The Stakes Are High for Terence Crawford, Errol Spence Jr.’s ‘Old-School Fight’

The numbers don’t lie: This is boxing’s most enticing fight since Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao.

After six years of back-and-forth, a pair of near-death experiences, career-threatening injuries and promotional squabbles galore, Errol Spence Jr. and Terence Crawford will finally/mercifully/gloriously clash Saturday night. For most, this is boxing’s most enticing fight, from a pure boxing standpoint, since the dud between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao.

I’d argue it’s more enticing than that, from a stylistic standpoint (which we addressed Thursday) and an age one (both are younger, still in their primes). But the magnitude is also heightened in terms of history and stakes. Crawford is 35 years old. Spence is 33. Those numbers matter. But so do these:

• Crawford is 39–0 with 30 knockouts. Spence is 28–0 with 22 KOs. Neither has lost a bout since his amateur days (Crawford in 2007; Spence in ’12). That’s 67 wins between them, 52 knockouts between them and zero losses between them.
• The number 2 matters, because Spence is taller, bigger and longer than Crawford—and Spence has already broken a pair of orbital bones in opponents’ faces (Kell Brook in 2017; Yordenis Ugas last year). To be clear, that doesn’t happen often and speaks to more than legitimate power. Crawford, meanwhile, has captured world titles in three divisions (lightweight, junior welterweight, welterweight). And, whether Crawford and Spence fight once, twice or three times, it seems nearly certain that Spence will soon move up to super welterweight.
• No exact number here, but this bout could rank among the best welterweight clashes in boxing history. We’re talking top 10, even top five. Think: Sugar Ray Leonard–Thomas Hearns (1981), Pernell Whitaker–Oscar De La Hoya (’97), or De La Hoya–Félix Trinidad (’99), Pacquiao–Miguel Cotto (2009) and, for attention/interest/hype alone, Mayweather-Pacquiao (’15).
• In the four-belt era, which many believe started in 1988 (it’s complicated), this will be the first fight for all four belts and the coveted, if not also oversold and overemphasized, undisputed title.
• This fight is only the 12th unification match-up (meaning more than one major belt at stake but not all) in the history of the welterweight division.
• The bout also marks the fourth welterweight unification fight between undefeated combatants in the division’s history. The other three: Donald Curry–Milton McCrory (1985), De La Hoya–Trinidad and Danny Thurman–Keith Garcia (2017).
• Of those four bouts, Spence and Crawford have the most combined wins.
• Should Crawford triumph, as he expects, given the T-shirts his team members wore to his weigh-in Friday morning (more on that later), he would become the first male boxer to seize undisputed crowns in separate divisions (junior welterweight, welterweight). Claressa Shields was the first female boxer to accomplish that.

Tom Hogan/IMAGO

PICK ’EM

The odds have shifted this week, slightly, in Crawford’s favor. But anyone calling this a pick-’em fight, which is exceedingly rare at boxing’s highest levels, isn’t wrong. Even Mike Tyson considers this clash that, while other boxers shared similar sentiments this week. Shakur Stevenson was “rocking” with his friend, Crawford, who he said works harder than anybody “on the planet” but also predicted a “hell of a fight.” Gervonta “Tank” Davis chose the same route, but the opposite side, saying Spence would win “for sure” but playing up the stakes. (Davis also revealed this week that Spence bet $20,000 on him to beat Ryan Garcia back in May.)

Back and forth it went. “I just think it’s Terence Crawford’s moment,” Stevenson said.

“When you see all the legends of the sport, they fought each other and made historic fights,” Spence said. “That’s what I want to do. Terence is one of the best fighters in the world, and I’m one of the best fighters in the world, so we had to make this happen.”

“The welterweight division has had a lot of great fights, and this will be another one next Saturday,” Crawford said. “There’s a bright future for the division as well with a lot of great talent coming up. It’s still a hotbed for the sport.”

“This fight does a lot for the sport of boxing,” Spence added. “I hope a lot of the best fighters are ready to face each other. This is an old-school fight with the two best fighters in the world. It’s rare that you get that.”

SIZE … DOESN’T MATTER?

Crawford has been asked a thousand times this week about Spence’s size relative to his own. “I’m not worried about any size difference,” he said, every time, often while invoking other opponents. “Look at Jeff Horn and Shawn Porter. Even Jose Benavidez Jr. was a big welterweight. This is nothing new. I was always the smaller guy, even when I was fighting at 140 pounds. The bigger they are, the harder they fall.”

FINAL PRESSER

Maybe it was just me, but the vibe in Vegas this week, while heightened and while relevant as hell, has been more subdued than expected. Just one opinion here, but I believe that owes to a number of factors: a light-and-sometimes-antagonistic embrace of all publicity from both boxers; illegal streaming, which disincentives them; where boxing now fits in America’s sports fabric; and the timing of the bout, which is not being held on a typical blockbuster fight weekend but in the middle of a summer heatwave.

Still, I had an interesting experience at the press conference. I didn’t sit in the audience, like on normal weeks, but set up behind the curtain, on the apron of the ring that will be used Saturday. The dichotomy was striking. On one side of this black curtain, there were arena seats and boom microphones and cameras galore. There were reporters who had just been fed lunch and were ostensibly hoping, more than anything, that the “event” would start on time, so they could write or broadcast their stories.

Backstage, it was the opposite. There were managers, promoters, trainers and support staff milling around. There were boxers trying to lose weight, draped in all manner of layers. It was quiet, the only sound often the music thumping over speakers on the other side of the curtain. And there were serious faces, lineup instructions for boxers headed to the stage and so many elements unique to boxing promotion (sunglasses worn indoors, Gucci sneakers, enough printed T-shirts to outfit a small country and stories, a few of which are even true). Fifty hours from that moment, the chaos will have shifted inside, to that ring, where the fighters won’t be in layers and the vibe won’t be subdued.

A few observations from the back:

• Spence and Crawford arrived around 1:40 p.m. Thursday. Spence’s camp went to the right, behind the stage; Crawford’s team, to the left.
• Derrick James, Spence’s right-hand and boxing’s reigning trainer of the year, chewed gum so furiously he recalled Pete Carroll on NFL sidelines. He also bounced on his toes. There’s a good story to be done there. Something about how fighters and their teams whittle away nervous energy in the final weeks/days/hours before a big fight night. The gist: They get stranger, as do their habits, the closer the opening bell gets.
• Just before he went out, the circle around Spence parted, like a boxing sea of sorts. He was smiling, his teeth impossibly white, almost gleaming. A boom mic hovered overhead. He stood there, alone, for maybe five minutes, and in that time, he looked, to several observers, fairly drained. Spence, it should be noted, has struggled to make the 147-pound welterweight limit for years. It wouldn’t be surprising at all—it’s likely, even—that he struggled to make weight this week. That moment unfolded as an apt metaphor for the bout ahead. With all the hype and training and everything else, a larger crowd will part for him Saturday. He will be alone again—almost—as Crawford will enter alone and join him.

FLIPS

At the press conference, Crawford was announced first. But per the contract for the bout, and the respective stature of both boxers, the champions flipped a coin to determine who would ring-walk first Saturday. Well, they didn’t. Mike Tyson did. And Crawford won.

HYPERBOLE OF THE DAY

The promotion for this fight all but assumes the winner will be considered the best fighter alive. But, as with all things #boxing, it’s not that simple. I’d put Crawford at No. 1 on pound-for-pound lists right now. But I wouldn’t necessarily put Spence at No. 2. It’s easy to argue that Naoya Inoue has a legitimate claim to that mythical title, regardless of who wins Saturday night, especially after his savage knockout earlier this week. Canelo Álvarez could make an argument, especially if he wins his next bout, a fairly big one against Jermell Charlo for an undisputed super welterweight title, scheduled for September. (I’m not discounting Álvarez’s loss against Dmitry Bivol, but context matters there. Bivol was simply too big for him to have any chance, and it’s easy to applaud the risk Álvarez assumed in his attempt.) Tyson Fury should be in this conversation. So should Oleksandr Usyk. And I wouldn’t hate on anyone arguing for Davis, Stevenson, Artur Beterbiev or Devin Haney.

HEATWAVE NOTE OF THE DAY

Next up on my life goals list: finding one of these motorized scooters that everyone is driving around the MGM Grand Casino this week. I’ve seen over 100 of them, and they vary, widely it seems, in speed. (Not to mention the size of drivers.) If this is related to the heatwave, I’m into it. If it’s not, I’m still into it. Consider the scooter bonanza an F1 preview (and the roads here are all under construction for the Las Vegas Grand Prix later this year, so the inside tracks make sense.)

OVERHEARD IN VEGAS ON A BLOCKBUSTER FIGHT WEEK

“They’re going to fight again by the end of the year.” A source said that in reference to Spence and Crawford. Specifically, they were pointing to what’s known as a bilateral rematch clause in the contract for this bout. Essentially, that clause gives either boxer the option of a second fight, regardless of result. Crawford also recently signed a deal for three bouts with Premier Boxing Champions, the longtime professional home for Spence.

Should the rematch not take place in late 2023, it would likely take place, if held, early next year. Don’t rule out a trilogy, either.

ONE LAST THING

“This is one of the best fights to be made this century, with both guys being undefeated and with everything Terence accomplished. It means a lot, and I’m expecting a lot of fireworks.”

This is from Brian “BoMac” McIntyre, Crawford’s trainer and Omaha neighbor a million years ago.