What Terence Crawford Needs to Prove Against Dierry Jean

World Boxing Organization junior welterweight title-holder Terence Crawford has already proven himself as a championship-level fighter. The guy can fight.

Crawford was the lineal lightweight champion when he moved up to 140 pounds to face Thomas Dulorme in April for the vacant WBO crown.

Dulorme, a hard-puncher who was once thought of as a future star, was no match for the 28-year-old from Omaha, Nebraska. After patiently decoding the methods employed by Dulorme during the opening rounds, Crawford systematically destroyed the Puerto Rican with strong and fast punches connecting from multiple angles.

Crawford knocked Dulorme down three times in Round 6 before the contest was wisely halted by referee Rafael Ramos during the same stanza.

Credit: Rachel McCarson

After the bout, Crawford dodged questions about his future, even suggesting he might be on the docket during a post-fight interview for Boxing Channel.

That’s fair. Crawford knows now is the time in his career he should be listening to the people who got him here. He doesn't need to call other fighters out yet. He has work to do.

But Crawford’s destruction of the talented Dulorme was a sign to the world that a star fighter was on the horizon, one with the potential of becoming the next Floyd Mayweather; a multi-division titleholder with sharp skills and unparalleled natural gifts. In a sport full of also-rans and pretenders, that’s a rare commodity.

So why is he fighting Dierry Jean?

Look, Jean isn’t a bad fighter. He’s a middling contender who beats fringe-level fighters. But he doesn’t look like he has any chance against Crawford going into the bout, and anyone who hopes Crawford might fulfill his potential should hope that it’s true.

Jean is enjoying a four-fight win streak since suffering the only loss of his career to Lamont Peterson last year by unanimous decision. Peterson is a good fighter, but he’s nothing someone as gifted as Crawford should aspire to be.

Richard Wolowicz/Getty Images

To his credit, Jean made Peterson work hard for the win. The 33-year-old Haitan, who calls Montreal home, has the gumption of a world-class boxer. But gumption only takes one so far in this sport. The former lightweight lacks the elite skills Crawford possesses and shouldn’t be too much of a problem once the two step in the ring together on Saturday night.

Crawford’s task, then, appears pre-ordained by the powers that be. He needs to soundly whip Jean, look spectacular doing so and it sure wouldn’t hurt if he knocked his opponent out.

Why?

Because as good as Crawford looks, he’s not yet faced the kind of opponent he hopes to meet soon.

A pause here for those who might not have watched Crawford’s career with as close an eye to this point as they could have. The fighter has been in the ring with some very good boxers. His three-fight stretch of defeating Ricky Burns (in Scotland), Yuriorkis Gamboa and Ray Beltran was as good as or better than what any other fighter accomplished during 2014.

But as good as those fighters are, none of them were top pound-for-pounders. They were very good. But they were not the best of the best. They were not elite.

Crawford looks like he could be elite, but the only real way to measure such a thing is by facing and defeating top-notch opposition. There are plenty of opponent choices waiting for him in and around 140 pounds.

He just needs to earn the fight.

And so here’s where Jean comes in again. A show of hands from anyone who believes Jean would look anything but hopelessly outclassed versus the likes of Manny Pacquiao or the recently retired Mayweather.

Anyone?

No. And so if Crawford hopes to make his mark in the boxing world the way those two gentlemen did, the way many people feel as though he might, Jean will need to appear out of league against Crawford, too.

Crawford shouldn’t just win. He should dominate.

Crawford vs. Jean happens Saturday, October 24 in Omaha. The bout will be featured live on HBO at 9:30 p.m. ET.