Errol Spence: “Get back to the drawing board!”
When it comes to the subject of the welterweight division, the bout that all fight fans are clamoring for is Errol “The Truth” Spence Jr vs Terence “Bud” Crawford. The highly talented combatants are near universally viewed as the top two in the division and boxing enthusiasts crave a showdown to prove who’s the best!
The biggest obstacle preventing this premium prizefight is their promotional divide. Spence, managed by Al Haymon, is in league with the PBC. Crawford, on the other hand, has aligned himself with Bob Arum’s Top Rank Promotions.
Aside from the antagonistic promoter angle, there is the notion of how the money should be split.
Earlier this week, Bob Arum provided a brief interview to Yahoo Sports. It was here the subject of a purse split arose. With both men being top-tier within the division, Arum theorized they should split the money down the middle.
Since that time, however, in a separate interview, Spence gave his personal point of view on the matter; a point of view that totally negates Arum’s stand point.
“I feel like he was a failure on the promotional side. So, I think Bob needs to get back to the drawing board if he thinks me and Crawford’s gonna be a 50-50, down-the-middle deal.
“If I’m bringing in probably over 400,000 pay-per-view buys and he’s doing a hundred and something, why should we split it if we fight each other?”
Errol Spence Jr – IBF Welterweight Champion
By comparison, this more than doubles the roughly 150,000 that Crawford vs Khan secured. This supports Spence’s stance against why they should split the money down the middle.
Weighing Perspective
Frankly, it is hard to argue Spence Jr’s point. To make matters even worse for Team Crawford, being a part of the PBC stable, “The Truth” also has a much deeper reservoir of fighters to face. Therefore, not only do the numbers favor Spence heading into negotiations, he can realistically “starve” Crawford out by fighting a number of intriguing in-house fights.
As proof, Spence Jr just announced a unification with WBC champion and stable mate Shawn Porter. Fight fans have already begun foaming at the mouth for this all but guaranteed barn-burner.
In the end, boxing fans can only hope that the Spence Jr v Crawford is realized soon, because it really is one of the best potential match-ups to be made today.
By: Bakari Simpson
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