I’m the last man to beat Terence Crawford, here’s how I did it

Terence Crawford has never tasted defeat as a professional, but he is familiar with the gutwrenching feeling from his amateur days.

Before embarking on a 42-0 pro career that has seen him rise to the top of the sport, Crawford fought 70 times in the unpaid ranks, losing on 12 occasions.

The last of those defeats came in his final outing in the vest against Miguel ‘Silky Smooth’ Gonzalez at the US Olympic trials in Houston back in August 2007.

JUST IN: Controversial Rule Tyson Fury May Be Forced to Follow if AJ Fight Goes Ahead

Crawford had already beaten Gonzalez twice in October 2006 and June 2007.

But when they met for a third time, Gonzalez exacted his revenge, outpointing Crawford by a margin of 32–23.

Explaining how he did it during a recent appearance on the Porter’s Way Podcast with Shawn Porter, Gonzalez said: “You’ve got to punch with Crawford, you’ve got to counter him while punching with him.

“You have got to bang the body and stay on top of Crawford. Fight him in that phone booth if you can.

“As I remember, that is exactly what I did… What tripped me out was that he got low in the ring; he cut his height down.

“I had a field day with that. He should have stayed tall. I stayed on his chest.

“What I always thought about Crawford was that he is easily taken out of his fight.

“Maybe he fought his fight, but I thought he fought my fight.

“With Bud, you can easily get him to fight you. In all of Bud’s fights, Bud fights you. If you catch him, he wants to catch you back.

“Bud doesn’t run from anybody, and that is where I felt I had the upper hand in our competition.”

Gonzalez eventually had his Olympic dream shattered by Sadam Ali, who went on to represent the United States at the 2008 Beijing Games.

One year later, both Crawford and Gonzalez turned over as professionals to differing levels of success.

What did Miguel Gonzalez and Terence Crawford achieve as professionals?

While Crawford went on to become the first three-weight undisputed champion of the four-belt era, Gonzalez never fought for a world title.

In 2014, when Crawford broke out onto the world stage by dethroning WBO lightweight king Ricky Burns in Scotland, Gonzalez lost to the unheralded Fernando Carcamo.

After competing just twice in five years, Gonzalez hung up his gloves in 2019 with a 25-4 record, having never taken a step above North American level.

While he doesn’t measure up to Crawford’s résumé, ‘Silky Smooth’ will forever remain a footnote in the future Hall of Famer’s story.

“It’s mixed emotions,” added Gonzalez, of being mostly remembered for his amateur win over Crawford.

“I wish I was the guy who is on top at the moment, but unfortunately, that didn’t happen.

“I’m great with the victory, and I’m great with my past with Bud Crawford.

“I take my hat off to him and his career, but he and I know what is going on when we are in that ring.

“As long as he keeps winning, I am that man.”