Terence Crawford Takes On Egis Kavaliauskas: Can The “Mean Machine” Become The Dream Machine?
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By Anthony “Zute” George
Top Rank Boxing is front and center this December weekend, as they are featuring a fantastic night of championship fights Saturday at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The main event features Terence Crawford against Egis “The Mean Machine” Kavliauskas for the WBO welterweight championship. Many boxing fans and pundits feel Crawford is on the very short list of best boxers in the world today. Aside from being undefeated, Crawford has lost very few rounds since turning professional in 2008. He is indeed a gargantuan favorite to win Saturday night. Many people believe it is just a matter of how Terence will win, rather than if he will win.
The man who plans to throw a stick of dynamite into that field of logic is Egis Kavaliauskas. Besides greatly changeling the method of phonics, Egis possesses impressive punching power in both hands. Will heavy hands be enough to beat a fighter the caliber of Crawford? Well, in a year of major upsets and huge surprises, be careful how you answer that question.
When Mean Machine received the news about his first championship fight, being careful was not on his mind. Instead, total elation is what he felt, “I was waiting for my title shot for a long time. It is finally here,” Egis told Ringside Report. With that said, Mean Machine understands what he is up against Saturday night, and knows that feelings of joy will not be enough to pull of the monumental upset, “Crawford has proved he is one of the best, but I want to be in that spot too, so I need to beat the best.”
For that to happen, Egis must be the very best version of himself. Yet, even that fighter would be a big underdog against Crawford. This analysis is no slight towards Egis. He is quite simply fighting one of the most impressive talents boxing has ever seen. In a week where we saw the greatest shapeshifter in entertainment pass away, farewell Rene Auberjonois, we see Terence, the greatest shapeshifter who ever laced up the boxing gloves, defends his title. In no way is that a coincidence. And in no way is that an exaggeration. Crawford is one of the few men in the history of pugilism who can adapt to fight any kind style, at any range, and do so from both sides. How do you beat someone like that? The best version of a hard puncher like Mean Machine can indeed provide some answers to that difficult question.
Rather than party and act like a celebrity, Egis has decided to seize the day and increase the intensity in his training approach, “We have worked very hard for five months and have sparred lots of guys with different styles. We sparred for fifteen rounds in this camp (to help be prepared for his first 12-round fight),” Egis explained.
Saturday night, we will see who’s 0 will go.
Stay tuned…
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