Stephen Espinoza of Showtime says Errol Spence Jr. still wants his rematch with Terence Crawford, as he previously stated, but it’s unclear when that would be.
Espinoza questions whether Spence’s off performance against Crawford was related to the weight, eye injury, or car crash. There was also inactivity.
Spence hadn’t fought since April of last year, and that’s a long time for a fighter to be sitting inactive when they’re returning to the ring against Crawford.
The second Crawford-Spence fight doesn’t necessarily need to occur next, despite the contract’s rematch clause. It’s still the biggest potential fight for Crawford, apart from Jermell Charlo, who is busy with his scheduled contest against Canelo Alvarez on September 30th.
If Spence or his team & management decided not to take the fight with Crawford right away this year, Terence could wait until the smoke clears from the Canelo-Charlo fight to see if he can get Jermell next.
Crawford won’t get Canelo because the Mexican star dismissed his requirements of a 158-lb catchweight handicap. Canelo won’t do that. If Jermell beats Canelo, those two will likely meet in the first quarter of 2024 for a rematch next May.
Espinoza didn’t say whether he thinks a rematch would sell between Spence & Crawford. The fight was so one-sided that the boxing public that saw the contest or is aware of the outcome wouldn’t be eager to pay $84.99 to see Crawford fight Spence again.
When you have a blowout fight like that, it only makes sense to do a rematch if the loser redeems himself with two to four quality wins to show that they’ve returned from the defeat and have improved. If Spence insists on fighting Crawford in December, the PPV sales likely won’t be good.
Errol’s been consistent like he wants the rematch. He hasn’t changed,” said Stephen Espinoza to Fight Hub TV about Errol Spence wanting a rematch with Terence Crawford.
“The question really is ‘What’s best for his [Spence] health, what’s best for his future?’ Is it a weight issue at 147? Is ‘54 right for him? Are there lingering effects from the eye or the car accident?
“It’s an immediate rematch. It’d have to be, but there are always negotiations. And the reality is it is a big fight; it’s the biggest fight arguably for either one of them right now,” Espinoza continued about Crawford & Spence.
“He’s been talking a lot about Jermell. Seems like he might wait for Jermell to get through the Canelo fight and see what happens,” said Espinoza about Crawford.
