By Chris Williams: Tim Bradley reveals that he’s picking Terence Crawford to stop Errol Spence Jr. they potentially meet in the next six months for the undisputed welterweight championship.
Bradley feels that WBO 147-lb champion Crawford (38-0, 29 KOs) has more facets to his game than IBF/WBA/WBC champion Spence (28-0, 22 KOs).
Tim particularly likes that the southpaw Crawford can switch to a right-handed stance.
However, Crawford switching to a right-handed stance will hardly throw Spence off, considering he’s spent most of his career fighting right-handed fighters, so Terence will have no benefit if he starts changing stances repeatedly.
Spence’s demolition job on WBA champion Yordenis Ugas last Saturday night at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas showed that he’s going to be pure trouble for Crawford.
Not only the high-volume punching from Spence but also his power and toughness will be a lot of trouble for Crawford.
The body punching that Spence showed in that fight will take Crawford’s legs away, forcing him to stand in front of Errol. Crawford lacks the toughness to fight that kind of way against Spence, and he’ll be like a butterfly without wings.
Spence’s volume will be a problem
“I think both guys have got to give and take and negotiate it to where both camps are happy with it,” said Tim Bradley to Fight Hub TV on the undisputed welterweight contest between Errol Spence Jr. and Terence Crawford.
“I wouldn’t mind seeing a 50-50 fight, but it’s not my negotiations. It’s Terence and Spence’s negotiations, and it’s up to those guys to get the fight done any way they can,” said Bradley.
Crawford is going to have to be sensible in terms of negotiations otherwise the fight with Spence won’t happen. Errol has three belts to Crawford’s one, he’s the PPV draw, and he’s bringing in huge crowds, as we saw last Saturday night at the AT&T Stadium.
“I’m going Terence Crawford by knockout either nine or ten,” said Bradley in picking Crawford over Spence. “You know what? I think I said eleven rounds to my buddy. I’m saying eleven rounds, and I’m going Terence Crawford for a knockout,” said Bradley.
If Crawford chooses to go for a knockout of Spence, he’s going to be in the firing line of his body shots. Once Spence starts landing body shots, Crawford will be doubled over like Ugas was, too weak to throw, unable to move around the ring, and just taking a beating.
“I just think he has more to him, man. He switches southpaw, right-handed, he can punch, supreme accuracy and timing. I’m going to go with Terence Crawford like I always go with him.
“I know Spence, he’s a machine, he comes forward, he has high volume, and he can isolate a lot of stuff with his volume. But Crawford, that’s my guy, I’m going to stick with Crawford,” said Bradley in choosing Terence over Spence.
