McIntyre: Khan has no chance against Crawford
Bud Crawford’s trainer is fully confident of an April 20 victory.
Welterweight ace Terence Crawford takes on the best-known foe of his career on April 20, when he fights brave Brit Amir Khan at Madison Square Garden, in Manhattan.
Bud’s trainer is Brian McIntyre, also a Nebraska native, and I chatted up Big Mac on the latest Everlast “Talkbox” (39:27 minutes in), trying to get a better sense of what we are likely to see in NYC.
Does Amir Khan have a chance against Bud on that Top Rank PPV, I asked Mac?
“Uh...no,” the trainer stated. “No. He don’t got a chance to save his life, man. You know that, the world knows that.”
Hey, stranger things have happened, though!
“Definitely that night, not April 20, pick another day and another opponent for Amir Khan for stranger things to happen. But definitely not April 20 against Terence Crawford.”
The tutor continued. He told us that no, at 31, Bud isn’t now prone to taking it easier as he gets older, in case maybe Team Khan is hoping fame is getting to Bud.
“Terence hasn’t changed a bit. The older he gets the more understanding he is of the game. He knows he must stay in the gym, not heavy when there’s no fights coming up, stay in the gym to stay fit, keep the weight down to 160, 161, keep his mind and hands sharp.”
And we are all professionals here — not looking beyond Khan — but if Bud gets the W, what could come next in 2019?
The trainer said post-Khan, they’d like to get a 147 champ from the PBC side of the street in the ring with Crawford.
“I’m confident because they are going to see the type of numbers that Terence is gonna do against Amir Khan, and all they gotta do is sit back and add the math up and they’re gonna realize that’s life changing money Terence is offering to fight him,” McIntyre said. “And those guys gonna sit down and think about it. If they believe in themselves and they feel like they got a chance of beating Terence and getting his spot and getting his title then let’s go, man, let’s try to make somethin’ happen!”
So, does he get an inkling that one or the other PBC guy would be willing? He thinks Errol Spence Jr and Keith Thurman would maybe take the plunge, McIntyre related.
Hear more from McIntyre about how many times Bud will likely fight again and when he’d fight after the April tango. Also, who is on the April 20 undercard? And also, Mac tells me his prediction for April 20, Crawford vs Khan.
--Michael Woods, a Park Slope, Brooklyn resident, was a staff writer at NY Newsday, before joining ESPN The Magazine (2003-2014). He calls fights for Facebook Fightnight Live, which has drawn over 4 million views over a span of 27 events. FNL is back with events on Feb. 22 and Feb. 23 as well.