Boxing is about leverage. A punch thrown when stepping backward carries no power. You might as well wave a feather.
Terence Crawford — a shining light for the future of American boxers — spent five years barnstorming banquet halls and empty fields to find fights. Along his trek, he gained leverage.
That investment, all that fight capital he earned, allowed Crawford to find his way home.
Crawford (26-0, 18 knockouts) will defend his junior welterweight title Saturday in front of what probably will be another sellout crowd in his hometown of Omaha.
He will take on powerful Canadian Dierry Jean (29-1, 20 knockouts) at the CenturyLink Center, the bout airing on HBO.
“There’s no place like home,” Crawford said by phone this week from Nebraska. “It’s a real good boxing town. They love these events. It’s something I feed off.”
After Floyd Mayweather retired last month, for a third time in his career, the title of “Best American Boxer” stands vacant.
Oakland’s Andre Ward (a light heavyweight champ who has fought only once since 2013) and Florida’s Keith Thurman (a young welterweight champ) stake a claim to that crown.
But Crawford is a two-division champion.
He won the lightweight title from Ricky Burns in 2014, then defended it with impressive victories over Yuri Gamboa and Ray Beltran. In April, Crawford moved up to 140 pounds and won another title — the WBO title once held by Denver’s Mike Alvarado — by beating Thomas Dulorme.
Crawford also is chasing the pound-for-pound crown. He is among the 10 to 15 best boxers in the world, regardless of weight, on a list likely topped by Roman Gonzalez of Nicaragua and Gennady Golovkin of Kazakhstan.
“I feel like I’m working my way up to the No. 1 spot,” Crawford said. “A lot of people are noticing. I don’t feel like I need to say anything. People will be the judge. They can rate the fights when I win.”
Crawford, though, has taken over Omaha. Two of his past three fights packed fans into the CenturyLink Center, Nebraska’s biggest indoor sports venue.
To get back to Omaha, though, he had to take a long route. As a prospect, Crawford fought more often in Denver (including his pro debut at the Denver Athletic Club in 2008) than in Nebraska.
“When I was in amateurs, in Golden Gloves, it was less people, but it seemed like more because of how loudly they cheered me on,” Crawford said. “I knew they’d support me even more as a professional.”
Crawford’s rise in Nebraska — like Colorado, not historically known as a boxing hotbed — is a measure of his success. If his hometown fans haven’t made enough noise, Crawford’s undefeated record has. He was named the Boxing Writers Association of America’s fighter of the year in 2014.
“I’ve never had to fight to keep fights in Omaha,” Crawford said. “Every time I fight, they turn out. They love boxing here.”
Nick Groke: ngroke@denverpost.com or @nickgroke
