Who Wins and How? Crawford vs. Khan

Who wins and how?

Terence Crawford is deemed to be the first or second best fighter on this or any other planet, and most folks are seeing him getting the W, yet again, probably in conclusive fashion, against the popular but not impregnable Brit Amir Khan.

I asked the NYF Squad what they think…who wins, and how do they do it?

Have at it, crew…

“Khan is going to try establishing the jab early while using speed and distance as defense,” says Abe Gonzalez. “Crawford will analyze, gauge the speed and try different looks (covential and southpaw) to see what works best. We will probably see Crawford switch more to the southpaw stance around the fourth round as he gains more confidence. Khan will get his punches off but around the fifth round is where the tide will begin turning as Crawford will begin to figure him out. Look for a stoppage around the eighth round. Crawford by eighth round TKO. Follow me on Twitter @abeg718 and the @nyfights Instagram page as I post pics and vids of SoCal fights. You can also read my ringside recaps on nyfights.com.”

John Gatling weighed in…”These are incendiary times of political/ideological and religious/spiritual divide, so when these two unite on Saturday night at Madison Square Garden, I'm expecting the world's most famous arena to be lit on fire. And after the smoke from the inferno clears, WBO welterweight champion Terence “Bud” Crawford will still be in a three tiered discussion for world's best fighter. Everytime I've wanted to believe in Amir Khan, he's turned into [a mere con]. Sure, he's unbeaten at 147, but it's the way he's been beaten, points north and south, that makes me believe Bud will put him in the middle of nowhere in the mid rounds. Despite a wizard in Vigril Hunter in the corner, Bo-Mac knows the Khan weakness of mental focus will surface at some point. Top Rank and “The Bobfather” will probably have eyes on Danny “Swift” Garcia (look for DSG to eventually destroy a game Adrian Granados) out west, to set up a meeting back east with PBC boss Al Haymon about Crawford Vs. Garcia. DSG would still matter if Khan somehow fulfilled generational talent and upset Crawford, so Bob Arum would still have to put Haymon on speed dial regardless to discuss what would be a most intriguing rematch. That said, the pick here is Crawford, who's basically a modern take of an irascible Pernell “Sweet Pea” Whitaker, via scintillating 8th round KO.”

What sayeth you, Kelsey McCarson? “Crawford is one of the best all-around fighters on planet earth. In my estimation, he should be ranked No. 1 on pound-for-pound lists because he's already won two lineal championships at 135 and 140, and might be on his way to winning a third at 147. Khan, on the other hand, has never been as elite as he tries to be, so once the bell rings on fight night he'll find himself in really deep waters against a really scary shark. Crawford by late stoppage is my pick. You can read more info about the odds, picks and best bets in my Crawford vs Khan preview for Gambling.com.”

“Terrence Crawford is going to crush Khan,” says David Phillips. “I honestly don't take this fight all that seriously. I give Khan credit for pumping it up like a champ. I thought it was hilarious that he tweeted he had a record of 8-3 in big fights. Which, while far from terrible, isn't exactly a dominant argument for his chances of beating a P4P contender like Bud. He's lost three of his last ten fights. Twice getting flattened. His best career win – and it's a good one – is over Marcos Maidana. As good as Maidana was EIGHT YEARS AGO, he's no Bud Crawford. Crawford puts Khan on his back in the 4th. At no time will Crawford be bothered in the least. I do look forward to Khan's post-fight tweets. We could all use a laugh these days.