Errol Spence Jr. only knew one feeling. No matter if his bouts ended relatively early or he was forced to go the distance, he always slinked back to his dressing room with a gigantic grin on his face. His family stood by his side while he relived every moment of what just took place. Shortly after, Spence and company would normally celebrate with a post-fight victory.
It was a common tradition for Spence and his family. On July 29th, however, his routine completely changed.
Terence Crawford had been seething for years. The pound-for-pound star always believed that, of the two, he was the far superior fighter. But, due to the political side of boxing, the pair never settled the debate in the ring until that very night.
Candidly, there was nothing competitive about their undisputed clash. With Crawford (40-0, 31 KOs) dropping the former unified titlist on three separate occasions before finishing him off in the ninth, Spence walked back to his dressing room despondently.
His head sunk low as he was surrounded by family and friends, trying to make sense of what just happened. Still, despite the one-sided beating he endured, Spence (28-1, 22 KOs) isn’t unnerved over what took place. Just a few short days ago, the 33-year-old officially activated his immediate rematch clause. Now, the Dallas native will play the waiting game as he hopes Crawford will agree for their sequel to take place at 154 pounds.
July 29th was a star-studded event. From NBA players to iconic entertainers, practically everyone was in attendance. Amongst them, Claressa Shields also sat ringside.
Once news formally broke that Spence was jumping right back into the ring with the newly crowned undisputed welterweight champion, she cringed. Shields, a former Olympic teammate of Spence, has always been a fan of his.
Ultimately, she respects his decision to walk back into the fire after being on the receiving end of a brutal beating. In terms of how things will play out, Shields paused for a second. She thought long and hard about the possibility of both Spence and Crawford swapping fists at 154 pounds as opposed to 147.
She sat down and contemplated the scenarios. Yet, she couldn’t shake the lasting images of a beaten and bruised Spence on the canvas. While it won’t be as lopsided the second time around, Shields is convinced that Crawford simply has his number.
“I think he will train hard,” Shields told Marko Boxing during a recent interview. “I think he will be better. He can put forth a better effort but when somebody destroys you like that, they always got the ups on you.”