Updated 28 Jul 2023 9:27 pm:
With only a few sleeps away from the long-awaited Welterweight undisputed showdown between Errol Spence Jr. and Terence Crawford, we take a closer look at how this super-fight could play out.
This weekend, one of boxing’s most highly anticipated showdowns is set to commence as Errol Spence Jr. takes on Terence Crawford in a fight that will go down in the history books as the first-ever unification of the Welterweight era since the introduction of four belts.
Picking up his WBA belt in his most recent encounter on April 16, 2022, Errol “The Truth” Spence stopped Yordenis Ugas in the 10th round, while Terence “Bud” Crawford defended his WBO title last December, winning by way of knockout against challenger David Avanesyan in the sixth round.
Both fighters come into this bout with undefeated records, looking to claim dominance over a division with an illustrious history and knowing that a win here will put their names among the all-time greats of the sport.
Resume’s
Spence Jr. (Record: 28(22)/0/0)
At the age of 33, Spence has been at the pinnacle of boxing since attaining his IBF World Welterweight title in 2017, knocking out British Welterweight Kell Brook in the 11th round and putting on an impressively dominant performance.
He would then go on to defend his title twice against Lamont Peterson and Carlos Ocampo in commanding fashion before clashing with undefeated, 39(20)-0-0 fighter Mikey Garcia for the vacant WBC diamond Welterweight belt in 2019.
Once again, the Texas resident passed his test with flying colours, winning by unanimous decision and collecting his second belt, proving his star quality to boxing fans across the globe.
Up next for Spence on his hitlist was Shawn Porter, although this time he was not able to win in the same convincing fashion as his previous bouts, defending his titles by split decision, knocking Porter down in the 11th round.
After a lengthy spell out of the ring due to a horrific car incident he was involved in, Spence made a full recovery by December 2020, returning to the ring to defend his titles against Danny Garcia by way of a unanimous decision, shutting down questions surrounding the effects of the incident coming into the fight.
Spence was then set to endure another protracted layoff out of action, as he suffered a retinal detachment/break in his left eye only weeks before his scheduled fight with Filipino boxing legend Manny Pacquiao, forcing him into inactivity until mid-2022.
Returning to action against WBA Super World Welterweight champion Yordenis Ugas in April last year, Spence was able to secure his third out of the four belts in the division, winning via technical knockout (TKO) in the 10th round, sending a statement across the Welterweight division and aimed especially at the man across the ring from him on Saturday night.
Crawford (Record: 39(30)/0/0)
Unlike Errol Spence Jr., Terence Crawford has been here and done it before in regards to becoming an undisputed four-belt champion, as he knocked out Julius Indongo in the third round back in 2017, winning himself the IBF, WBA, WBC, and WBO World Super Lightweight belts.
Achieving everything possible at Super Lightweight, Bud then took on the challenge to go up in weight class, fighting WBO World Welterweight champion Jeff Horn, and snatching his remaining title by TKO in the ninth round.
Remaining active, Crawford fought only four months later, defending his WBO title against the undefeated Jose Benavidez Jr., where he once again was able to close the show by TKO, stopping his opponent in the final round (12th round).
Again, Crawford did not wait around before returning to the ring to defend his title, facing off against renowned British fighter Amir Khan in early 2019, wiping the floor with his opponent by impressively finishing Khan in the first round by TKO.
Continuing his successive streak of TKO victories and title defences at Welterweight in his next contest, Crawford stopped undefeated Lithuanian challenger Egidijus Kavaliauskas in the ninth round later in the year.
Fighting against the first familiar opponent between Bud and The Truth in 2020, Crawford faced off against former IBF Welterweight champion Kell Brook, once again coming out victorious by way of TKO in the fourth round, leaving some to make comparisons between the way both dealt with the Brit.
However, Crawford’s battle with Shawn Porter in 2021 was where the comparisons between the two fighters really began to amp up, as he was able to get one up on Spence as he became the first fighter to stop Porter, sending a shockwave of intent throughout the division.
Most recently, Bud recorded the first knockout of his welterweight career in December last year, taking out David Avanesyan in the sixth round, further gathering momentum towards the super fight this weekend.
Fighter Attributes
Fighting in a pressure style, Spence has captivated the imagination of hardcore boxing fans with his relentless approach, but there are many more weapons in The Truth’s arsenal that Crawford will have to look out for.
Carrying a superior natural frame and the heavier hands of the two – through the admission of Shawn Porter – Spence will have the advantage in up-close combat, so getting close to Crawford should be a fundamental part of his game plan.
Getting into an early rhythm and dictating the tempo of this fight will be the key here, as Crawford is usually a slower starter than his counterpart.
If Spence cannot control the tempo of the fight, it is rather simple: he must make it a war. Allowing Crawford to control the fight is something that he cannot let occur, or the odds of victory will reduce vastly.
On the other side of the ring, Crawford has his own set of artillery that he will be able to detonate on Saturday night. Possesses one of the greatest gifts a fighter can have: the understanding of distance and the instinct to finish an opponent.
Having not gone the distance once in his Welterweight career, Bud will once again be looking to add another TKO or KO to his resume and will be planning to keep Spence away from him with his superior reach.
The latest evidence that displays Crawford’s ability to fight successfully off the back foot against a pressure fighter was his bout against Porter, where he impressively stopped him after putting him down twice in round 10.
Like Spence, it is vital that Crawford dictates the pace of this affair, with the winner most likely coming from whoever can successfully control the contest.
Who Wins? (pro’s opinion)
In what seems to be a rarity in today’s boxing era, this fight is a genuine 50-50 bout, with no one truly knowing what will happen until the first bell sounds.
However, that did not stop some of boxing’s greatest fighters from leaning in with their opinions over this upcoming super fight, with some making bold predictions.
Current undisputed lightweight champion Devin Haney gave his thoughts in an interview with Fight Hub TV, saying, “I like both of those guys, and I can’t pick a winner, honestly. I think it’s 50-50. I think on any given night, they could beat each.
“I would love to see that fight more than one time because I feel it could end in a knockout in the first fight, but in the second fight, it could go in a different direction.
“I just feel like those guys are equally matched. It depends on what kind of fight Crawford fights because, at times, he can be aggressive, and be too aggressive and get caught, and that plays in Errol’s favour.
“He [Spence] has a good jab, good power, smart fundamentals. So a switch-hitter like Crawford, it can be kryptonite for him because a guy with better fundamentals can beat a guy like that,” said Haney.
Four-weight class champion Canelo Alvarez also gave his judgement on the fight, telling K.O. Artist Sports, “I think that’s a good fight. It’s going to be a really good fight. Spence is a really good fighter, but I think Crawford.”
Former World Heavyweight Champion Mike Tyson confidently displayed his belief in Crawford winning this upcoming encounter, saying, “The reason I say Crawford is because what do you think about the guy they both fought? Look at What he did to the to porter and what he did to porter.”
Although Gervonta Davis seems to have a differing opinion from Tyson, when he was asked about who he thought would win this contest, he replied, “Errol. I know for sure.”
“Imagine we in a gun fight, right? And I got a metal shield, and the opposite person got a glass shield. Who gonna come out on top?” said Davis.
“[It doesn’t matter] how much he run around, once them hands get on him it’s gonna slow him down … Ain’t no ‘if’ – he gonna touch him.”
