The second presser to hype up the it-doesn’t-need-any-additional-hype super fight between unbeaten welterweight champions Errol Spence and Terence Crawford took place today, and another lively and interesting event it proved to be. The two men, as fast with a quip as they are with a punch, fired some verbal shots at one another, leaving the media and the fans looking forward to the it-can’t-come-fast-enough evening of July 29th.
But aside from firing shots at Crawford, and aside from taking shots back from Crawford, Spence took the time to speak out for the fighters, for all fighters. As fight fans are aware, the sanctioning bodies take a share of each fighter’s purse when the fighters contest the organisation’s world title in a bout. The July 29 mega fight will contest all four major sanctioning body world titles – the WBA/WBC/IBF/WBO belts to be on the line when Crawford and Spence rumble.
There will then, be a lot of cash going to each sanctioning body courtesy of this fight. And Spence wants to know just where this money goes, in as far as “how is it helping the fighters?”
“We give three percent to these organisations, and we got to know where this money’s going to,” Spence said at today’s presser. “I mean, you got Canelo and [Anthony] Joshua and all these guys making 50 million dollars, and these belts getting three percent of that. Where’s it going to? How is it helping the fighters out? What are they doing with it?”
Great questions all from Spence. What indeed do the four major boxing bodies do with the vast sums of sanctioning fee cash they receive in each of their world title fights? Spence might have made a few people feel a little uncomfortable with his questions, and it would be great to see the various presidents of the boxing organisations take the time to answer Spence’s questions. Whether this happens or not, well, don’t go holding your breath.
Good on Spence for asking these tough and important questions, this as he takes the stage ahead of the biggest fight of his career and of the entire year. Spence, who will earn great money for his fight with Crawford, could have remained silent, knowing that he will be left financially comfortable whatever the result of the July showdown. Instead, Spence took the time to speak up for fighters everywhere.
We need more guys like Spence in the sport, and we need more people asking the kind of questions “The Truth” asked today.