If you haven't had a chance to already, check out HBO's new feature on Terence Crawford as he heads into a title unification fight against Viktor Postol this weekend. Like most HBO productions, it's shot really well and gives a lot of insight about Crawford as a person and a fighter, tracking his roots in his hometown of Omaha, Nebraska.
Among the topics covered in this feature episode on Crawford, we're introduced to the fighter's family, his humble beginnings, his introduction to boxing, as well the many road bumps on his path to success. Of course anyone familiar with Crawford's story will know that those road bumps have come in a variety of forms -- from a finals loss at the national Golden Gloves tournament, to coming up short at the Olympic trials, to getting shot in the head at a local dice game. Crawford, time and again, has managed to channel all of his adversity into increased determination, making him on tough S.O.B inside the ring.
Finally the episode focuses on the B&B Boxing Academy, a local gym Crawford and his trainer have established smack dab in middle of the ghetto where things have come full circle for the pair.
"Our gym sits right in the middle of the Black community. We did that because we want to keep it right here, where we started at. We started here, we're gonna finish here," says trainer Brian McIntyre.
"Anything we can do to get the kids off the streets, and to help them, that's what we about," says Crawford. "It's free. We don't want to charge because we know how it is coming up."
Crawford himself trains full time at the gym, where he serves as a ever-present beacon of hope to others hoping to make better lives for themselves. But this Saturday Crawford is set for what is expected to be the toughest test of his career. He'll be taking on fellow unbeaten titlist Viktor Postol in a 140lb title unification bout airing live on HBO PPV.