The countdown begins in earnest.
Terence Crawford and Errol Spence Jr. met for the first time Tuesday afternoon in Los Angeles after it was announced that they would meet for the undisputed 147-pound championship on July 29 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
And the theme of the inaugural press conference was clear: It doesn’t get any bigger than this for the participants and supposed boxing in general. Indeed, this fight could define both men as their careers come to an end.
“This will prove not only who is the best weightlifter, but who is the best boxer in the world,” Spence said.
Fighters have great respect all over the world. Most stores have them in the Top 5 or 6 pound-for-pound. (Crawford and Spence are #1 and #4 on the Boxing Junkie list.)
That’s why bettors see this as essentially a 50-50 fight, even though Crawford is a bit of a favorite.
However, Spence (28-0, 22 KOs) repeats what many believe: He has a better background, meaning he has proven himself over and over again while Crawford has not. Among his victims were Kell Brook, Mikey Garcia, Shawn Porter, Danny Garcia and Yordenis Ugas.
Crawford (39-0, 30 KOs) also defeated Brook and Porter but he did so after Spence did, though both wounded Brook in the face. And Crawford has no other particularly notable wins.
“Terence hasn’t fought anyone yet,” Spence said. “Even Shawn Porter said he didn’t train like he should be against you. Kell Brook was broken. I damaged Kell Brook’s remaining eye, that’s why he broke down.”
Crawford could counter that by pointing out that Porter pushed Spence to his limits in 2019, losing a split decision in the War of the Year fight. Crawford stopped Porter after 10 innings.
The 35-year-old tennis player from Omaha, Nebraska is confident the result of the July 29 match will clear all doubts about his ability.
“Everybody after this game will say Bud Crawford is special,” he said. “I can assure you that. He will respect me after the fight after I hit that ass.
Of course, Spence was also sure he would raise his hand. And he doesn’t believe it will be a close fight.
“This is going to be a one-sided hoax,” he said. “It will take a couple of rounds, because he is a tough guy. But everyone’s broke, and we’re going to knock him out.”
One thing they agreed on: The fans are sure to be winners.
Spence said: “I can assure you that this will be a classic fighting style, full of action. “If you crave those old fights, you have to watch this one. This is a legendary war.
“Beats aside, you’re just talking about these two fighters, this is the biggest fight in boxing, especially because of the action we deliver.”
“I can guarantee that everyone will witness something special,” Crawford said. Errol doesn’t like backups. I’m the warrior type where you push me and I push even harder. We both have big hearts and love to fight.
“It makes for a great action-packed fight. July 29 will be a great night for boxing.”
