Bob Velin

USA TODAY Sports

During his rise to the top of his division, undefeated junior welterweight champ Terence Crawford has fought in plenty of small venues, including the Theater at Madison Square Garden, as well as some of the biggest and best arenas in the world.

But the "Pride of Omaha" has never fought in the Mecca of Boxing, at least not in the hallowed arena on 34th St between Seventh and Eighth Avenues in Midtown Manhattan, where some of the biggest bouts in the history of the sport have taken place.

Until now. On May 20, "Bud" Crawford (30-0, 21 KOs) will make his 2017 and MSG debut and defend his unified 140-pound belts against former Dominican Republic Olympic gold medalist Felix Diaz in what will be a true test of Crawford's drawing power. The fight will be televised by HBO (10:15 p.m. ET), but the Garden is a long way from Omaha, where Crawford has sold out regularly.

"This is the fight everyone has been asking for and now we have it. (Diaz) is a good fighter, this is a good fight and yes there will be a lot of people coming in from Omaha. How many I don't know," Crawford said Tuesday during a press conference in New York. "There is a reason I want this fight to be at Madison Square Garden. This is where all of the great champions fought and I want to be a big part of it."

Hall of Famer Bob Arum of Top Rank, Inc., said what you would expect from the promoter: "Crawford vs. Díaz was made for The Garden and I anticipate a battle between these two warriors worthy of its moniker as the Mecca of Boxing."

Crawford was a bit more circumspect. "Come May 20, I will be ready for whatever Félix Díaz brings to the ring that night," he said. "It’s going to be a great experience fighting at Madison Square Garden in the big arena where all the greats have fought. I’m looking forward to that night."

Brian McIntyre, Crawford's trainer and co-manager, who has molded a raw boxer into a world champion, admitted they have their work cut out for them but coouldn't be happier with the venue. "It’s an honor to fight in the arena at Madison Square Garden," McIntyre said. "It’s a step up going from The Theater into the big room."

Nobody was more thrilled to get his shot at MSG than Diaz.

"First, I would like to thank the man upstairs for making my dream come true," said Diaz, who currently lives in the Big Apple not far from the arena. "I would also like to thank Lou DiBella, Al Haymon, HBO and my manager Jose Nuñez for working around the clock to get me to this point. The time has finally come.

"I will share a ring with one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world and I tip my hat to Crawford for accepting me as an opponent on May 20 because I am no pushover. I'm coming to bring my A-game and I couldn't be more grateful to be able to showcase my skills on HBO and at Madison Square Garden, which is just 15 minutes from where I live. I will take full advantage of this opportunity. I respect Crawford and believe he is a great fighter, but every king can be dethroned."

DiBella, the co-promoter of the fight, said Diaz (19-1, 9 KOs) is the best fighter Crawford will have faced to this point. "We have been chasing this fight for a year because Felix and our team believe we can win. The fans will win when they see a terrific, competitive fight on May 20th," said DiBella.

Crawford is a two-division world champion who has stopped five of his last seven opponents. He unified the 140-pound titles by winning a unanimous decision over previously undefeated WBC super lightweight champion Viktor Postol. That victory also made him the lineal champion. He made his first defense of his unified titles on Dec.10, stopping No. 1 contender and former title challenger John Molina Jr. in front of a record crowd at the CenturyLink Center in Omaha.

Díaz was the first Dominican fighter to win Olympic gold (2008) and only the second Dominican athlete, joining Félix Sánchez, who won gold in the 400 meter hurdles in the 2004 Summer Games. The only blemish on his record was a disputed 12-round welterweight majority decision loss to two-division champion Lamont Peterson in 2015. Díaz bounced back from that loss with a unanimous decision victory against previously undefeated contender Sammy Vasquez and sixth-round stoppage of Levis Morales, both in 2016. A southpaw with excellent skills and movement and strong punching power, Díaz, 33, is rated No. 3 by the WBC.