By Dan Ambrose: After toiling hard for the past 10 years, 32-year-old Henry “Hank” Lundy (26-5-1, 13 KOs) will finally be getting a shot at a world title. That’s the good news. The bad news is Lundy will be fighting WBO light welterweight champion Terence “Bud” Crawford (27-0, 19 KOs) on February 27th on HBO Championship Boxing from Madison Square Garden in New York.
Lundy is facing what some fans feel is the best fighter in the 140lb division in the 28-year-old Crawford. I’m sure WBC and WBA champions Viktor Postol and Adrien Broner would have something to say about that, as they both believe they are the best fighters in the 140lb division.
Never the less, it’s not likely that we’re going to be seeing Postol and Broner facing Crawford in order to find out who the really is the best fighter is in the light welterweight division.
Since that’s not going to happen anytime soon, boxing fans are rightfully so going to consider Crawford as the best guy in the division.
Lundy says he’s going to KO Crawford on 2/27. If that were to happen, it would be a huge upset because almost no one is giving Lundy any chance in this fight.
“I’m telling Crawford: ‘You’re coming to the east coast. You’re coming into my backyard. I’m coming here to knock you out. I’m going to give you everything you’re looking for,” Lundy said.
Lundy was selected for the fight with Crawford because he was the best opponent that was available at the time and interested in taking the fight. Crawford doesn’t have too many takers right now, and he’s finding himself in a similar position as interim WBA heavyweight champion Luis “The Real King Kong” Ortiz, who doesn’t have the best guys in the division showing much interest in facing him.
Lundy had the courage and ambition to take the fight with Crawford, because he feels that the risk is worth it because he feels he can beat the Top Rank promoted fighter. Lundy has lost 2 out of his last 3 fights, unfortunately. That would suggest that he doesn’t have much of a chance to pull off an upset on February 27 to take Crawford’s WBO 140lb title back home to him.
Crawford does have flaws though, and he clearly belongs in the 140lb division, not at 147 or goodness knows at 154. He’s too slender, too weak and not sturdy enough to fight at welterweight and junior middleweight. Those guys would likely chop Crawford apart if he moved up in weight and tried to fight guys like Keith Thurman or Jermall Charlo. The fights wouldn’t likely happen anyway due to Crawford being with Top Rank, and those fighters being managed by Al Haymon.
Crawford is a good defensive fighter, but all of his recent opponents have had little problems landing their power shots against him. Crawford has fought a way to win all of his fights, but he’s definitely there to be hit, even when he’s fighting defensively.
Lundy won his last fight in defeating Carlos Winston Velasquez by a 5th round knockout last October to end his 2-fight losing streak.
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