8C • SUNDAY, JUNE 29, 2014OCRAWFORD VS. GAMBOA MAHA WORLD-HERALD Crawford: Omaha i ghter gets ‘stale taste out of my mouth’ with victory over Gamboa Continued from Page 1 out because he ain’t showed home, he lost a disputed decision guez stopped it after the fourth nothing else but coming out and as an amateur in the fi nals of the knockdown of the bout. The time jumping on his opponents here 2006 National Golden Gloves. was 2:53. and there. We prepared for ev- He’s wanted to come back “Now you all really see who erything he was going to do.” ever since. The fi rst world-title bout Terence Crawford is,” Crawford “I’ve been asking for this all in Omaha in 42 years drew co-manager and head trainer my career, just to get that stale Brian McIntyre said. “He’s got 10,943 fans to the arena. There taste out of my mouth from 2006 heart, will and determination. were 9,863 at the smaller Civic He’s going to get the job done.” Auditorium when heavyweight when I was in the championship Gamboa was an Olympic gold champion “Smokin’ ” Joe Frazier of the Golden Gloves right here medalist for Cuba as an amateur. stopped Ron “The Bluffs Butch- in this building,” he said. “I lost As a professional, he unified er” Stander in May of 1972 in a split decision, 3-2, and I ain’t featherweight championships what was previously the biggest forgot about it since.” and won interim titles at junior bout in the city’s boxing history. While stopping short of prom- Saturday clearly topped it. lightweight and lightweight. ising a return homecoming for Crawford jumped on the corner The Cyclone of Guantanamo Crawford, duBoef said Saturday has been known for his fast ropes and fl exed to the roaring night was like none other he’d hands and suspect chin. Both home crowd after. were a factor in Saturday’s bout, “To get these special moments been a part of early in a champi- which ended in the fi rst defeat and to have an icon come from on’s reign. The only thing close, of his pro career. He fell to 23-1. the city and help us touch those he said, was when a young Floyd Early on, Gamboa’s quickness people, it’s incredible,” said Mayweather went home for a seemed to give the WBO champ Todd duBoef, president of Top title defense. some trouble. The fi ght turned in CHRIS MACHIAN/THE WORLD-HERALD Rank, Crawford’s promoter. “We went to Grand Rapids, the fi fth round, however, when Terence Crawford lands a punch against Yuriorkis Gamboa in the second round at the CenturyLink Center on “For us, this was a magical Michigan, and he sold the place the Cuban missed with a wild Saturday. “We prepared for everything he was going to do,” Crawford said. night — not only that, to have out,” duBoef said. “It was a left hand. Crawford tagged him the performance in the ring live with a powerful counter right his feet at the end of the fi fth, Crawford dropped Gamboa uppercut. up to it. Everybody that bought magical night, except one thing hook, then put him to the canvas yet he continued to trade hard to a knee with a right hand Crawford wasn’t surprised a ticket, I promise you, will buy — the fi ght tonight was 10 times with consecutive left-hand blows with Crawford, even with against the ropes in the eighth. that Gamboa came after him another one.” better.” follows. the champ landing 59 percent And after fl ooring him again in after the initial knockdown. Crawford said the sensa- Contact the writer: After that, the fi re fi ght was on. of his power shots, according to the ninth, the Omahan fi nished “That’s how he fi ghts,” he said. tional victory gave him a bit of 712-325-5756, [email protected] Gamboa was nearly out on CompuBox. the night with a crushing right “I knew he was going to come redemption. In his last bout at twitter.com/BooneOWH CHRIS MACHIAN/THE WORLD-HERALD Terence Crawford fl oors Yuriorkis Gamboa in the ninth round at the CenturyLink Center on Saturday night. Shatel: Risks pay off; Crawford and his town show they’re ready for the big time Continued from Page 1 The crowd was ready to Crawford last night. the next championship fi ght in rumble. And things couldn’t have They will all remember what Omaha. gone better for the fans or their they saw, and what it felt like After punching out his oppo- champ. and sounded like. Yes, we do big nent, Crawford punched his tick- They chanted “Craw-ford, events. But this was so different et to bigger fi ghts and paydays. Craw-ford, Craw-ford” before from a College World Series or Veteran promoter Bob Arum will the champ made his entrance. an Olympic swimming race. have him headlining in Las Vegas They roared when Ron Stander, This was an Omaha kid who soon. who took on heavyweight Joe grew up to be a man and then a But after what we saw Satur- Frazier at the Civic Auditorium champion, and we saw him grow in stature before our eyes. day night, Arum no doubt will in 1972, appeared on the big The boxing people knew about bring boxing and a Crawford screen. “The Butcher” threw him, and the casual fans had defense back to the CenturyLink some jabs at the camera and the heard about him, but seeing his Center. crowd went wild. power and skill in person raised Crawford took a couple of Welcome to the new gen- the awareness. And the ante. risks with this fi ght. First, by eration. The crowd stood and Bud’s here to stay. taking on the talented and dan- aimed smartphone cameras and Even the boxing people were gerous Gamboa. No easy fi rst video toward the corner when gushing, with HBO’s Roy Jones defense. Even at home. Crawford made his entrance. An Jr. reportedly comparing Craw- The other risk was Arum and amazing scene. ford to Marvin Hagler. And Max Crawford rolling the dice on This wasn’t your 1972 crowd, Kellerman calling it a “Fight of Omaha, and Crawford’s insis- either. Back in the day, for Stander-Frazier, reports said the the Year” candidate. tence that the fi ght be held in his Bud Crawford is on his way to hometown. fans showed dressed to the nines, in mink coats and large hats, bigger things, superstardom, be- The promoter did the fi ghter ing Omaha’s boxing legend. The tuxedos and high heels. a solid by keeping ticket prices launching point was here. That’s Last night’s crowd wasn’t quite affordable. what we saw last night. Historic like that. Dresses and suits were Crawford’s people then night, very cool night. outnumbered by T-shirts and ten- showed they had his back. They RYAN SODERLIN/THE WORLD-HERALD This was the night Crawford nis shoes. But that was the only showed up — in a very big way Crawford enters the ring with his entourage. HBO commentator Max Kellerman said the turnout surprised him. always dreamed about, beating thing casual about them. that turned the heads of boxing “Great sports fans in Omaha & great place for fi ghts,” he tweeted. “Nebraska represented tonight.” a worthy opponent, fl ashing his and HBO folks. Boxing still knows how to do wares on national TV, and doing It was a terrific scene, abso- an entrance. Led by promoter “50 it before his town, his people. lutely electric. The crowd came Cent,” Gamboa was booed. Then Would Crawford make him pay? with Crawford to do something, With seven seconds left in He took a risk. Now come the early and gathered steam up came Crawford’s entourage, who Yes. Crawford, in black trunks jumped to its feet and howled. the ninth, Crawford pounded rewards. Thing is, everyone fi lled the ring. until the main event, which took with “Omaha” in blue and white In the eighth round, Crawford Gamboa with a right, and he fell. shared in those rewards last place after 10 p.m. Time to rumble. and “Nebraska” in red and white, led Gamboa to the corner and That was it. night. They got the ending they They roared when Buffer took Gamboa scored some punch- made his move in the fi fth round. dropped him to one knee with a Crawford jumped up on the wanted. But it felt like a begin- the mike, praised Omaha, and es early and showed no sign ning, too. added, “I know that if things go of struggling with Crawford’s He knocked down Gamboa with right punch. The round ended ropes and pointed to the people, a counter. The crowd, which with Gamboa staggered by two his people. There were more Contact the writer: the way you hope tonight, we will height advantage. But the Cuban 402-444-1025, [email protected] be back here on HBO.” left himself open too often. had been chanting and pleading Crawford left jabs. than 10,000 members of Team twitter.com/tomshatelOWH.