A critical look at the past week in boxing
BIGGEST WINNER
Fans
Terence Crawford vs. Errol Spence Jr. did it really happen? We’ll believe it when we see it but momentum is clearly building towards a long-awaited showdown between the sport’s two most respected champions in July. The fight between Gervonta Davis-Ryan Garcia is huge because of the boxers’ fan base. And the stakes of a potential Tyson Fury-Oleksandr Usyk fight — the undisputed heavyweight championship — are huge. Still, purely from a quality versus quality standpoint, it’s no better than Crawford than Spence for all four heavyweight belts. They are the total score of 67-0 (52 KOs). They are royals by the pound, Crawford number 1 and Spence number 4 on the Boxing Junkie list. They are not young (Crawford 35, Spence 32) but both have not shown any signs of decline. The bottom line: These are two of the best boxers of their generation, making this the biggest 147-pound fight since Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao in 2015. If that happens. Crawford and Spence were close to reaching a fighting agreement late last year or early this year when negotiations collapsed. That’s why I refuse to get excited until the official announcement. That said, the fighters seem to understand that if this fight is going to happen, the time must be now. Fingers crossed.
BEST TIME?
Crawford vs Spence
Crawford vs Spence is past its expiry date? No, at least not against Mayweather versus Pacquiao. Mayweather (38 against Pacquiao) and Pacquiao (36) also topped the charts in pounds but they were clearly out prime when they met in May 2015. Mayweather only fought two more times, one clear sign that he was near the end. And Pacquiao isn’t quite as motivated as he was a few years ago. They should have fought in 2010 or 2011. Crawford and Spence aren’t much younger, but they seem fresher. Crawford has stopped 10 of his most recent opponents, including knocking out Shawn Porter in November 2021. His age could strike him any time but that’s it. has not happened yet. Spence survived a horrific auto crash in 2019 to resume his career in August 2021, when he beat Yordenis Ugas by a unanimous decision to unify three 147-pound titles. If there were any lingering effects from the crash – as well as the tax war with Porter prior to the crash – they weren’t evident in the fight with Ugas. This fight should have happened a few years ago, which means we may not have Crawford and Spence at their best. They are close, though. We’ll take that.
BIGGEST WINNER II
William Zepeda
It will be difficult to break through the elite of the lightweight, with talented boxers like Gervonta Davis, Shakur Stevenson, Devin Haney and Vasiliy Lomachenko in charge. However, if anyone can do it, it could be William Zepeda. The 26-year-old Mexican delivered another impressive night on Saturday in Arlington, Texas, beat Jaime Arboleda three times with brutal body blows and stopped him for two innings. Zepeda didn’t get the chance to show off the otherworldly conditioning he showed to Joseph Diaz Jr. in October, when he delivered a team record of 1,536 punches in 12 rounds. However, his typical choking pressure and heavy hands overwhelmed the capable Panamanian. The volume punch and ability to hurt anyone could be the recipe for problems for the aforementioned super technicians. Think about the first Floyd Mayweather-Jose Luis Castillo fight, which Mayweather won by a controversial decision. Castillo doesn’t throw as many punches as Zepeda but he is a pressure fighter that often targets the body. If Castillo can trouble Mayweather with those tactics, maybe Zepeda can do the same with the top light fighters. I hope he gets his chance soon.
