So much for the confrontation between Terence Crawford and Errol Spence Jr., at least for now.
ESPN is reporting that Crawford will defend his WBO welterweight title against rival David Avanesyan in a pay-per-view match on December 10 at CHI Medical Center in Omaha, Nebraska, Crawford’s hometown. .
Crawford has been in talks to face Errol Spence Jr for the undisputed £147 championship, initially targeting next month for their meeting. However, they have yet to come to an agreement, which clearly prompted him to enter the war with Avanesyan.
That will be his only fight this year.
Crawford and Spence are now targeting the first quarter of next year for their challenge, according to ESPN.
“I’m excited about this opportunity,” Crawford told ESPN. “I am really looking forward to the battle with Errol Spence. I started communicating with Al Haymon (Spence’s manager) and PBC in June. And unfortunately, they represent a warrior in Errol Spence who didn’t want the fight to be as bad as I did.
“I agree with all of them [B.S.] and they’ve been pulling their ass for months. Unable to find Spence while I was trying to make the deal, I explained to Al Haymon and Errol that I would fight before the end of the year. …
“David Avanesyan is a very difficult task. He took down his last six opponents and this guy is dangerous. Once I’m successful against Avanesyan, my plan remains the same: Beat Errol Spence’s ass. “
Crawford (38-0, 29 KOs) is about to have the biggest win of his career, a 10th round knock-out against Shawn Porter last November. He’s #1 on Boxing Junkie’s pound-for-pound list.
Avanesyan (29-3-1, 17 KOs) is back from a knock-out loss to Egidijus Kavaliauskas to score the six straight knockouts Crawford mentioned. The British-born Russian is 34 years old, one year younger than Crawford.
