Gary Russell Jr. doesn’t keep up with the sport he’s involved in but even he was interested in seeing how Errol Spence Jr. vs. Terence Crawford would play out. (photo by Ryan Hafey)
Before they officially swapped fists in the center of the ring, Russell was expecting an all-out war and a terrific overall fight. In the end, however, the former WBC featherweight champ was convinced that Spence would be a little too big and strong for the smaller Crawford.
First round not included, Crawford (40-0, 31 KOs) turned what many believed was a 50/50 showdown into one-way traffic. Normally sturdy, Spence hit the deck on three occasions, including twice in the seventh.
From the comfort of his couch, Russell moved closer and closer to his television set in disbelief. With Crawford barely breaking a sweat, the Maryland native had no problem with giving him his credit. With that said, something about Spence’s performance just didn’t sit right with Russell.
“I feel like something was wrong with Errol going into that fight,” Russell told BoxingScene.com. “I don’t know what it could’ve been. I think something neurologically was off.”
The chatter around Spence is exactly what Russell is alluding to. But, to his credit, he refused to give a single excuse for what took place. Some, nevertheless, have pointed to Spence’s issues outside of the ring over the years. In 2019, the former unified welterweight champ was involved in a horrific car wreck. In 2022, Spence (28-1, 22 KOs) was forced to undergo surgery to repair a torn/detached retina.
Those physical problems, however, didn’t stop Spence from taking care of business against Danny Garcia and stopping Yordenis Ugas in back-to-back bouts. Still, while he looked spectacular in those outings, Russell isn’t backing off the notion that Spence simply wasn’t right heading into the biggest fight of his life.
“Yea he could’ve came back with Danny and Ugas but something was off when he fought Terence.”