It seems as though Bob Arum, in his golden years, is willing to try and work with just about anybody in order to make the big fights – including the reclusive Al Haymon, a man the Top Rank boss quite recently referred to as “the cancer of the sport.” Case in point: Arum stating this week how he has sent heavyweight champ Deontay Wilder a “tremendous” offer to fight Tyson Fury on ESPN, the offer also going to Haymon and Shelly Finkel.
The notion that Arum would not be able to work with Haymon is “absurd” Bob said, and now he has revealed his intentions regarding trying to make another massive fight between one of his fighters and one belonging to Haymon’s stable. Speaking with Tha Boxing Voice, Arum said that providing Terence Crawford (Vs. Amir Khan on April 20th) and Errol Spence (Vs. Mikey Garcia on March 16th) both win, he will send an offer to Spence, and Haymon, to try and make a big welterweight unification showdown this year.
“If Terence is successful with this fight with Khan at Madison Square Garden on April 20th, we will make a proposal to Spence – if Spence defeats Garcia which I expect,” Arum said. “We’ll make a proposal to Spence and to Al Haymon for a fight in the fall between Terence Crawford and Errol Spence. That’s the fight that I would be most interested in, I’m not teasing.”
And of course a Spence/Crawford fight is a match-up fight fans everywhere are very interested in seeing. Arguably the two best 147 pounders on the scene today (although rival champions Shawn Porter, Keith Thurman and Manny Pacquiao would quite naturally disagree) IBF ruler Spence, undefeated, and WBO champ Crawford, also unbeaten, would in all likelihood give us a great, memorable fight.
Who wins? If Arum indeed sends his planned offer (and unless either Khan or Garcia pulls off an upset) and as long as Spence and Haymon find it agreeable, we may find out some time here in 2019. Spence/Crawford would not be as big as the epic welterweight collision between greats Sugar Ray Leonard and Thomas Hearns from 1981, but the fight would perhaps be as special.
