Terence Crawford wants to prove his critics wrong when he faces off against Errol Spence Jr. on July 29 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
During the buildup of the fight, Spence and trainer Derrick James have both blasted the three-division champion Bud’s resume.
At the age of 35, and heading into his fortieth fight, Crawford (39-0, 30 KOs) is still seeking a career-defining win. A victory against Spence and an undisputed welterweight title clinching win would surely serve one of the sport’s top pound-for-pound star’s resume right.
“After this fight, everybody that had something negative to say about Terence Crawford will eat their words, and they will give me the respect that I rightfully deserve. If they don’t, that’s something they will have to deal with,” Crawford said in an interview with BoxingScene.com and other reporters.
“That just shows the lack of knowledge that these people hold. A lot of people say that I don’t have the resume. I just laugh at them. Come July 29, it doesn’t matter who I’ve fought.”
Since entering the welterweight division in 2018, the WBO champion Crawford’s hit list at 147 pounds includes Jeff Horn, Jose Benavidez Jr., Amir Khan, Egidijus, Kavaliauskas, Kell Brook, Shawn Porter, and David Avanesyan.
During Crawford’s 140-pound undisputed title run, he beat a ho-hum group of opponents that featured Thomas Dulorme, Dierry Jean, Henry Lundy, Viktor Postol, John Molina Jr., Felix Diaz, and Julius Indongo.
Crawford became a world title holder for the first time when he went on the road to the United Kingdom to beat Ricky Burns in a 135-pound fight. Crawford called that clash as the greatest fight of his 15-year career.
The slugfest with Spence should certainly take over that billing as soon as the final bell rings.
“I don’t get overconfident or anything. I just make sure I am doing the things I need to do to better myself,” said Crawford. “I feel as though Errol will make more adjustments along the way and he won’t just fight the same fight the whole fight. I expect him to make adjustments. He’s a great professional.”
Manouk Akopyan is a sports journalist, writer, and broadcast reporter. He’s also a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and the MMA Journalists Association. He can be reached on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube at @ManoukAkopyan, through email at manouk[dot]akopyan[at]gmail.com, or via www.ManoukAkopyan.com.