the Netflix-streamed main event.

Crawford has spent recent weeks sequestered in camp, with his representatives informing media members that the camp is closed to visitors.

Thus, his Stinson Park comments to loyalists will provide the first public statements he has made about the fight and his confidence in bringing home all four 168lbs belts.

Lance Pugmire is BoxingScene’s senior U.S. writer and an assistant producer for ProBox TV. Pugmire has covered boxing since the early 2000s, first at the Los Angeles Times and then at The Athletic and USA Today. He won the Boxing Writers’ Association of America’s Nat Fleischer Award in 2022 for career excellence.