Patience is something that Terence Crawford both practices and preaches. Come July 29th, however, stoicism may not be the most pragmatic approach.
Errol Spence Jr., the current IBF, WBA, and WBC 147-pound champion, and Crawford’s upcoming dance partner, has been known for getting right to work from the very beginning. Crawford, as previously mentioned, enjoys taking his time out there – constantly observing his opponent, searching and prodding for a weakness. Once he finds one, he exploits it.
In his search for a chink in the armor, Crawford normally finds himself down on the scorecards or in an extremely close battle until he flips the script. His propensity for what most would categorize as a slow start, figures to put him at a major disadvantage against Spence.
With their undisputed clash getting closer and closer, Spence (28-0, 22 KOs) begins envisioning how things will play out. While Crawford’s pattern has been key in him winning 39 consecutive fights, Spence assumes that against him, the pound-for-pound star won’t follow his typical routine.
“I see him coming out probably a bit more assertive than he usually is,” Spence told FightHype.com.
There’s a ton of noise surrounding Spence vs. Crawford. And no matter how much Spence tries to drown it out, he hears it loud and clear…so does Crawford.
Despite immuring himself in training camp in Colorado Springs, Spence knows good and well that team Crawford can hear the critics from a mile away. Their number one sticking point is Crawford’s need to download, slow down the tempo, and fight at his own pace. As Spence alluded to before, he isn’t expecting Crawford to sit on the back foot and download data for the first few rounds. With an all-out brawl likely from the opening bell, Spence reiterates that he’s preparing himself for a bellicose Crawford come the night of their fight.
“I know everybody’s saying it. He’s hearing it, his coach is hearing it so they are going to try and change things up and do things differently. I see him coming out a little faster.”