Terence Crawford wants to fight Errol Spence Jr. in 2023, but the unbeaten WBO welterweight champion still doesn’t feel like he needs to fight Spence to solidify his legacy.
Crawford contends that he has accomplished plenty in this brutal business, regardless of whether he ever faces Spence. The 35-year-old Omaha, Nebraska native has won world titles in three weight classes, became the first undisputed 140-pound champion of the four-belt era and has long drawn consensus consideration as one of the top three boxers, pound-for-pound, in the sport.
Crawford (38-0, 29 KOs) explained why his legacy is intact during a recent appearance on ESPN’s “Max On Boxing” show.
“Well, I think it’s a great fight for both our legacies and for boxing as a whole,” Crawford told host Max Kellerman. “But at the same time, you know, I think, you know, a lotta people is reaching when they say it’s gonna damage my legacy. You know, I’m a three-weight world champion, I’m a former undisputed world champion. You know, I have accomplished a lot in boxing. You know, so I really don’t think it’ll damage my legacy. You know, it’ll just go down as one of the biggest fights that never happened.”
Crawford, whose negotiations for a high-profile fight versus Spence ceased last month, reminded Kellerman that another elite welterweight of a previous generation didn’t face one of the rivals fans most wanted him to box.
“When you look back at, you know, ‘Sugar’ Ray Leonard versus Aaron Pryor,” Crawford said, “they never fought each other and, you know, both of them is still considered two of the greatest fighters that ever fought.”
Kellerman countered by noting that Leonard fought Tommy Hearns, an undefeated knockout artist at the time, in a welterweight championship unification showdown Leonard won by 14th-round technical knockout in September 1981 at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. During that lighthearted exchange, Crawford clarified that he still wants to fight Spence after he defends his WBO belt against Russian southpaw David Avanesyan (29-3-1, 17 KOs) on December 10 at CHI Health Center in Omaha.
“By no means am I not saying that it’s not important to get that fight,” Crawford said. “You know, like I been saying for years, that’s the fight that I want. That’s the fight that I been trying to secure. That’s the fight that fans wanna see. You know, but at some point, you know, all you could do is so much. I been doing all that I can to try to get that fight, and I’m still the one to be blamed for not making the fight happen. You know, so I’m gonna continue to try to, you know, get that fight done and, you know, sealed, so everybody can see who the best fighter in the world is. You know, that’s all I could do. That’s all I could do.”
If the heavily favored Crawford defeats Avanesyan, Spence (28-0, 22 KOs) also would need to successfully defend his IBF, WBA and WBC 147-pound crowns against another opponent, perhaps rival Keith Thurman (30-1, 22 KOs, 1 NC), for Crawford-Spence to remain a realistic possibility next year.
By Keith Idec