Bob Arum Gives His Take Why Errol Spence v Terence Crawford Has Not Been Made
Perhaps the most desired fight in boxing today is a showdown between IBF/WBC World Welterweight champion Errol Spence Jr (27-0, 21 KOs) and WBO welterweight champ Terence Crawford (37-0, 28 KOs).
Up to this point, there has not been any serious movement towards making it a reality. All we have heard so far is back and forth chatter between the two camps.
RELATED: Terence Crawford: “If Not Spence or Pacquiao, I Will Fight Shawn Porter”
Crawford is promoted by Bob Arum. Appearing on The Three Knockdown Podcast, the CEO of Top Rank explained why the fight has not happened.
“I talked to Al Haymon, and he’s amenable to the fight. The only one who seems like he’s holding back on, and maybe because he doesn’t feel he can win the fight, is Errol Spence and that’s the truth.
Spence is the obstacle in making that fight. Not Al Haymon, not PBC, it’s Errol Spence. Spence throws out numbers and percentages. Again, we’re very confident in the fight.
We believe Crawford will beat him. Unfortunately, Spence believes the same. Don’t blame Haymon, don’t blame PBC, blame Spence. He doesn’t want to get beat by Crawford.”
WHAT’S MISSING IN THE EQUATION
Are Arum’s claims entirely true? It is hard to fathom Spence is ducking. He is a competitor and has previously stated he wants to fight Crawford.
In this sport, the prevailing attitude is, “what have you done for me lately?” Given that backdrop, who in this scenario dictates the terms? Who has the real pull? Or in boxing language, who is the real A-side? One could argue that would be Spence, not Crawford.
Making a fight of this magnitude is not easy. We are talking about two elite fighters; they should demand and receive a big reward to put it all on the line.
Spence is probably asking for a lot at the negotiation table, but has he not earned that right? He is the unified champion at 147 and has undoubtedly fought the much better competition at welterweight.
It would be a shame if Spence v Crawford is not made. That would stain both of their legacies. In the end, all the folks care about is this super-fight takes place. Fingers are being crossed that this fight becomes a reality.
By: Michael Wilson Jr.
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