For seemingly forever, fans were interested in seeing how a matchup between Errol Spence Jr. and Terence Crawford would play out. Would Spence’s size and perpetual engine simply overwhelm the pound-for-pound star? Or could Crawford’s skills be counted upon to get the job done? (photo by Ryan Hafey)
But while those were legitimate questions heading into their July 29th showdown, one thing everyone could agree upon is this – it was going to be an incredibly competitive fight.
Those final thoughts, however, were flat-out wrong. Crawford dominated from the get-go, dropping the former unified champion on three separate occasions before eventually stopping him in the ninth.
Although there weren’t many positives to extract, Spence believes that he can still win. But, with the 33-year-old officially activating his immediate rematch clause, even some of his biggest supporters are convinced that he made a gigantic mistake.
Demetrius Andrade, a former Olympian and two-division champion, doesn’t share the same thoughts as most. Facing Crawford may come across as facetious and pointless but Andrade isn’t willing to write him off. From his point of view, Spence is merely pushing all his chips back to the center of the table.
“There’s nothing wrong with him daring to be great again,” Andrade told Fight Hub TV. “Go, give it your second best, and whatever happens, happens.”
He isn’t picking sides but Andrade cringes at the thought of Spence vs. Crawford part two. Competitive isn’t a word Andrade would use to describe their first meeting but he does understand why Spence has decided to do it again. What is confusing, however, was the Dallas native’s response just minutes after referee Harvey Dock waved off their first clash.
The smile Spence normally sports after his ring appearances was gone. It was replaced by a look of despondency and disbelief. He walked into his locker room, sat on his stool, and attempted to figure out what went wrong.
It may have been a tenuous performance but Andrade isn’t a fan of the kicking lambasting Spence has been doing to himself. Instead of continuing to down his efforts, Andrade believes that Spence should simply look at the Hall of Fame resume of Crawford. It may not placate his feelings towards his efforts but considering that Crawford has done this to practically everyone, Spence should go ahead and give himself a pass.
“To lose against somebody who was undisputed in two divisions and that’s undefeated. You can’t get mad at yourself for losing against the very best person. It’s nothing to be ashamed of.”