By Chris Williams: Terence ‘Bud’ Crawford slipped up on the truth, revealing that negotiations for a mega-fight with unified welterweight champion Errol Spence Jr aren’t going well.
In an interview on Thursday, Crawford said a fight between him and Spence (28-0, 22 KOs) can happen “down the line.” Immediately after saying that, Crawford corrected himself, saying that he “hopefully” gets the Spence fight made “real soon.”
It was obvious to Chris Williams that Crawford’s first words were the truth about the fight with Errol happening in the future rather than now.
What this suggests is WBO welterweight champion Crawford isn’t happy with the money that’s being offered to him for the Spence fight, and unless they come up with a better offer, he’s going to move on.
It’s believed by some that Crawford wants $25 million for the unification match with Spence, and he’s likely being offered considerably less, perhaps in the neighborhood of $10 to $15 million.
You can’t blame PBC for not betting the farm on a fight with Spence and Crawford bringing in enough PPV buys to cover the huge guaranteed purses both fighters will be asking for.
Crawford has never been a pay-per-view fighter during his career, and his resume is thin, filled with no-name opposition. While Crawford has won world titles in three weight classes, he’s done it against less than the best.
The fight that Crawford is believed to be looking to get as a replacement for the Spence match is a title shot against undisputed 154-lb champion Jermell Charlo.
However, that fight likely won’t pay Crawford anywhere near the same money he’d get fighting Spence, and it’s one he’d likely lose due to his lack of size & experience at 154.
“Oh man, I love that fight. Hopefully, we can get that fight made down the line, and you know real soon, not down the line, real soon. Give the fans what they’ve been looking for,” said Terence Crawford to Fight Hub TV about the undisputed welterweight clash with Errol Spence Jr.
“We’re working to get it done for y’all,” said Crawford.
It’s pretty clear from what Crawford is saying that the negotiations aren’t going well with Spence.
If this fight doesn’t get made, PBC might need to let Crawford sit inactive because he’s going to want a lot of money no matter who he fights, and he doesn’t bring in the numbers to be worth it.
