Crawford vs Khan Boxing : Pay-per-view undercard finalized


Posted March 28, 2019 by hattieknight

Crawford vs Khan takes place on Saturday April 20 at New York’s famed Madison Square Garden

 
Amir “King” Khan says he’s confident he’ll upset WBO welterweight champion Terence “Bud” Crawford when they clash for the world title on April 20 at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

Two top prospects and a rehabbing young fighter will be featured. April 20 ESPN pay-per-view undercard beneath the Terence Crawford vs Amir Khan main event at Madison Square Garden.

As previously discussed, lightweight prospect Teofimo Lopez will face former European champion Edis Tatli, and featherweight prospect Shakur Stevenson will face former world title challenger Christopher Diaz. Both are respectable next steps for the two budding young stars.

The opener on the pay-per-view will feature Puerto Rican lightweight Felix Verdejo (24-1, 16 KO), a guy who was once thought to be a potential future superstar himself, but through various setbacks and some questions about his drive, has sort of fallen by the wayside at age 25.

Verdejo was dropped and stopped by Antonio Lozada Jr in a fight on St. Patrick’s Day 2018, and had somewhat labored through some prior performances, albeit in winning efforts. He turned in November with a second round knockout of journeyman Yardley Armenta Cruz.

On April 20, he’ll face a tougher test again in 31-year-old veteran Bryan Vasquez (37-3, 20 KO). Vasquez is a former interim titleholder at 130 and challenged Takashi Uchiyama in 2012, losing via eighth round TKO. His other losses have come via decision to Javier Fortuna and Ray Beltran.

Vasquez is no world-beater, but he’s a quality fighter and good enough to seriously challenge or even beat the Verdejo we’ve seen on various nights.

Lopez, Stevenson join Crawford-Khan undercard

Lightweight Teofimo Lopez and featherweight Shakur Stevenson, 2016 Olympians and two of boxing's elite prospects, will each step up their competition level in their biggest fights to date in televised bouts on the Terence Crawford-Amir Khan undercard, Top Rank announced Tuesday.

Lopez, the 2018 ESPN prospect of the year, will take on former world title challenger and former European champion Edis Tatli in 10-round fight and Stevenson will meet former world title challenger Christopher "Pitufo" Diaz in a 10-rounder on the card headlined by the Crawford-Khan welterweight world title bout on April 20 (ESPN PPV, 9 p.m. ET) at Madison Square Garden in New York.

In the opening fight of the pay-per-view, lightweight Felix Verdejo, a one-time prospect looking to regain his stature, will face Bryan Vasquez in a 10-round fight. "Shakur Stevenson and Teofimo Lopez are two of the brightest young lights in boxing and are facing seasoned opponents in Diaz and Tatli," Top Rank chairman Bob Arum said. "Felix Verdejo is on the comeback trail, and Bryan Vasquez is a tough veteran who won't give in."

Lopez (12-0, 10 KOs), 21, of Las Vegas, has put on one electrifying performance after another, including in his previous two fights against opponents who were supposed to be an upgrade in competition in former world title challenger Diego Magdaleno on Feb. 2 and Mason Menard in December.

Lopez blew both away in violent knockout wins and expects to do the same when he returns to fight in New York, where he was born.

"Every time I fight in my hometown, I take over the show, and that's what I plan on doing again," Lopez said. "This is the year I become a world champion, and whoever stands in my way is going to get knocked out. If you think you've seen the best version of Teofimo Lopez, think again. 'The Takeover' is coming to Madison Square Garden and ESPN pay-per-view.

"One thing I know for sure: Tatli will be dancing with the real star of 'The Takeover' on April 20. This ain't reality TV. This is a real fight."

Tatli (31-2, 10 KOs), 31, of Finland, has never been stopped, losing only by majority decision in a lightweight world title bout to Richar Abril in 2014 and by split decision to Francesco Patera in a 2017 European lightweight title bout. Tatli, who owns wins over contender Yvan Mendy and former junior lightweight world titlist Mzonke Fana, has won two fights in a row since, including an immediate rematch with Patera to avenge the loss and regain the European title.

https://crawfordvskhan.com/
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Last Updated March 28, 2019