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“Terence Crawford may be the most scientifically prepared boxer in the history of the sport”

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LOS ANGELES – What is known and seen about Terence Crawford as a boxer is spectacular.

One of only two lively dual undisputed world champions. The ability to throw punches and powerful two-handed strikes. Forty fights, 40 wins, 31 knockouts. And a hell of a mean streak that fuels his desire to finish off wounded opponents.

Now in his 35s, the 36-year-old Crawford has made it his mission to keep his fitness levels up to par, working with fitness and supplementation expert Victor Conte for his last three fights to take his preparation to the next level.

As Crawford now moves up a weight class ahead of Saturday’s World Boxing Association junior middleweight title fight against modern champion Israil Madrimov of Uzbekistan at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles (DAZN, PPV.com), his physical condition and conditioning are key elements he will rely on as he attempts to extend his legacy.

From what Conte says, the results are excellent.

“Since I’ve been working with Terence – and this is the third fight – based on the data and the blood work we’ve collected, this is the best shape we’ve ever seen him in,” Conte said. “I would classify it as superhuman.”

Maintaining his connection with Conte, Crawford trains in the rarefied altitudes of Colorado Springs, Colo., at 6,700 feet above sea level. The impact of that training is evident in the excellent conditioning Crawford has long displayed, defeating champions including Errol Spence Jr., Shawn Porter, Kell Brook and others.

Crawford set up camp in Colorado Springs on July 25, leaving for his hometown in Nebraska before arriving in Los Angeles earlier this week.

Returning to sea level changes an athlete’s body, Conte says, making some of their fitness readings “loud and misleading.” So this week, scientists worked to bring water levels back up to those seen in Colorado.

“You hit the rebound and your (numbers and efficiency) go back up to 8, 9, 10, 11… all the benefits of his training in Colorado Springs to get to the peak (of efficiency). Everything was planned perfectly,” Conte said. “He will get the maximum benefit.”

Conte said that during Crawford’s time in Los Angeles, Crawford was fitted with something called an “oxygen mask” that allows him to achieve what Conte calls super-oxygenation.

It would be best if Conte explained the scientific process.

“So you’re breathing 20.9 percent oxygen when you breathe at sea level. Terence is breathing, through an open mask, 68 percent oxygen,” Conte said. “What happens is that your red blood cells have hemoglobin, which is like the seats on a bus. You fill them up, and that transports nutrients and oxygen to your muscle tissue. Your blood is 55 percent plasma or liquid and 45 percent red blood cells. So when you fill all the seats with oxygen from the red blood cells, it spills over into some of the plasma and some of the liquid – that’s called super-oxygenation.”

“So if you ask, ‘Where are you going to take him to get him higher than sea level to recover?’ Well, you’re going to do that with equipment.”

Conte has worked challenging to resurrect his career after federal law enforcement raided his infamous Bay Area steroid-producing facility, BALCO, 21 years ago, where athletes including Olympic sprinters Marion Jones and Tim Montgomery, boxing champion Shane Mosley, baseball king Barry Bonds and others were among its clients.

After serving four months in a low-security federal prison, Conte began a modern chapter in his life by launching a modern line of legal fitness, sleep and recovery supplements under the banner of his modern, wildly successful company, SNAC, which has ties to several former, current and recent boxing champions, including Devin Haney, Demetrius Andrade and Claressa Shields.

With superoxygenation, Conte says Crawford “has the most powerful concentrated oxygen package possible in his (hotel) room.” The “oxygen mask” is equipped with a diffuser, Conte explains, that takes the richer oxygen and “injects it into his nostril and mouth. You take in 68 percent of the oxygen and you exhale waste products—lactic acid, ammonia, carbon dioxide. We flush those waste products out of his system.”

At Thursday’s press conference, Crawford spoke about his excellent physical condition.

“I feel like I’m going to be stronger. I’m going to be full of energy. I won’t have to lose another seven pounds, so there’s less stress on my body,” Crawford said. “I’m ready. I’m going to feel great. Right now, I feel good.”

The surprising effects of Crawford’s preparation were observed in blood tests and lively marker sensors on Crawford, which measured his heart rate, blood flow rate, respiratory rate, hydration, and blood oxygen saturation.

Crawford’s heart rate is one-third slower than the average person, and his resting respiratory rate is extremely impressive.

“I like how tranquil he is, I’ve never seen him so relaxed,” Conte said. “When he comes back between rounds, his heart rate drops very quickly. Every time he comes out, he’s fresh. He’s a very scientifically prepared boxer.

“The key is training and recovery, and you have to make sure you have the right amount of time to recover. It all comes from those metrics… we’re putting science into it. It’s not old-school boxing.”

Conte assured that Crawford’s weight cut ahead of Friday morning’s weigh-ins will be uncomplicated.

“It’s like a perfect landing of a 747 … the easiest cut it’s ever made. That’s what science does … we’ll land perfectly on that scale,” Conte said.

“Terence is probably the most scientifically prepared boxer in the history of the sport.”

His experience will be imperative if Crawford finishes his preparations with an impressive win over Madrimov, which would augment the likelihood of a later clash with undisputed super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez.

Conte claims Crawford can reach 168 pounds in three months.

“They would need three months to promote the fight, so there’s plenty of time for that,” Conte said. “He’s got a team of very bright people around him, increasing the calories and all that…

“… You can develop fast-twitch type 2B muscle fibers. That’s where explosive power and speed come from, not from running tempo. That’s interval training and weightlifting.”

First up is Madrimov.

“That’s his (Canelo) plan, but now that’s the whole push,” Conte said. “You don’t talk about Step B until you beat Step A.

“Trust me, Terence is the boss. He gives me the freedom to do things. He’s a very bright guy who understands how things work and is fully committed. It was great to work with him because he listens, he understands, he’s clever.”

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Boxing

Tyson’s conqueror, Danny Williams, was “never considered” for Morrison

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Kenzie Morrison Danny Williams

World Boxing News has learned that Danny Williams was never considered for a fight against Tommy Morrison’s son Kenzie on November 9.

WBN has learned from a source that Williams was scheduled to face Morrison next month when he returns to action at Firelake Arena in Shawnee. However, promoter Tony Holden confirmed what WBN initially reported, namely that Williams had been offered for the fight.

BoxRec also briefly placed Williams within Morrison’s record on November 9, before removing the former British champion. Williams famously knocked out Mike Tyson in 2004, but has since lived off his victory despite losing his British license more than a decade ago.

Holden, who represents Morrison and is looking for an opponent for the competition in three weeks, explained the situation exclusively to WBN.

“I never confirmed William’s story and I never considered him,” Holden said. “I said no when a local promoter suggested it.”

Williams, 51, last fought in August 202, losing for the 33rd time in his career. With 88 professional fights under his belt, Williams seems unable to turn down a payday despite his advanced age.

Morrison, a power puncher who has stopped 19 of his 21 wins, will look for his next conquest elsewhere. The fight with Mike Balogun remains on the table for 2025 after it was postponed from its original October date.

Balogun, who knocked out Kenzi’s brother Trey in the first round, claimed Morrison was pulled from the fight to spare him the loss.

Holden denies this view.

“Even though this post isn’t up to my standards, I’m going to write it anyway. Mike Balogun falsely claimed that I pulled Kenzie Morrison out of the fight because I was afraid he would lose. Please allow me to correct you, Mr. Balogun,” he stated.

“The decision was not made by Kenzie. Let’s raise the stakes and make it fascinating. If you emerge victorious this month, Kenzie will fight in November.

“We may decide this early next year. If your confidence remains unshaken, we can place a significant bet. Watch Kenzie take revenge on her brother and end your career.

Balogun, a former San Francisco 49ers linebacker, responded to Holden by increasing his salary for a potential collision next year.

“No matter how fair and honorable your decision was, just remember that ‘yesterday’s price is not today’s price,’” said the 2010 undrafted pick.

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Andrew Moloney is confident that if given the chance, he would have beaten Phumelele Cafu and Kosei Tanaka

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Andrew Moloney (left) attacks Pedro Guevara – photo: Mikey Williams/Top Rank

Few people were more disappointed than Andrew Moloney when Kosei Tanaka lost his WBO super flyweight belt to Phumelele Cafu at the Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan on Monday night.

The 33-year-old Australian veteran was hoping to get a shot at beating Tanaka in the lucrative Japanese market.

Those dreams were dashed when South Africa’s Cafu delivered the performance of his life, knocking out Tanaka in the fifth round and finishing the fight strongly, beating the four-weight world champion by split decision.

“The plan was to target the WBO and really chase the Tanaka fight, but it all fell apart on Monday night,” Moloney (26-4-1NC, 16 KO) told The Ring. “I think the WBO is probably still the direction we go, but I’m not sure if they have a rematch clause or if Tanaka will take it. But after watching the fight yesterday, I would be really confident that I could fight one of these guys and win. We would like to follow this path.

“I would love to fight Tanaka in Japan as a four-division world champion. He’s definitely someone I’ve looked up to and wanted to fight for a long time.

“Last night was a little hard to watch. The way he performed, I’m more confident than ever that I have what it takes to beat Tanaka.

I assume there will be a rematch and I hope that Tanaka will regain the belt and I will be able to return to the ring and climb the rankings, and maybe this fight will still happen.

Tanaka entered Moloney’s orbit four years ago when he debuted at 115 pounds. Earlier this year, it looked like they were also on a collision course, with Moloney being number one in the WBO rankings. However, when an offer was made for the vacant IBF lightweight title fight between Vasily Lomachenko and George Kambosos Jr. in May in Perth, Western Australia, Moloney felt he couldn’t turn her down.

This decision ended in disaster. Moloney faced Carlos Cuadras, who withdrew from the fight with a ruptured Achilles tendon and was replaced by Pedro Guevara. Moloney entered the fight with a torn bicep and was largely reduced to boxing with one hand, which circumscribed his punching power.

Still, Moloney felt he did more than enough to win, and was shocked when Guevara was declared the winner by split decision. He was so disappointed that he announced immediately after the fight that he was leaving the ring, but a few days later he withdrew these comments.

It was a breakthrough moment in his career.

“Looking back, it’s a wonderful thing, but watching the Tanaka-Cafu fight made me think that maybe I would do a lot of things if I could turn back time a little bit,” Moloney explained.

“Before my last fight, I was number one in the WBO rankings and I rejected the option of waiting to fight Tanaka. But the opportunity arose to fight Guevara in Australia for the interim WBC title on a major card, and to be candid, I kind of regretted that the Tanaka fight was hanging in the balance, but ultimately we decided to stay busy and take the opportunity to fight in Australia.

“Also, the injury before the fight was another thing I thought about: will I undergo surgery, keep the top spot and wait for Tanaka, but I made the decision to go ahead with the fight with Guevara. Looking back now, maybe it wasn’t the smartest thing to do. And looking at the way Tanaka fought last night, I thought maybe I should have waited. I’m sure I could beat Tanaka and take the belt away from him.

“So I take some consolation, but unfortunately you can’t turn back time.”

It’s been a frustrating year for Moloney, but he’s still hitting the gym and his team is working to get him another fight. The window of opportunity to box again this year is closing quickly, but he still hopes to return to the ring in December, most likely in his native Australia.

“I really hope so,” he said. “That’s what I’ve been working on. I have been training strenuous at the gym for some time, quite a few months. I hope to return before the end of the year.

“At this stage it will probably be December. I’m trying to block something, but so far no luck. I’m still training away as if the fight was to take place in December, the team is currently working on it and I’m keeping my fingers crossed that we’ll be able to finish it.

“I just hope we can get out before the end of the year, get back into the winner’s circle and start climbing the rankings again.”

Moloney, who fought at bantamweight for the first three years of his professional career before dropping down to super flyweight, surprisingly, said he would even consider moving up to another weight class given the right opportunity.

“It’s a tough time in the super flyweight division,” said Moloney, the eighth challenger to The Ring’s 115-pound title. “There’s a lot going on and it’s always strenuous to plan which route to take because everything changes so quickly. I’d pick Bam Rodriguez to beat Guevara, then there’s talk of a rematch between Kazuto Ioka and Fernando Martinez on Up-to-date Year’s Eve. And then there’s talk of Bama, if they win, fighting the winner of that game in unification. The WBO seems to me the fastest way to win the title, so that’s the path we will follow.

“We have also rejected for some time the idea of ​​moving up to flyweight and getting crack there. There’s also some engaging scene going on there right now, but it’s still uncertain. I’d probably feel a little better at super flyweight, but we’ll have to wait and see what happens with Cafu and Tanaka, but like I said, I’d feel comfortable and confident against either of them, so hopefully he can make it it will happen sooner rather than later.”

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Doubts that fuel 19-year-old Benjamin Johnson

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Despite an impressive amateur resume, welterweight Benjamin Johnson of Springdale, Maryland, enters the professional ring with a shoulder injury.

Johnson will face Kevin Pantoja in a four-round fight at Rosecroft Raceway in Fort Washington, Maryland, promoted by his trainer Lamont Roach Snr’s NoXcuses Promotions. The fight will be broadcast on Saturday on ProBox TV.

Johnson, 1-0 (1 KO), spent just 2:23 in the ring in his professional debut, displaying the quick, aggressive hands that won him multiple national titles. However, 19-year-old Johnson feels an advantage, believing he is being overlooked by his NoXcuses Boxing Gym teammates.

Pantoja, 1-1, 27, has never stopped being a professional – Johnson aims to change that.

“People underestimate me,” Johnson said. “It’s been like that since I was an amateur.”

He added that this underestimation increases his motivation in the gym. Johnson is determined to prove his worth not only to himself, but also to those who doubt him or, worse, don’t recognize him. “I never felt like I was recognized as that guy, so I feel like I’m underappreciated,” Johnson said of his amateur and now professional career.

Johnson sees the fight as a key step in his career, compared to feared forward David Benavidez by some teammates and touted by others as one of the most ready-to-fight prospects in the country.

“I train as much as I can,” Johnson said. “It’s about making a statement. The way you win shows people what you’re capable of, and I’m ready to show my best.

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