By: Sean Crose
“I can probably see why I’m not the betting favorite,” Errol Spence admitted to the media on Tuesday. The WBA, WBC and IBF welterweight titlist was in New York with his next opponent, WBO welterweight titlist Terence Crawford, to help promote their upcoming July 29th battle. If Spence was upset by the fact Crawford is the betting favorite, he certainly didn’t show it. Indeed, the undefeated Texan preferred to focus on what would transpire in the ring rather than at the betting booths.
“I feel like internally, that’s your toughest opponent throughout your whole life,” Spence said. “Just stay focused. Stay one hundred percent focused…that’s what makes the great fighters great, because they were always focused and always on point.” As for how he intends to beat Crawford, Spence addressed the matter in tough generalities. “It plays out me just breaking him mentally, physically, damn near spiritually, me just breaking his will. “Hopefully, he added, referring to Crawford, “I don’t break his face too bad.”
Although this fight has been a long time in coming, Spence made it clear that now is the best time for the battle to go down. “It’s definitely the perfect time,” he said. “If this fight would have happened five years ago, what would we have fought for?” As far as Spence is concerned, the passing of time has helped to make his fight with Crawford that much more appealing. “It (once) would have just been two guys fighting each other,” said Spence, “but now we’re fighting for all the marbles. We’re in our prime. He’s more experienced. I’m more experienced now. It’s just a recipe for a great fight.”
When questioned on who it was that finally brought negotiations past the finish line, Spence indicated that he was the one who finally made the fight become a reality. “It definitely was me,” he said. “I made concessions to make the fight happen. It was basically my decision that he fight was going to happen.” With that being said, Spence gave the distinct impression that he believes the Crawford fight will have been well worth the wait.
“I think it’s going to be a classic,” he said. “I think he’s definitely coming to fight. I’m coming to fight.” Indeed, the match – on paper at least – appears to have a chance of becoming one fans will well remember. Both fighters, after all, are highly skilled and highly determined. What’s more, neither man has ever tasted defeat.
