Errol Spence Jr has given his verdict on where Terence Crawford stands among the greats of boxing.
His reaction came after Crawford’s mesmerising win at super-middleweight against Canelo Alvarez, which earned him a third undisputed championship in as many weight classes.
Spence knows all too well what it’s like to be on the wrong side of Crawford’s brilliance. The pair met in an undisputed welterweight title showdown over two years ago – a matchup that evoked memories of the 1980s era of Leonard, Hagler, Duran and Hearns. On that night, however, Spence was no match for Crawford, who pummelled him to a ninth-round stoppage defeat.
Speaking to Fight Hub TV, Spence, 22-1 (22 KOs), gave his opinion on Crawford’s latest historic achievement.
“Crawford did his thing, he looked good, strong, carried the weight well. He looked good, can’t say nothing bad about it.”
Many were left stunned by how not only Crawford handled the supposed bigger man, but how comfortably he won in the end. Spence, however, was not surprised.
“I wasn’t shocked. Canelo’s not a big guy anyway. Canelo started at ‘47lbs and came up to 168. I feel like Crawford, he walks around probably 169, 170 and whatever. So, I feel like it was kind of easy for him to make the weight. He looked good. He handled it well.”
Following the victory, Crawford labelled himself one of boxing’s greatest of all time. There can be no doubt he is a modern-day great – but what does Spence think?
“He is one of the greats for sure.”
Next year, Crawford may chase even more greatness with a potential move down to face current unified middleweight champion Janibek Alimkhanuly.
