ERROL SPENCE believes a showdown with Terence Crawford is unlikely due to promotional constraints. He favours a fight with Keith Thurman instead.
When questioned about a potential super-fight with current WBO welterweight champion Crawford, Spence pointed out the fighters are both signed to different promotional and broadcasting deals.ย Spence fights for Showtime and FOX with Al Haymon while Crawford is promoted by Top Rank and Bob Arum, screened now on ESPN.
Texasโ Spence later said fellow unbeaten champion Crawford would have to leave ESPN to fight him.
โMe and Terence Crawford are on different sides of the street, heโs just signed with ESPN, I donโt fight for ESPN, I fight for Showtime or FOX,โ Spence said.ย โTerence Crawford has got to come across the street, heโs got to leave ESPN and come to Showtime or FOX, or they got to do something where they both work together and we both fight.โ
While Spence recognised a fight with โBudโ could be unlikely, it didnโt stop the former London 2012 Olympian from taking aim at his countryman, questioning his resume of fighters and believing it couldnโt be compared to the list of fighters โThe Truthโ has shared the ring with.
โI mean, at the end of the day Iโm a way better fighter than Terence Crawford. Who has he fought?โ Spence asked. โIโve fought Lamont Peterson, Chris Algieri, Kell Brook, I mean and how many fights he got 30 something fights.
โHeโs a great fighter and things like that but you canโt put it to me. The guy he just fought for the undisputed light-welterweight championship of the world [Julius Indongo], Regis Prograis stopped him.โ
Spence has established Crawford is off his radar at this point, one man who isnโt is current WBA โsuperโ welterweight champion Keith Thurman, who has been sidelined for 18 months with injury.
โI feel like me and Keith Thurman is the fight to make,โ Spence stated.
โWhen Keith Thurman comes back, and he has a great fight and he shows what he has been showing in the fights with Danny Garcia and Shawn Porter, everybody will be talking about Errol Spence and Keith Thurman.
โA lot of these fans and reporters, they live in the moment, they talk about Errol Spence and Terence Crawford … but they were just talking about Errol Spence and Keith Thurman.
โSo once he comes back, and he has a great fight then theyโll be like โoh, what about Errol Spence and Keith Thurman.
โLike I said, Terence Crawford is on the wrong side of the street. Thereโs me, thereโs Danny Garcia, we got Shawn Porter, we got Keith Thurman we got Ugas, we got a lot of fighters over here.โ