Former heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder is picking Errol Spence Jr to defeat Terence Crawford when they come head-to-head on July 29th in their fight for all the marbles at welterweight.
Wilder is upfront about why he’s picking IBF/WBA/WBC 147-lb champion Spence (28-0, 22 KOs) to win this fight. He’s picking the 32-year-old Errol out of loyalty because he’s a friend.
The obvious reason why Deontay would want to pick Spence is that he’s more battle-hardened from fighting in the trenches his entire career.
Unlike Crawford, Spence is comfortable fighting toe-to-toe, exchanging shots with his opponents. Spence doesn’t go out of his way to void being hit as Crawford does.
We’ve seen how Crawford reacts when hit hard. He gets on his bike, circles the ring, and focuses on throwing jabs.
Although Crawford has stopped all seven of his opponent at welterweight since moving up in 2018, his opposition has been sublevel, all of them.
Summary of Errol’s positives-&-negatives
Positives
– Size
– Solid punch resistance
– High volume
– Youth
– Experience at 147
– Excellent stamina
Negatives
– Leaky defense – easy to hit
– Lacks one-punch power
– Slow hand speed
– Mobility below average
“I got to go with Errol Spence on it. Errol is my guy. He’s always supported me through thick and thin, and when you have that love and support from somebody like him and continue to do so, no matter what, you must return the love,” said Deontay Wilder to Fight Hub TV.
“That’s what it’s all about. Win, lose, or draw; you got to support who you support. I follow my heart in all things, and my heart is with Errol, and his heart is always with me.
“I don’t have anything against anyone else or against Terence. I wish the best for him, but in that fight, I got to go with my guy, Errol Spence,” said Wilder.
Regardless of who wins this fight, we will see a rematch between them later in the year.
Crawford (39-0, 30 KOs) and Spence (28-0, 22 KOs) aren’t going to want to miss out on the kind of money that the rematch will generate.
They’re not going to make that kind of money fighting anyone else at welterweight, and the division that they’ll be heading to next year at 154 only has one big name in Jermell Charlo, and he doesn’t often fight enough for him to maintain his popularity.
