Errol Spence Jr. and Terence Crawford take aim in monumental boxing clash
LAS VEGAS – Errol Spence Jr. and Terence Crawford had spent nearly five years waging a war of words against each other as fans clamored for the two to face off in a welterweight title unification bout.
Earlier this year, the two best 147-pound boxers in the world decided to put their contention aside in order to make sure the showdown happened. Negotiations stopped stalling and sunk into place once the 33-year-old Spence and 35-year-old Crawford jumped on a series of phone calls and spoke one-on-one to sort out a bout finally set to go down Saturday at T-Mobile Arena.
“We both understood the assignment,” Crawford said during a recent virtual news conference. “We had the same goal and dreams in mind, so we just came together and made sure we were man enough and mature enough to get the fight made.”
It has made for a refreshing buildup to a blockbuster fight without trash talk serving as the primary driver of interest. Spence (28-0, 22 KOs) vs. Crawford (39-0, 30 KOs) doesn’t require any controversy.
The two fighters have done enough in the ring to make the bout arguably boxing’s biggest since Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao faced off in May 2015. And from a championship stakes perspective, Spence vs. Crawford is even bigger.
The winner will become the first unanimous welterweight champion in boxing’s four-belt era, which began in 2004. Spence enters holding the WBC, IBF and WBA titles, while Crawford possesses the WBO strap. The winner will also likely be near-unanimously referred to as the top pound-for-pound fighter in the world, with ESPN slotting Crawford at No. 1 and Spence at No. 4 in its rankings.
It’s so evenly matched that some sportsbooks opened the line near a pick ’em, though Crawford has since taken action to sit as a narrow -160 favorite (i.e. risking $160 to win $100) with Spence coming back at +140 (i.e. risking $100 to win $140).
“I believe in this fight, there’s going to be highs and lows,” Spence said. “He’s going to pick it up, and then I’m going to pick it up. We’re both going to pick it up at different points of the fight. Whoever can adapt and whoever can impose their style on the opponent, that’s who’s going to win the fight.”