DALLAS – Aside from a Deontay Wilder vs. Anthony Joshua heavyweight showdown, the fight that the boxing world has been clamoring for is one between Errol Spence Jr. and Terence Crawford.
The two have seemingly been on a collision course over the past few years, with Crawford rampaging through divisions and making his welterweight debut last June with a thorough beating of Jeff Horn and Spence staking his claim as the best fighter on the planet courtesy of violent beatings handed out to the likes of Kell Brook and Lamont Peterson.
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The fanning of the flames for a potential fight has been carried out by both Spence and Crawford, with the two going back and forth on social media and in person when they crossed paths backstage at Maurice Hooker’s showdown with Alex Saucedo in November.
The fight is a complicated one to make with Spence fighting under the umbrella of PBC/Showtime/Fox and Crawford tied to Top Rank/ESPN. Everyone expects the fight to be made at some point, but a clash of these 147-pound champions in the immediate future seems unlikely.
For now, both fighters have their hands full with what’s in their immediate future. Spence will look to turn back the challenge of Mikey Garcia at AT&T Stadium on Saturday night, while Crawford will square off with Amir Khan at Madison Square Garden on April 20.
Errol Spence Jr. addressed a potential fight with Sporting News and made it clear that he has no ill will toward Crawford. In fact, the man he isn’t too fond of is one that he thinks is avoiding him.
“I kind of like Terence Crawford because I feel like he’s being himself,” Spence said. “A lot of dudes in boxing are fake. Guys like Keith Thurman, I don’t like him. Guys like that try to play a role.”
To be clear, Spence took exception to Thurman interviewing him during the Shawn Porter-Yordenis Ugas broadcast last week and asking if beating Mikey Garcia would make him the “second best welterweight in the world.” A fight with Thurman has been something that Spence wanted, but he doesn’t believe that Thurman is really interested in fighting him.
Keith Thurman asks Errol Spence if a win solidifies Spence as the No. 2 Welterweight 😂 #boxing
— CHAMPSIDE (@theCHAMPSIDE) March 10, 2019
Spence says, I’m already #1. @keithfthurmanjr @ErrolSpenceJr pic.twitter.com/EMlRL5zVJj
If Spence had to choose an opponent for his fight after Garcia, the IBF champion has another fighter in mind that he’d love to see inside of the squared circle.
Errol Spence Jr. vs. Mikey Garcia: Fight date, time, PPV price, how to watch, live stream
“Manny Pacquiao,” Spence said. “We can have that fight at Cowboy Stadium. He has a crazy following and packed the stadium before with Joshua Clottey. A fight between us would be huge.”
Spence admits that the Pacquiao he saw against Broner has lost a step, but even a 40-year-old Pacquiao is one of the best in the world and that he would be honored to step into the ring with him. And the fact of the matter is that fight is easier to put together than one with Crawford, considering that they are both managed by Al Haymon and fight for PBC.
However, it is interesting to hear what Spence would like in a perfect world where a Crawford fight wasn’t obstructed by promotional and network politics.
“If I had to choose, I don’t want the Crawford fight right now,” Spence said. “For me, I have to choose Pacquiao. He’s on his way out and with everything he’s accomplished, especially if I can really put a beating on him and get a stoppage. That would be big for me. I want that next.”
He affirmed that he isn’t ducking a Crawford fight by any means. Instead, he wants to make sure he gets his pound of flesh out of Pacquiao before the living legend hangs up the gloves for good. And a victory over Pacquiao would only raise the stakes of a potential showdown with Crawford.
“Whenever me and Terence fight, we will bring the best out of each other," Spence said. "That will definitely be a superfight.”
