By: Sean Crose
“That’s how I think about it,” Errol Spence tells ESNews in a recent video. “I just want to be fit and in shape.” Spence, speaking from a busy gym, is his usual easygoing self in the clip. “I just mind my business man,” he says. Indeed, Spence isn’t one to start shooting off his mouth. Let other fighters do such things. Spence is willing to let his fists do his talking for him. With that being said, the Texan is well aware of the fact fans want to see him face fellow welterweight titlist Terence Crawford…and apparently, the two camps are back in talks.
So how’s the negotiation going?
“Look’s great,” Spence says. That’s good news for fans. Still, it’s understandable why the public would be suspicious of such a seemingly positive development. Talks between the Spence and Crawford camps fell through recently, after all. What’s more, major fights are a rarity these days. Sure, Tank Davis recently battled Ryan Garcia successfully in a legitimate superfight, but that sort of thing sadly remains the exception rather than the rule.
For his own part, however, WBC, WBA and IBF titlist Spence seems to really want the throwdown with WBO titlist Crawford. “I’ve been waiting for the fight,” he says. “I could have fought anybody in the mean time…but I told them nah, I want Terence Crawford.” It’s also obvious that Crawford himself would like the fight to go down. So, why hasn’t it been made already? Because contemporary boxing is a mess. Sometimes the fighters themselves ask for too much – and many other times the fighters end up getting the short end of the stick. They’re wise to be careful at the negotiating table. With that being said, it’s deeply frustrating that few high end fights are made in this day and age.
What’s more, the 28-0 Spence is now 33 years old. There is no doubt he is one of the most talented and accomplished fighters in the game. Crawford himself is now 35 years old. Boasting a record of 39-0, he too is one of the the most talented and accomplished fighters in the business. Neither man is getting younger, so the time to make the fight is now. Indeed, a Spence-Crawford fight is already past its sell-by date. Still, it’s one the sport should see come to fruition. Each fighter sits atop the welterweight hill, after all, which means the match is still very much relevant.
Should it come to fruition.
