Q&A: Terence Crawford Is Ready to Be the Undisputed King of Boxing

The welterweight fighter says his bout against Errol Spence Jr. will have “no comparison.”

In 2016, after collecting his first million-dollar purse in a 140-pound title defense against Hank Lundy, Terence Crawford did what many would: He bought a house, dropping $150,000 for a modest, four-bedroom home in Omaha, Neb. Seven years, several titles and many millions of dollars later and Crawford is still in Omaha, still in the same house, still, at 36, living largely the same life that turned him into (arguably) the top fighter in the world.

“I had thoughts about moving,” says Crawford, who is finishing construction of a new home in—wait for it—Omaha. “But if my grandma and my mom and them don't want to move, then I can't leave them behind.”

There’s a hint of incredulousness in Crawford’s voice. What—you thought I was going to move? The trappings of success have never seemed to appeal to Crawford. The lifestyle that has consumed so many athletes never threatened him. Even as he was rocketing up boxing pound-for-pound rankings, collecting titles in three weight divisions and knocking out 77% of his opponents along the way, Crawford has remained, well, Crawford. Motivated by money, sure. Motivated by status? Nah.

On Saturday, Crawford (39–0) will have a chance to earn both. His anticipated showdown with Errol Spence Jr. (28–0) will earn Crawford a career-high payday. It will also establish the unquestioned king of the 147-pound division and (most likely) the No. 1 fighter in all of boxing.

Crawford sat down with Sports Illustrated this week to discuss Spence, the fight and what it would mean to be pound-for-pound No. 1.

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Sports Illustrated: Are you starting to feel the juice for this fight?

Terence Crawford: I’ve been feeling the juice around this fight. This is a big fight. Everywhere I go, people were talking about it prior to the fight even being made. So I know what’s at stake. I know the significance that this fight is going to have and I know the buildup is great.

SI: You’re now in your fifth year at welterweight. What’s different about you now versus the guy who moved up in 2018 and stopped Jeff Horn?

TC: I’m more experienced. I’m stronger. I’m more filled out. I’m just a better overall welterweight. I feel way stronger now than I did back when I fought Jeff Horn, and I feel that it shows when I fight.

SI: After Spence’s car accident in 2019, you said you didn’t want to fight him until he got a fight under his belt, in part because you wanted to be sure he was all the way back. Do you think he’s there?

TC: Well, he’s done everything he had to do to keep a perfect record. He looked sharp in his last fight. He did real good against Yordenis Ugás. And he’s not coming off of the accident; he’s not coming off of an injury. So what better time to fight than right now?

SI: Do you think he is the same fighter he was before the accident?

TC: Yeah, I see the same fighter. I just think he’s more mature now and taking things a little more serious than he once was back then.

SI: What’s most dangerous about him?

TC: I would think [pauses] … I don’t know. I really can’t say because I’ve never been in a ring with him. So I can’t actually say. Probably his relentlessness and his ability to wear fighters down. He’s going to have to deal with my ability to adapt. That’s something he’s going to have to keep making adjustments to. I’m just sharpening up myself and making sure that I’m 110% ready for whatever we bring to the table.

SI: I’m sure you saw what Naoya Inoue did to Stephen Fulton on Tuesday. There are a lot of people who believe Inoue deserves to be pound-for-pound No. 1 regardless of what happens on Saturday. Do you believe the winner of your fight deserves the top spot?

TC: 100%. Everybody in the world knows that the winner of this fight is the number-one pound-for-pound fighter in the world, undisputed. There’s no comparison. Not to take anything away from Inoue. He’s a talented fighter. He’s great at what he does and he looked spectacular in his recent fight. But everybody in the world knows this is a fight where you got the number-one pound-for-pound fighter [Crawford] fighting the number-four pound-for-pound fighter in the world [Spence]. No disrespect to Stephen Fulton, but he wasn’t nowhere near the pound-for-pound list. So that tells you something right there.