By Chris Williams: Terence Crawford isn’t sure whether he wants to fight Errol Spence Jr again after facing him on July 29th on Showtime PPV. The contract has a rematch clause that the loser can execute, but surprisingly, Crawford (39-0, 30 KO) says he might not choose to use it.
If Crawford walks away after losing to Spence without taking advantage of the rematch clause, his career will be forever tarnished, and it would reinforce the view that he benefitted in the same Edgar Berlanga did the weak match-making his former promoters at Top Rank did on his behalf.
Walking away would obviously save the 35-year-old Crawford from a second loss. If Crawford doesn’t retire, he could move up to 154 and rebuild his career in that weight class.
He’d still have to work his way into a title shot against the undisputed junior middleweight champion Jermell Charlo because he’s not going to have a bone thrown at him with him coming off a loss to Spence.
How Crawford became a three-division champion
- Jeff Horn – 147
- Thomas Dulorme – 140
- Ricky Burns – 135
In other words, Crawford is an Adrien Broner type, in which he’s won multiple division world titles against weak opposition. That’s how it is in boxing.
A fighter can go along with careful match-making done by a powerful promoter. The real question is, why would Crawford leave Top Rank after all they’ve done for him? None of this would have happened if only one champion per division instead of four.
The four sanctioning bodies allow promoters to angle their fighters to win easy belts, even if they’re not great talents.
IBF, WBA & WBC welterweight champion Spence (28-0, 22 KOs) is the underdog with the oddsmakers, but he’s the far more proven of the two against quality opposition.
Some would say the oddsmakers were impressed by Crawford’s glittering 39-0 record without looking under the surface at the opposition he was fighting. You get that a lot with casuals.
Crawford arguably benefitted from the twelve years of careful match-making done by his promoters at Top Rank, who matched him against guys like Jeff Horn, Ricky Burns, and Julius Indongo instead of the sharks in every weight class he fought at.
It’s clear from listening to Crawford talk he’s got a big chip on his shoulder over the criticism he routinely receives from boxing fans for becoming a three-division world champion by facing literally nobody.
Brian Custer: “What’s the biggest difference that got it over the Finish Line this time?”
Terence Crawford: “The biggest difference that got us to the finish line was me and Errol being able to talk things through and agree that this is what we both want and the terms as agreeing on the terms on pretty much everything again. That’s what got us here,” said Terence Crawford on Brian Custer’s Youtube channel.
Brian: “Considering the first time it fell apart, did it bother you; it seemed like there was like this perception people had, like ‘I think Spence wants to fight more than Crawford, that’s why it didn’t get done. Crawford really doesn’t want the fight.’ Did that bother you at all well?”
Crawford: “Not really, because I knew those types of people didn’t know what they were talking about. If anything, I wanted to fight more than anybody. Spence wanted to fight as well.
“So, we both came together, and we gave them, the fans, exactly everything that they want.”
Brian: “What did you guys say to each other when you finally got a chance to face off, and what did you see when you looked in his eyes?”
Crawford: “Nothing. We just both acknowledged that we’re here. I told him, ‘I’m ready.’ He acknowledged that. A lot of people are ready. So, I just looked him in his eyes. I just wanted him to know that I’m here, and I’m pretty sure he wanted me to know that he was here as well.
“So July 29th is going to be a fun night of boxing for not only me and him but for the fans as well.”
Brian: “We know there’s obviously a rematch clause for this fight. Do you fight again at 147, or do you do it at 154?”
Crawford: “I believe it’s at either or, but I might not even want it. I’m looking to be victorious in the first one. That’s the one that matters to me, the first one.”
