Terence Crawford faced a selection of top-level competitors throughout his career, but there was one man whom trainer Brian ‘BoMac’ McIntyre identified as a genuine threat to his charge’s supremacy.
As a three-division undisputed champion, it is fair to say that ‘Bud’ never swerved a formidable challenge, even if it meant putting himself at a considerable disadvantage.
His showdown with Canelo Alvarez, for instance, saw the extraordinary technician move up two weight classes and dethrone the Mexican with a remarkable unanimous decision victory last September.
Equally, many felt Crawford was a clear underdog ahead of his 2023 clash with Errol Spence Jr, only for him to score a ruthless ninth-round finish to unify all four major welterweight titles.
According to long-time head coach ‘BoMac’, though, Crawford came closest to suffering his only professional defeat in 2019, six years before retiring from the sport.
Back then, the American was defending his WBO welterweight title against Egidijus Kavaliauskas, otherwise known as ‘Mean Machine’, who was not only unbeaten but also boasted an impressive knockout-to-win ratio.
Speaking with Front Page Podcast, McIntyre credits Kavaliauskas for forcing Crawford to change his tack after round three, when ‘Bud’ climbed off the canvas following what was ruled a no-knockdown.
“That motherf**ker just kept coming and coming. He wouldn’t stop. The first couple of rounds, he just had Bud’s number, because he would punch before Bud and would punch after Bud.
“It was like, ‘Damn, dog – you [Crawford] need to pick it up’.”
In the end, Crawford managed to secure a ninth-round finish over Kavaliauskas, but was made to dive deep into his tool bag to emerge triumphant. The pound-for-pound star later said ‘Mean Machine’ was one of the hardest punchers he faced.
