Terence Crawford posted on social media on Friday that he’s giving up on the rematch with Errol Spence Jr., commenting that he’s “Glad it’s over.”
While some fans might be upset that the Crawford-Spence rematch isn’t happening, it’s good because it likely would have been another mismatch.
Spence’s recent cataract eye surgery makes a rematch problematic because he’ll need recovery time, and some believe it’ll be two months minimum, meaning Crawford would be waiting for almost a year since his victory last July.
That’s not ideal, given that he’s anxious to get a well-paying fight against Canelo Alvarez, and he can’t do that if he’s tied down waiting for Spence to heal.
Fans wouldn’t have gotten their money worth ordering it on PPV unless they’re gluttons for punishment. PBC wouldn’t have gotten their money’s worth either.
Crawford’s Frustration
If Crawford is moving on, we’ll see if he gets the big fights he believes are now available to him following his ninth-round knockout victory over Spence on July 29th last year.
After the fight, Crawford had said he wanted to fight Canelo Alvarez for his undisputed championship at 168. That’s probably not going to happen. If Crawford can’t get that fight, these are his best options for paydays:
- Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis
- Keith ‘One Time’ Thurman
- Tim Tszyu
- Jermell Charlo
- Teofimo Lopez
- David Benavidez
There are fights out there for Crawford as long as he’s not too picking, thinking he will get similar money as he did for the Spence fight. The longer Crawford sits idle, the less likely he gets the money he hopes to receive.
Crawford may be reacting to Spence’s posts this week, which failed to indicate he wanted a rematch. The former unified welterweight champion Spence (28-1, 22 KOs) claimed he had an injured eye during his fight with Crawford last July, making it difficult to see his punches.
I done heard it all now @ErrolSpenceJr it’s ok tho because all in all I’m glad it’s over and done with. I wish you well ma brotha.
— Terence Crawford (@terencecrawford) January 12, 2024
The way that Crawford beat Spence, it was pointless to have a rematch. It wouldn’t have mattered if the fight had taken place at 154; Spence would still be out of his league against Crawford.
Some feel the car crash in 2019 took something out of Spence, leaving him the punching bag that Crawford defeated. Spence didn’t look like the fighter that had beaten the likes of Kell Brook and Shawn Porter in the past. He was slower and easier to hit, his power diminished, and his reflexes looked gone.