Boxing fans have wanted to see welterweights Errol Spence Jr. and Terence Crawford compete to see who is the better fighter. Both fighters have teased fighting each other but had difficulty getting a deal done. Today, both Spence Jr. and Crawford revealed on their social media accounts that the fight is set and will take place on July 29 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The matchup will unify the welterweights title, with the World Boxing Association, World Boxing Council, International Boxing Federation, and World Boxing Organization championships up for grabs.
More On The Errol Spence Jr. vs. Terence Crawford Fight Announcement
The fight was rumored to be taking place earlier this year. However, the negotiation seemed like it failed when ESPNās Mike Coppinger reported on Jan. 10 that the Premier Boxing Champions were trying to have Spence Jr. take on Keith Thurman in April.
When the Spence Jr. fights with Thurman didnāt happen, it gave fans hope that the matchup with Crawford would occur. Boxing fans have also been craving the right boxing fights, which has been one of the most considerable criticisms of the sport for several years. However, boxing promoters have been doing an excellent job of getting super fights that fans have wanted. Last month, Gervonta Davis and Ryan Garcia had their long-awaited bout at catchweight. The pay-per-view did very well, with the Sports Business Journal reporting over 1.2 million buys and a live gate of $22.8 million.
Itās unclear if the Davis vs. Garcia fight has been influential for other big fights in boxing to be made. Regardless, fans will finally see Spence Jr. and Crawford settle their differences in the boxing ring and see who is the best on July 29.
Kell Brookās thoughts:
āEven though Iāve been beaten by [Crawford], I canāt sit here now and say heād beat Spence, heād beat [Shawn] Porter because styles make fights,ā said Brook (39-3, 27 knockouts) in the post-fight interview. Brook did give Crawford credit for being the first fighter to stop him without an injury being a contributing factor, after suffering eye injuries in stoppage losses against Gennadiy Golovkin and Spence.
āBut one thing [Crawford] has got, heās got good distance, heās got fast hands obviously and heās got a good eye to land the shot. Itād be very interesting. Because never in my career nobodyās ever done that to me, in sparring or anything.ā
Still, he declined to make a pick.
āI think thatās the fight to make. Even though heās stopped me tonight, I canāt say he would do that to Spence or beat Spence. Itād be a fight that everyone needs to see,ā said Brook.
FanDuel Sportsbook opened their ML market as a pick āem:
- Terence Crawford ML: -112
- Errol Spence Jr. ML: -112
Shane Mosleyās assessment:
āI"m leaning towards Terence more now [based on] activity,ā Mosley told Fighthype.com. "But that doesn"t really mean anything, because Errol Spence could be in the gym sparring, training with the Charlo Brothers and everybody else and we don"t know nothing about it, but he could be getting ready right nowā¦It"s a 50-50 fight, but it"s, like, we just want to see it already.
"It seems like if it was going to be a knockout, that it would lean more towards Terence Crawfordā¦but I can see this fight probably going the distance because of the way they both fightā¦Errol is a really good boxer, he has a good chin. Terence is a good fighter, he can fight orthodox or southpaw. I can see this fight possibly going distanceā¦There could be some good moments in the fight where maybe both of them hit the groundā¦but I see it going the distance.
Teddy Atlas:
āI think Crawford stops him late in the fight. I love Spence, donāt get me wrong. Heās the naturally bigger guy at welterweight, heās a hell of a puncher and heās got Olympic pedigree, so he knowās what heās doing technically.ā
āBut at the end of the day, thereās one thing that Crawford has better than anybody. Instincts. You canāt coach instincts, you either got it or you donāt. And heās got some of the greatest instincts Iāve ever seen in a fighter.ā
Shawn Porter didnāt make a prediction but said:
āSpence thumps harder than Crawford.ā
Donāt be shocked if Crawford looks old, because theyāve waited until heās old lol. That said, I Hope Crawford wins and I think heās better, but heās like 36 and thatās old for a small boxer.
Crazy how Crawford is that old and hasnāt fought any big names. Waste of a career?
Who knows with boxing. Maybe guys wouldnāt fight him? I donāt know
Brilliant of coaches
Everyone talking about TC being old, Spence aināt no spring chicken. Heās 33 years old himself. These boys might be some of the most inactive champs WW has seen with nothing close to the wear and tear of contenders past. I donāt think weāre losing anything by making this fight a little later than initially desired.
This.
I donāt think Crawford has gotten the credit he deserves, but heās arguably farther from his prime than Spence is.
I still pick Crawford
Budās footwork is just so much better than Errolās. Spenceās best work is on the inside and but to get there he has to deal with the best counters in the sport.
This. Bud should have this, but agreed they waited so fucking long that 36 years is āoldā for a boxer.
I saw stories on yt of Timothy Bradley and Shakur Stevenson both saying Crawford gave them beatdowns in the gym.
Shame if he is so great heās never fought big names in his career. I donāt think Shawn Porter is elite.
Is Spence the only name heās ever had available to fight? Thatās all Iāve ever heard him tied to.
Total waste of a career and really hasnāt made much money. Heās clearly had terrible management.