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. Spence fights for Showtime and FOX with Al Haymon while Crawford is promoted by Top Rank and Bob Arum, screened now on ESPN.
Texas’ Spence later said fellow unbeaten champion Crawford would have to leave ESPN to fight him.
“Me and Terence Crawford are on different sides of the street, he’s just signed with ESPN, I don’t fight for ESPN, I fight for Showtime or FOX,” Spence said. “Terence Crawford has got to come across the street, he’s 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.”
While Spence recognised a fight with “Bud” could be unlikely, it didn’t stop the former London 2012 Olympian from taking aim at his countryman, questioning his resume of fighters and believing it couldn’t be compared to the list of fighters “The Truth” has shared the ring with.
“I mean, at the end of the day I’m a way better fighter than Terence Crawford. Who has he fought?” Spence asked. “I’ve fought Lamont Peterson, Chris Algieri, Kell Brook, I mean and how many fights he got 30 something fights.
“He’s a great fighter and things like that but you can’t put it to me. The guy he just fought for the undisputed light-welterweight championship of the world [Julius Indongo], Regis Prograis stopped him.”
Spence has established Crawford is off his radar at this point, one man who isn’t is current WBA ‘super’ welterweight champion Keith Thurman, who has been sidelined for 18 months with injury.
“I feel like me and Keith Thurman is the fight to make,” Spence stated.
“When 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.
“A 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.
“So once he comes back, and he has a great fight then they’ll be like ‘oh, what about Errol Spence and Keith Thurman.
“Like I said, Terence Crawford is on the wrong side of the street. There’s me, there’s Danny Garcia, we got Shawn Porter, we got Keith Thurman we got Ugas, we got a lot of fighters over here.”
