Crowley’s next boxing match expected in U.S.
Next fight for Canadian champion in Peterborough not anticipated to be until end of this year or early next year
The next time Cody Crowley fights at the Memorial Centre, he’s hoping it will be for something bigger than a Canadian title.
On the heels of his 17th consecutive professional victory on Saturday night, and fourth at the PMC, Crowley expects to head out on the road for his next two or three bouts. With the PMC scheduled to be closed for floor repairs from June 1 to potentially Nov. 1, Crowley doesn’t expect to fight in Peterborough until the end of 2019 or early 2020.
“I really want to get three more fights in and end the year at 20-0,” said Crowley, after his dominant 12-round unanimous decision over B.C.’s Stuart McLellan for three Canadian Professional Boxing Council titles.
“We’re ranked 14th in the IBF intercontinental rankings, so it would be very nice in the next year to get into the top 10 and capture that title, which would put me into the top 10 in the IBF going into 2020. That’s when I believe we will bring a world title back to Peterborough.”
He’s looking at a couple of options for his next bout but nothing is finalized.
“My next fight will probably be in the United States,” he said. “When we come back to Peterborough I’m guaranteeing you will see ShoBox buses and Showtime right here in Peterborough. I promise you I will bring that. We eat, sleep and breath boxing and we’re bringing boxing alive in Canada.
“I feel the next time we come back here it’s going to be for a very, very big fight.”
Ibn Cason, Crowley’s trainer and manager, wouldn’t rule out a fight at the PMC in November or December.
“I’d like him to fight twice a year here,” Cason said. “If we’re going to grow boxing, it has to be available for the people to see. It’s hard for people to develop the appetite for boxing if it’s only here once a year.”
Cason said Crowley needs to stay active. He wasn’t completely satisfied with the performance against McLellan, even though he won every round on all three judges’ cards.
“He’s doing what I need him to do in the gym but it has to translate in the ring,” Cason said.
“One day it’s going to click and when it does click, we’re going to have something beautiful and that’s when he’ll be ready for the title shot and he’ll be dominant. What you’re seeing right now is a growing Cody. You’re seeing a guy on the way, God willing, to becoming a world champion.”
Cason said McLellan was awkward and not easy to fight but he thought Crowley made it more difficult than it needed to be.
“I wanted to see him be a little more patient and stay behind the jab,” Cason said. “A little more of the basics and, most importantly, control the distance better. He smothered himself too much. I don’t mind if you smother yourself as a tactic but when I tell you not to smother yourself and get the distance so your punches can have torque on them, I expect you to do that and he didn’t do that.
“I didn’t understand if that was the crowd or the bad talk that had been going on. He didn’t listen like I wanted him to and that’s what I didn’t like.
“He won every round but that’s not enough for me. I wanted to see him ... win in a certain mannerism and he didn’t win in the manner I wanted him to. So we have something to work on.”