The absence of the two fighters this year is attributed by Terrence Crawford to Errol Spence Jr.’s squad and boxing in general.
According to The Ring’s pound-for-pound rankings, Crawford and Spence are two of the world’s top boxers, coming in at No. 3 and No. 4, respectively. The welterweight championships are held by Spence, Crawford, and the WBC, WBA, and IBF, respectively. One of the fights in the sport that fans are currently most eager to see is their unification matchup.
Fans thought they would finally see the showdown they desired earlier this year. But finally, due to contract talks, Crawford will now meet David Avanesyan on December 10. Meanwhile, Spence is preparing for his obligatory title defense matchup with Keith Thurman.
“Bud” attributes the entire predicament to boxing politics, specifically Spence’s team.
Crawford’s remarks
Crawford said on The MMA Hour, “It is what it is; I’m going forward with my career. I and Errol will fight next year if that happens. I just don’t like that so many people are holding me responsible for trying to start the conflict. I think that’s it. But right now I’m not really thinking about Errol. My primary attention is on Daron Avanesyan.
“I only blame the boxing industry. I’m not to fault for even one missed opportunity in the fight. I had the impression that I had given my consent to everything. I believe I have fulfilled my obligations as an independent fighter to make that fight. I can only do so much.”
Following a tumultuous relationship with Top Rank promotions and CEO Bob Arum, Crawford quit the business in 2021. He even claimed at the time that Top Rank had failed to book the Spence fight and that he would instead strike out on his own.
Unfortunately, Crawford hasn’t fared much better in that regard either, as their anticipated fight was called off during the final stages of negotiating because Crawford allegedly demanded “transparency linked to event expenses” because his contract did not guarantee him a purse.
Crawford feels that this isn’t his fault because everything else seemed to have been agreed upon until that.
I had the impression that the battle was already over, he admitted. I thought it was going to be me against him, but as time went on, I realized there were other plans and obstacles that would prevent us from fighting on that certain date.
“I believe he desired to fight. I believe he was genuinely hoping for a fight. Although I’m not sure what’s going on on his team, I believe that he still wants to fight. I can only speak for myself and my team at this point.”
Crawford continued by stating that he “100%” thinks Spence would have accepted the fight if he had been an independent as well rather than a Premier Boxing Champions fighter. Spence being placed in “the best situation conceivable” is something he doesn’t fault the promotion for.
Nevertheless, the superlight came so near to happening that missing out on it disappointed all boxing fans. Crawford, who stated he cannot promise the bout would ever take place, was similarly disappointed.
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