Spence Jr: “I’m Not Trying To Fight Anybody Else But Crawford”
Will the welterweight unification showdown we all want to see, between undefeated 147 pounders Terence Crawford and Errol Spence actually happen this year? A while ago, a news story appeared on Ring Magazine’s website, in which “sources” said the fight was set for July 22. But since then, nothing.
Well, not quite nothing. For his part, Errol Spence says he has been talking quite a bit on the phone, this directly with Crawford, and that he very much wants the fight to happen. Speaking with On The Rocks w/AO, “The Truth” said he’s “not trying to fight anybody else but him.”
“I’m trying to fight the best competition out there,” Spence, the IBF/WBA/WBC welterweight champ said. “There’s a reason why I’m trying to fight Crawford, I’m a man of my word. I’m not trying to fight anybody else but him. Me and Crawford are definitely in talks. We’ve been talking, so hopefully it can be me and him. Me and Crawford, we’re talking directly. We actually were probably on the phone for 30 minutes, 40 minutes. We probably spent like 15 minutes talking about the negotiations part and stuff like that. We started talking about boxing, us fighting, negotiations. It went well and our teams are still negotiating, we’re having talks. It’s going very well.”
If Spence and Crawford do fight this year, it’s about time. This particular fight is running close to going past its sell-by date; in fact, some fans suggest it has done so already. But if it does happen this year, with both guys still close enough to their respective primes, it will be worth the wait. Hopefully.
If Spence and Crawford do get it on this year, perhaps in the late summer, both guys will be entering the ring having been out of action for some time. Crawford, 39-0(30) and the reigning WBO champion, last boxed in December of last year, this when he stopped David Avanesyan. Spence, 28-0(22) has been out even longer, with him not having fought since April of last year, when he stopped Yordenis Ugas.
How the sport has changed, what with the biggest and best fighters boxing so far less frequently than the greats of yesteryear did.