Terence Crawford wants Spence, then Jermell Charlo

By Boxing News - 12/07/2022 - Comments

By Chris Williams: Terence ‘Bud’ Crawford wants to fight Errol Spence Jr in May for the undisputed 147-lb championship, followed by a second four-belt fight against 154-lb king Jermell Charlo in back-to-back fights in 2023.

Crawford might not get past this weekend’s fight against David Avanesyan in their fight on BLK Prime PPV in Omaha, Nebraska.

It’s been over a year since Crawford last fought, and he looked poor against the washed gatekeeper Shawn Porter. Avanesyan hits harder than Porter and has fewer miles on the odometer.

Crawford to run the gauntlet

  • Errol Spence Jr
  • Jermell Charlo
  • Jermall Charlo

If Crawford is willing to run the gauntlet, he could face Spence, Jermell Charlo, and his twin brother Jermall Charlo. That would be an ideal situation, but given Crawford’s lack of size and advanced age, he’s likely to fall apart in his first test against Spence.

Crawford isn’t interested in taking an in-between fight to introduce him to the Premier Boxing Champions audience on Showtime against the likes of Rashidi Ellis or Josesito Lopez so that fans not accustomed to watching him will get the chance to see him before he’s matched against Spence or Jermell.

Unfortunately, Crawford’s talk of fighting Spence and Charlo could be little more than a deluded pipedream on his part because he’s an unpopular belt-holder at 147, a guy that has failed to establish himself as a star despite having won world titles in three divisions.

Charlo (35-1-1, 19 KOs) will likely expect the 35-year-old Crawford to earn his shot at his four titles by working his way to a mandatory spot. That’s not going to happen overnight, and it might take him a couple of years, even under a best-case scenario.

Jermell Charlo back-up plan for Crawford

“I think it’s a 50-50 shot with Jermell,” said Terence ‘Bud’ Crawford to Thaboxingvoice when asked if there’s a chance that he can get a fight against undisputed junior middleweight champion Jermell Charlo if he’s unable to set up a fight with Errol Spence Jr.

“He’s an angry guy, and he may demand it [a fight against Crawford]. He may go to Al [Haymon] or Showtime or his handlers and demand it and say this is what he wants and that this what he’s standing on.

“I think Errol is more passive, more laid back. He let Al handle his career the way he wants to handle his career.

Crawford wants Spence fight in May

“I don’t believe in having to go through Josesito Lopez or Rashidi [Ellis] to get to Spence. I will believe after this fight [Avanesyan], we’ll go back to the drawing board, and hopefully, we can secure the fight with me and Spence.

“If he [Spence] don’t fight, if he don’t have nothing lined up, we can go right into it,” said Crawford when asked how soon he can fight Errol after his match with Avanesyan.

“Fingers crossed, we can secure a date, and we can get it on. Of course, I feel I can do Errol and Jermell back-to-back. With the proper timeframe, yes, 100%.

“Hopefully, around May,” said Crawford when asked when he wants thee Spence fight. “Hopefully, we can get it done before or around May. That would be great.”