By Vince Dwriter: The WBC, WBA, and IBF welterweight champion Errol Spence Jr rarely publishes any social media post in regards to the highly anticipated undisputed welterweight championship bout with Terence Crawford, but on October 20, he tweeted out of frustration, as he published a post stating how Crawford was stalling, and he could have fought a different opponent in November.
While Spence was stating he could have fought a different opponent in November, we later found out that the WBO welterweight champion Terence Crawford (38-0, 29 KOs) has signed a contract to face David Avanesyan (29-3-1, 17 KOs), on December 10 at CHI Health Center in Omaha, Nebraska. Crawford is enthused about the opportunity, but fight fans don’t share the same emotions.
“I’m excited about this opportunity. I was really looking forward to the Errol Spence fight. I started communicating with Al Haymon and PBC back in June, and unfortunately, they represent a fighter in Errol Spence who didn’t want the fight as bad as I did,” Crawford stated to ESPN.com.
Back in 2018, Errol Spence and Terence Crawford had a competitive verbal confrontation backstage at the Maurice Hooker-Alex Saucedo event. The video of the exchange between Spence and Crawford went viral as it ignited anticipation for the two champions to clash inside the ring. Four years later and fight fans are still waiting for the bout to take place.
It was assumed that 2022 would be the best chance for the mega fight to materialize, especially after Spence defeated Ugas to retain his WBC and IBF titles and win the WBA strap. At that point, the potential matchup transitioned from a unification bout to a fight for the undisputed welterweight crown.
During his post-fight interview after his victory in April, Spence stated Crawford was next. Fight fans really became excited when they heard Spence’s announcement, and a month later, they were thrilled when news circulated regarding the start of the official Spence vs. Crawford negotiations. The excitement for the bout slowly diminished as the negotiations dragged on.
Fight fans and boxing pundits went from a state of happiness to a feeling of pain and frustration. To add fuel to the fire, boxing fans were taken on a roller coaster ride when a credible boxing writer announced that Errol Spence and Terence Crawford agreed to all terms for a November 19 clash in Las Vegas. Still, unfortunately, we would later find out that the report was inaccurate.
Now that Terence Crawford has taken a stay-busy fight, will Errol Spence (28-0, 22 KOs) make the same type of move? If he decides to go that route, his two major options are former unified champion Keith Thurman and his IBF mandatory Jaron “Boots” Ennis.
As we approach the year 2023, it is becoming painfully obvious that the potential undisputed welterweight clash between Errol Spence Jr and Terence Crawford may never happen. This would be one of the biggest letdowns in boxing history, and it could occur for a multitude of reasons.
A major reason why this fight may never happen is that the longer they delay the fight, the harder it becomes for Errol Spence to make weight. Spence has been competing in the same weight class for approximately ten years, and he’s anxious to move up. If the fight takes too long to sign, Spence could move up instead of weight-draining himself and fighting Crawford at a disadvantage.
Another reason why the fight may never take place is since either Crawford or Spence could lose while attempting to further marinate their potential bout. The interest level in their clash would decrease immensely if one of them entered the match with a loss and no title to defend.
The suspense as it relates to the undisputed welterweight championship bout is officially over. We are all aware of the fact that it’s not happening in the year 2022. The question remains how long will fight fans hold on to the possibility of a clash between the two undefeated champions? Will this fight stay in demand, or will fight fans finally get fed up and throw in the towel on Spence vs. Crawford?