Does Kavaliauskas have a shot Saturday?

Egidijus “Mean Machine” Kavaliauskas is the undefeated, number one contender in the WBO and will be in for the toughest fight of his professional career going against the pound for pound best in the division in Terence Crawford.

I asked earlier in the week on Twitter if anyone was giving Kavaliauskas a chance to be the first Lithuanian born fighter to become a world champion.

What if I told you Kavaliauskas has a puncher's chance Saturday night.

Am I wrong? GIF me the answer.#CrawfordMachine #Boxing

— Marquis Johns (@weaksauceradio) December 9, 2019

The replies are in the tweet, but the overriding theme is suggesting not only no but also that I get tested by VADA before tweeting again. The groundwork for this fight honestly just seems like a showcase fight card for Crawford to prove why he s the best at 147 pounds.

“This is a great opportunity for me against the world’s best fighter,” Kavaliauskas said at the media workout session on Tuesday. “When I win, I will be considered one of the world’s best fighters.”

Kavaliauskas is excited to take on Crawford but is coming off a disappointing majority draw back in March against Ray Robinson in a fight that many watching felt he lost. Despite that last go-round,  The Two-time Olympian Kavaliauskas is looking to take on Crawford Saturday.

“Terence Crawford is a great fighter, which is why I wanted this fight,” Kavaliauskas stated. “I am ranked number one for a reason. I am here for a reason, and I can’t wait for Saturday night.”

Hear a full preview with analysis of this Saturday night battle at MSG:

Kavaliauskas had a chance to at the final press conference Wednesday to explain his preparation for the fight, one that took place since the Robinson draw.

“We started {training} in June, but we started light,” Kavaliauskas said Wednesday. “Still, all the tactics, everything was about how Crawford fights, which stance {he’ll use}. Sparring, we had lots of different guys, southpaw, orthodox, guys in different stances. And the training camp, [we worked on} speed, power, sparring, technique and tactics, all in this five, six months.”

Those in the handicapping field know that Kavaliauskas is a huge underdog facing Crawford in the Mecca of Boxing, Madison Square Garden. We’ll see if Mean Machine can pull off what will be one of the biggest upsets to close out the year in boxing live on ESPN Saturday night.