Eaton Thatcher
- Terence Crawford and Jose Benavidez meet on October 13th at the CHI Health Center in Omaha, Nebraska for a welterweight title fight
- Both undefeated, Crawford is considered one of the best fighters in the world while Benavidez is a hot, young prospect
- Terence Crawford defends his WBO welterweight title in front of a home crowd
José Benavidez (27-0, 18 KOS) has been calling out Terence Crawford (33-0, 24 KOs) for some time. Now he finally gets his shot. Crawford just renewed his contract with Top Rank, and the promotion matched the two undefeated welterweights to celebrate the new deal.
Crawford is considered by many to be the top pound-for-pound boxer in the world, and Benavidez is undeniably one of the hottest prospects at 147 lbs. Neither fighter has experienced defeat in their professional careers, but that’s set to change on October 13th.
Fight Odds: Terence Crawford vs José Benavidez
| Fighter | Odds to Win at Bovada |
| Terence Crawford | -1500 |
| José Benavidez | +775 |
All odds are available at Bovada.
Let’s focus on Benavidez’ chances. If there’s even a slight chance he’ll pull one over Crawford, then there’s great value in picking him at +775. We all know how good Crawford is, but the -1500 odds offer very slim returns. Here are a few factors to consider.
Undefeated But Also Untested
The first thing to note is the undefeated record next to Benavidez’ name. 27-0 may seem impressive, but there’s a lot of padding in those numbers. Benavidez fought nine times in 2010, his debut year, and finished every opponent within three rounds. Then he fought seven times in 2011, comfortably winning all those fights as well. He amassed a record of 16-0 within just two years, fighting a bunch of nobodies.
The opponents afterwards were of a similar caliber. His only noteworthy opponent to date is Mauricio Herrera, who he defeated in a very controversial decision victory. Almost everyone scored the fight in favor of Herrera, except the three judges.
Benavidez hasn’t been properly tested in 27 pro fights, and now he’s being thrown against arguably the best boxer in the world. It’s a fight the 26-year-old has been asking for, but it’s interesting that his team would choose to put his undefeated record on the line for such a lopsided fight.
Top Rank spent so much effort padding his record, only to risk it all on a fight where he faces +775 odds? Call me cynical, but it seems Bob Arum is using Benavidez as cannon fodder to build up Crawford.
Crawford vs Benavidez Tale of the Tape
| Terence Crawford | FIGHTER | José Benavidez |
| 33-0 | RECORD | 27-0 |
| 24 | KNOCKOUTS | 18 |
| 5 ft 8 in | HEIGHT | 5 ft 10 in |
| 70 in | REACH | 74 in |
| 31 | AGE | 26 |
Still A Work in Progress
Top Rank signed the young prodigy to a lucrative multi-year contect before he he had even made his professional debut. Deals like that are usually reserved for boxers with abnormally stellar amatuer careers, like Olympic medalists or world champions. Benavidez had none of that. All he had was a ton of untapped potential.
Don’t get me wrong, Benavidez is an extremely talented fighter. He’s got a great jab and has wreaked havoc against lesser opponents. But he’s still got a long way to go. He can be a little reckless when he throws heavy looping punches, which Crawford will masterfully exploit, and he doesn’t possess the technical prowess to deal with the creative switch hitting that Crawford is famous for.
Benavidez Has Been Relatively Inactive in Recent Years
Benavidez was shot in 2016 and was forced to put his career on hold for over a year-and-a-half. He returned earlier this year and has since fought twice, but they have both been tune-up fights. This is his first real test since getting back in the ring, and he’s diving straight into the deep end. It really does sound like the youngster is being thrown to the wolves, doesn’t it?
Pick: Terence Crawford (-1500)
José Benavidez may have a bright future ahead of him. But Terence Crawford is too much, too soon for the young prospect. Even at +775, I can’t see any value in backing the underdog.
