By: Sean Crose
Not long ago, Errol Spence was a blue chip contender who founded star Keith Thurman as someone who had not proven himself worthy of a big game. That was then. Now, the 33-year-old Texan holds all but one of the welterweight world titles. If Spence beats his counterpart Terence Crawford this weekend in Las Vegas, he’ll keep them all, making him the undisputed welterweight champion of the world. Everyone knows how good Spence is. This man’s 28-0 record puts a stop to any argument – at least when one notices some of the names Spence has fought for.
Chris Algieri. Kell Brook. Shawn Porter. Mikey Garcia. Ryan Garcia. Notable all. However, each of them fell prey to Spence in the ring. Though he’s established himself as a world-class knockout artist, over time Spence has learned, like others before him, that the bigger the competition, the lesser the chances of being eliminated. However, he was able to win his final battle, against the talented Yordenis Ugas, in the distance. And here’s a Ugas who just retired the great Manny Pacquiao. The truth is, if he beat Crawford on Saturday night, Spence would be considered the best welterweight of his generation. No small matter in the post-Mayweather era.
Can he beat Crawford? That’s the question that’s been on everyone’s mind for years now. Indeed, it looks like a fight between WBC, WBA and IBF title Spence, and WBO title Crawford will never happen. And, in fact, this war should have ended long ago. At the very least, however, both sides were able to finally overcome the cobwebs of frenzy that is contemporary boxing and finally make the match a reality. Better late than never. Besides, it’s not like these are two men past their prime.
However, it has certainly been a long time since Spence has reached this point in his career. Overcoming a series of big names on the path to being declared “the best” is completing an extraordinary task. And both Spence and Crawford waited a long time to find out who the true king of the welterweight division was. One could argue that they should cherish this moment. However, both men need to focus. For the immediate task is a huge one – and it is impossible to know how it will turn out in the end.
