Terence “Bud” Crawford defeats Felix Diaz at The Garden

Sat, May 20 - 10:15 ET/PT
Terence “Bud” Crawford defeats Felix Diaz at The Garden

PREVIEW

Undefeated World Junior Welterweight Champion Terence “Bud” Crawford and No. 3 world-rated contender Felix Diaz announce their 12-round World Title fight.

Promoted by Top Rank®, in association with DiBella Entertainment, Tecate and Madison Square Garden, the Crawford vs. Diaz world championship event will take place on Saturday, May 20, at Madison Square Garden.  It will be televised live on HBO World Championship Boxing®, beginning at 10:15 p.m. ET/PT.

Crawford (30-0, 21 KOs), of Omaha, Neb., already a two-division lineal world champion, has won five of his last seven bouts by stoppage.  The consensus Top-Five pound-for-pound fighter and 2014 Fighter of the Year will be making his second defense as the unified World Boxing Organization (WBO) / World Boxing Council (WBC) / Ring magazine 140-pound world champion.

Diaz. (19-1, 9 KOs), from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, is a 2008 Olympic gold medalist.  A natural junior welterweight, Diaz has been forced to campaign at welterweight because viable opponents in the in 140-pound division have been running from him.  The only blemish on his record was a disputed 12-round welterweight majority decision loss to two-division world champion Lamont Peterson in 2015.  Diaz bounced back from that loss with a dominant unanimous decision victory over previously undefeated contender Sammy Vasquez.