By Chris Williams: After years of waiting, it appears Errol Spence Jr and Terence Crawford are finally about to battle on November 19th for the welterweight undisputed championship.
While some boxing fans view the fight as an even one, many others that have a keen eye and follow the actual records of the two fighters feel that Spence (28-0, 22 KOs) will be the winner.
That’s not a knock on WBO belt holder Crawford (38-0, 29 KOs), but his resume is weak at 140 and 147. He doesn’t have the fights under his belt at welterweight to view him as the favorite against Spence.
Moreover, Crawford lacks the size to be seen as possessing the talent to beat Errol.
Crawford’s division title victories:
- Ricky Burns – WBO 135
- Chris Algieri – WBO 140
- Jeff Horn – WBO 147
That’s a weak bunch of fighters that Crawford defeated to become a three-division world champion.
Yeah, it’s not Crawford’s fault that he beat those three fighters to become a three-division world champion, but the fact remains that those are the guys he beat.
You can’t give Crawford a lot of credit because he didn’t beat guys like Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis, Vasyl Lomachenko [135], Regis Prograis [140], or Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis [147] to capture his belts in three-weight classes.
“Most people think it’s 50-50,” said Ade Oladipo to the DAZN Boxing Show about the Errol Spence Jr. vs. Terence Crawford fight. “This is a fight where anything can happen.
“This is as good as it gets. This is pound-for-pound #1 vs. pound-for–pound #5. People talk about whether it can hit the magical one million. It can hit it.”
Crawford is no longer #1 pound-for-pound. That spot is now occupied by IBF/WBA/WBO heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk. For Crawford to have a shot at recapturing the #1 spot, he’s going to need to beat Spence, and I don’t think he’s got the talent to do that.
“We’re talking about the best pound-for-pound boxers in the world,” said Ade.
“It’ll be more like, in my opinion, Sugar Ray Leonard and Tommy Hearns because they were welterweights and completely different style match-ups. It was an exciting fight with 15 rounders,” said Sergio Mora.
“This is that type of old school greatness in Bud Crawford and Errol Spence. I don’t know who wins that fight. Sometimes I think it’s Crawford. Sometimes I think it’s the size of Spence. I think it’s the biggest fight in boxing,” said Mora.
If you look at Spence’s last fight against Yordenis Ugas, you can’t put Crawford into the picture as an opponent for Errol. Crawford wouldn’t be able to absorb the punishment that Ugas took against Spence without falling apart. Crawford would get on his bike and avoid Spence rather than going to war with him the way Ugas did.
“The thing about Errol Spence. In his last couple of fights, he has had to dig deep,” said Ade. “He had to dig deep against Shawn [Porter]. I told people that Shawn would cause problems Shawn causes anyone problems.”
The only reason Spence had to dig deep against Shawn Porter is that he intentionally chose to slug with him at close range to try and beat him at his own game.
“He had to dig deep against Ugas,” said Ade. “I’m not trying to say he’s on the slide a little bit, but after the car accident, he took a time out as well. I feel that the Errol that we saw against Kell Brook, and I was there for that one. I don’t know that Errol still exists,” said Ade.
“It is November 19th, and it’s perfect for now. I was starting to worry for how long Crawford has been out of the ring for,” said Ade. “We’re going past that year, and that’s too long for Crawford.
“He looks great. Crawford is 34. Age can get you in anyone, but he looks fantastic.”
“To me, Errol Spence is unbreakable,” said Mora. “To come back and do what he did to win the championships and still do it on the highest level.
“We know he’s a skilled fighter, an Olympian, and everything. The fact that he came back from that can wreck and the way he did it and who he fought right after. That shows his temperament, and that’s hard to beat,” said Mora.
“In the contract, they’re going to put a rematch clause. They’re going to put everything in this one,” said Ade. “I do wonder. You look at the 147 division. There’s some young killers coming up. Vergil Ortiz is coming up. Boots Ennis is coming up.
“I know everybody talks highly of Boots Ennis, but he’s away from that for now. If your Terence Crawford and Errol Spence, you don’t want to give Boots [a chance]. What do you get out of it?”
“You take calculated risks,” said Mora. “I know it doesn’t sound right to the fans, but if you’re going to manage your career, a boxer wants to make the most amount of money with the least amount of risk. That’s just the way it is.”
“Who has had a better career? I know Terence is a three division world champion, and Errol has pretty much cleaned up 147,” said Ade.
“People will say that Terence is high on the pound-for-pound rankings. When you look at that resume, it’s a bit thin in terms of real standout names.
“When you look at Errol Spence’s. The Kell Brook fight, which I thought was a very, very good one. Danny Garcia, Ugas was a good one as well,” said Ade.
“If you talk about big names, you have to give it to Errol Spence,” said Akin Reyes.
“I like ‘The Truth.’ It’s not the fact that it’s an American thing. I just love Errol Spence Jr. I have followed him since the Olympics. I think he’s a beast,” said Mora.
“I would favor Crawford, but my hearts with Spence. I think Spence will have the natural size advantage, and he’s an excellent body puncher. Crawford is a little more agile. Both of them have the power to do it at any time,” said Mora.
“I don’t know either of them, and I’m picking Terence Crawford to win this fight,” said Ade.
