Terence Crawford desperately needed to fight Errol Spence Jr.
He’s not hurting financially, although the eight-figure windfall he’ll receive after their fight for the undisputed 147-pound championship Saturday – by far the biggest of his career – will be welcomed. And he’s already guaranteed a place in the International Boxing Hall of Fame based on of his world titles in three divisions, place on pound-for-pound lists and general dominance.
No, he needed this matchup to prove something else: that he’s truly an all-time great fighter. That’s the case whether he acknowledges it or not.
“My name is already up there with the all-time greatest welterweight fighters,” he said Tuesday. “It’s just a matter of going out there on Saturday and putting the cherry on top and furthering my legacy.”
Really?
Crawford (39-0, 30 KOs) has fought seven times at 147 pounds, defeating Jeff Horn, Jose Benavidez Jr., Amir Khan, Egidijus Kavaliauskas, Kell Brook, Shawn Porter and David Avanesyan.
That’s a solid run, particularly because Crawford scored a knockout each time out. However, it doesn’t stamp him as one of the best welterweights ever.
The closest thing he has to a defining victory at any weight is his 10th-round knockout of Shawn Porter at 147 in November 2021. However, even that victory arguably has an asterisk because Porter clearly had one foot out of boxing. He never fought again.
What other victories stand out? Brook? The Briton also was in decline. Crawford’s second greatest win might be his decision over capable, but limited Viktor Postol at 140, which doesn’t carry much weight.
That’s why the meeting on Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas is so important. Spence is ranked No. 4 on the Boxing Junkie and other pound-for-pound lists. He’s a special fighter. If Crawford, ranked No. 1, is able to defeat his rival – particularly if he does it convincingly – he’ll have his defining victory.
Only then could we even begin to compare him to the likes of Sugar Ray Leonard and Floyd Mayweather.
To be clear, the intent here is not to diminish Crawford’s accomplishments and place among the best in the business. I’ve had Crawford No. 1 pound-for-pound from around the time he stopped Jeff Horn to win his 147-pound title in 2018.
I never understood how Canelo Alvarez ended up No. 1 on most lists even though I respect his accomplishments. I always thought Crawford was better.
That was based on the eye test, which he repeatedly has passed with A+ grades. And while he hasn’t faced an opponent even approaching greatness – it’s possible that none are bound for the Hall of Fame – he’s 16-0 in world titles fight and 10-0 against former or current beltholders.
That means he has fought – and beaten – a long string of legitimate contenders, which was good enough to garner him universal respect as an one of the best all-around fighters currently active.
And get this: He’s riding a streak of 10 consecutive knockouts going into Saturday. And all of them came in world title fights, in which it’s supposed to be more difficult to get stoppages.
That’s the kind of stuff that has set him apart from almost all of his peers and lifted him to star status, a level precious few fighters reach. Make no mistake: As things stand now, Crawford is one of the most important figures in the sport.
He simply needed a next-level opponent to reach the next level of recognition.
Muhammad Ali had Joe Frazier and George Foreman. Leonard had Thomas Hearns. Evander Holyfield and Lennox Lewis had Mike Tyson. Mayweather had Manny Pacquiao. Great fighters need great foils to take their place among the legends of the sport.
That’s where Crawford stands a few days before the biggest fight of his life, on the threshold of true greatness.
And it came in the nick of time. Crawford hasn’t showed signs of decline but he’s 35 years old, an age when most fighters have begun to slow down or even transition into their next phase of life.
Better late than never. Crawford finally has his big opportunity. Now all he has to do is win.
