Terence Crawford vs. Errol Spence Jr. is an agreement to be made. Now comes a wave of opinions from experts and fans.
Crawford and Spence will fight pay-per-view for the 147-pound undisputed champion on July 29 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Bettors believe that one of the most exciting matches that can happen in the sport is toss, although Crawford is somewhat of a favorite.
That means there will be different views on every aspect of the game, most notably as to who people think will win.
Here are five questions – and answers – from Boxing Junkie into the superfight.
Is the match really as engaging as it seems?
Absolute. Rarely do two top boxers meet in the ring. Crawford and Spence, ranked 1st and 4th in the Boxing Junkie weight chart, have been two of the best boxers of their generation for many years. The fact that they fought in the same division was a welcome coincidence that allowed this fight to take place. The fight was reminiscent of the great welterweight fights of the past, Ray Leonard vs Tommy Hearns, Felix Trinidad vs Oscar De La Hoya, Floyd Mayweather vs Manny Pacquiao. That means we are looking at a historical event. Will it live up to the hype? That remains to be seen. Leonard-Hearns’ fight went on while the other two were supposedly not. On paper, however, it’s not much bigger than Crawford-Spence in terms of the quality of its participants. No boxer can argue he’s the face of the sport – Canelo Alvarez and Gervonta Davis lead the way – but Crawford and Spence are better than their superstars at the moment by most. all estimates.
Was the war coming too late?
Ability. Neither Crawford nor Spence show any signs of slowing down. Crawford has stopped 10 of his most recent opponents, including former champion Shawn Porter, in a breakout victory in 2021. He’s on the upswing. Spence is not a puncher like Crawford but he has a better track record and has weathered every challenge, including Porter in 2019 and Yordenis Ugas in his most recent bout. However, Crawford and Spence are 35 and 33 respectively. It’s fair to wonder if they’ve lost a step even if it hasn’t been obvious in recent skirmishes. Crawford is bigger but he could be fresher. Spence has recovered from a horrific car crash but that may have taken something away from him. He also had a grueling 12-round fight with Porter before the crash, a fight that could shorten his career. Bottom line: They should have met not long after Crawford rose to 147 and won the title in 2018. That didn’t happen in part because they were fighting for competing entities. Crawford recently became a free agent, which helped facilitate a final deal.
Will the match earn a million pay-per-view purchases in the US?
Possible, but not guaranteed. Crawford-Spence will be hard pressed to hit the 1.2 million buys reported by Davis and Ryan Garcia, whose popularity far outweighs their own (especially Garcia’s). Crawford and Spence are respected by boxing aficionados but probably don’t have the ability to reach a large number of non-fans, which is essential to generating massive buy-in rates. Or so it seems. Hardcore fans know how good this game is. Casual fans also have a pretty good idea. It is possible that powerful and clever marketing will capture the imaginations of those who may not be involved in such a confrontation. If I had to guess, I would say Crawford-Spence will make about 1 million purchases. That would be a solid number given their limited following.
Will size be a factor in the fight?
Sure is not. Spence should have had the size advantage in 2018, when Crawford went up from 140. Remember: Crawford’s first world title was at 135 while Spence was a 147-pound runner throughout. career, which one could argue that the latter’s title is naturally greater than the man’s. However, Crawford has been a welterweight in seven fights over a five-year period. It’s safe to say he’s grown into the department. And who knows? Crawford might actually have a slight edge in the weight department. While Spence may be the heavier one when they come into the ring, Crawford can easily do 147. That could benefit him. That’s just speculation, however. The fact is that both men are strong, genuine heavyweights of the subdivision. That’s one more reason to appreciate this game. No one gained or lost weight.
Who’s better?
Well, the fact that Crawford is higher on the pound-for-pound list should tell you something. He’s the faster, sportier and more dynamic of the two. And he punches harder than Spence, which the knockouts show. “Bud’s” detractors will question his work. What notable opponent has he defeated besides Porter? Crawford could counter that he dominated a host of top contenders even if very few of them were ever mentioned in the same sentence as pound-for-pound. Our eyes tell us what a great fighter he is. Spence is also special but in a different way. He is an excellent technician who can beat his opponents in a variety of ways. For instance, he overtook a boxer in Mikey Garcia and outmaneuvered a slugger in Porter. And even though he wasn’t quite a puncher like Crawford, he did hurt his opponents. Ask Kell Brook, who suffered an orbital fracture in the knockout loss to Spence. Crawford has the edge on the question “Who is better? division but this is essentially a 50-50 fight, which is the main reason why it’s so appealing.
