Caleb Plant’s trainer Stephen Edwards says he sees Terence Crawford as the puncher and Errol Spence as the boxer in a fight between them.
Edwards feels that things will be flip-flopped from the perception that most boxing fans have about how the contest will go down between IBF, WBA & WBC welterweight champion Spence (28-0, 22 KOs) and WBO champ Crawford (38-0, 29 KOs).
As far as Edwards is concerned, Spence doesn’t get enough credit for his boxing ability, as he’s an excellent boxer.
Most people feel that Spence isn’t a boxer because he’s always coming forward looking to mix it up, but he actually has excellent boxing skills. We saw that in his victory over Mikey Garcia.
Spence came into the fight wanting to box, and he wound up giving Mikey a boxing lesson that night.
As far as when the Spence-Crawford fight will take place, it’s hard to know. We heard November 19th as the date recently, but the negotiations have hit a snag over Crawford wanting visibility over the expenses for the fight. He’s not getting any guaranteed money.
“I would rather see how they look in their camps and see their temperaments because I think it’s a close, close fight,” said trainer Stephen Edwards to Fighthype about the Errol Spence Jr vs. Terence Crawford clash.
“I think Terence is the puncher in the fight, and Errol is the boxer. I think it’s really hard to win rounds against Errol, and it’s really hard to escape getting stopped by Terence.
“So, I think the perception of the fight is a little bit different than I actually think the fight is. It has a little bit of the Leonard-Hearns feel to it. Even though Leonard was a great boxer, he was the puncher when he fought Hearns. Hearns is the boxer when he fights Leonard.
“Other than that, I think it’s close. Errol has got a great jab. For whatever reason, people don’t consider him a great boxer because he’s not fancy.
“He doesn’t do a lot of moves and doesn’t slip & slide with the punches. So, he doesn’t look like he’s boxing, but that’s far from the truth.
“He is boxing and doing it with sound fundamentals. He keeps his hands up and keeps his feet up under him, and he keeps a hard jab on you. So, he doesn’t get credit for his elite-level boxing, but he’s a tremendous boxer.
“He’s hard to win rounds on, and he keeps that jab on you. He kind of boxes like Hagler did when he was young. It’s not fancy, but it’s real super effective.
“Crawford is probably a little more naturally talented. He can kind of improvise and do things on the fly in the ring, but I think Errol is even with him in terms of boxing ability. I just think Errol comes forward more, whereas Terence tries to run you into traps, so people say he’s a better boxer.
“I think the advantage Terence has got is Terence is the master adjuster. He like catches onto something, whereas Errol stops you and kind of beats you down.
“Terence hits you with more devastating shots than Errol does. He hits you with shots you don’t see, and he puts you out. I think the Kell Brook is a good illustration of this, even though Kell was past his prime when he fought Crawford.
“Crawford hit Brook with a weird street punch. It looked like a hook that turned into a jab. People don’t usually throw that shot. Errol just kind of grinds you out and beats you up, so there’s a bit of difference.
“They both have advantages over each other. I think it’s a great fight. I wish it were 15 rounds to really decide it because 12 rounds might not be enough. They might need to fight a few times to settle it.
“Both of them get better as the fight goes on. Both of them are mean, and both are competitive. I think it’s a can’t-miss fight, but I just think the perception of the fight is wrong.
“People think Errol is the slugger because he’s coming forward, but I think Errol boxes going forward. He’s aggressive, but he’s boxing well. I think actually it’s harder to win rounds against Errol than it is against Terence.
“Terence gives up more rounds than Errol does, but he’s lulling you into a trap and knock your head off. He’s like a vicious dude, and he’s luring you into traps.
“I just think the perception of the fight is wrong because Errol comes forward more. We’ll see. They got to line up against each other and figure it out. I got a lot of respect for both coaches.
“Derrick James is a great trainer, and Crawford has BoMac and Red. I forget the other man’s name. They got a great team. Red and BoMac. They’re my boys.
“I’m just looking forward to it as a fan. I don’t really want to make a prediction. The honest truth is I don’t have one right now because I think it’s really close, and I think it comes down to who has the better camp. Who is the more dialed-in?
“I think it’s going to come down to that. I think it’s a very [close fight]. One little thing can cost the other one the fight,” said Edwards.
