By Vince D’Writer: Five years ago, a backstage confrontation sparked the imagination of fight fans as they developed a keen interest in a potential welterweight showdown, and after years of marination, WBC/WBA/IBF welterweight champion Errol Spence Jr will face the WBO champion Terence “Bud” Crawford tonight at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, live on Showtime PPV.
The unified champion Errol Spence has been competing in the welterweight division for nearly eleven years. He’s been a world champion since 2017, and on July 29th, he will attempt to capitalize on his opportunity to become undisputed.
Errol Spence made his pro boxing debut on November 9, 2012, when he knocked out Jonathan Garcia in the third round. He would go on to rise in the rankings as he won his next 20 bouts, and in May 2017, Spence traveled to Sheffield, England, to fight for a world title.
Spence went to the UK as the challenger to face the IBF champion Kell Brook. In the early rounds, Brook looked sharp, but Spence took over during the second half and won his first world title by way of 11th round stoppage.
While Spence was winning his first world title in 2017, Terence Crawford was busy attempting to conquer a division. Crawford, the then WBC/WBO super-lightweight champion, stepped inside the ring to face WBA/IBF champion Julius Indongo on August 19, 2017.
With 57 seconds left to go in the 2nd round, Crawford landed a left hand that sent Indongo down to the canvas. Indongo was able to get up and continue, but unfortunately for him, at the midway point of the 3rd round, Crawford landed a devastating left hook to the body that sealed the victory and made Crawford an undisputed welterweight world champion.
After achieving the status of undisputed at 140, Terence Crawford moved up to 147, and in June 2018, he defeated Jeff Horn and won the WBO welterweight title by way of 9th round TKO.
Five months later, at the Maurice Hooker vs. Alex Saucedo event, Errol Spence was conducting an interview when Terence Crawford walked by, and the two star boxers met face to face.
The trash-talking was flowing as both fighters verbalized their opinions in regards to why they should be considered the better fighter. As the video circulated, it created excitement, as fight fans were looking forward to a unification bout between Spence and Crawford.
Ten months later, Errol Spence decided to take a different unification route as he beat Shawn Porter and won the WBC welterweight title.
The buzz of a Spence vs. Crawford unification world title bout continued to float in the air for years, and when Spence finally competed in another unification match, once again, it was against a different opponent.
In April 2022, Errol Spence scored a 10th round TKO victory against Yordenis Ugas and won the WBA welterweight strap. During his post-fight interview, Spence verbalized the fact that he wanted his next fight to be against the WBO champion Terence Crawford.
While Spence was collecting two additional world title belts, Terence Crawford was busy making five successful title defenses. After negotiations between him and Spence broke down in 2022, Crawford decided to defend his WBO title for a sixth time in December when he defeated David Avanesyan.
After the match, Terence Crawford stated he wanted Errol Spence next, and now after the fight, fans had to impatiently wait for a total of five years. The time has finally arrived. On Saturday, July 29th, Errol “The Truth” Spence (28-0, 22 KOs) will face Terence Crawford (39-0, 30 KOs) for the undisputed welterweight crown.
Aside from Errol Spence being a southpaw and Terence Crawford being a switch hitter, both combatants share the traits of being tremendously skilled boxers who possess power, and a high ring IQ. Crawford has several dimensions, as he is great at setting traps and countering his opponents.
Spence is very good at using his power jab to close distance. He’s an excellent inside fighter who has a high work rate, and he’s well known for his ability to systematically break his opponents down.
Even though Terence Crawford is considered a slight favorite, this bout is a 50/50 fight that can go either way. When Spence and Crawford meet on July 29th, the winner will become the first undisputed welterweight champion in the four-belt era.
While both men will be fighting for that piece of history, Crawford will also be fighting for an individual accomplishment. If Terence “Bud” Crawford is victorious on July 29th, he will become an undisputed champion in a second weight class.
On Saturday night at the T-Mobile Arena live on Showtime pay-per-view, Premier Boxing Champions presents the battle for welterweight supremacy. This highly anticipated mega fight is a historic event that features two of the pound-for-pound best who must deal with the reality in regards to at the end of the night, somebody’s 0 has got to go.
