Errol Spence Jr. and Terence Crawford made fans wait over five years to see them square off. But just because they’ll officially swap fists on July 29th, at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, that doesn’t mean it’ll be a one-and-done sort of event.
Negotiations were long and drawn out and both sides were forced to give up a bit more than they wanted. Still, the pair made sure that an immediate rematch was baked into their deal. No matter who comes out on the losing end, Spence and Crawford will have the opportunity to run things back.
For Crawford, the thought of losing seldom runs through his mind. Who can blame him? In 39 career fights, the current WBO welterweight champion hasn’t experienced a single close call. When last seen, the 35-year-old toyed with David Avanesyan, easily stopping him in the sixth round of their clash in December.
Spence, in the meanwhile, reluctantly remained idle. Before sitting on the sidelines for well over a year, the WBC, WBA, and IBF titlist steamrolled Yordenis Ugas in April of 2022.
Breaking faces and stripping fighters of their championship status has become the norm for Spence. In Crawford though, he acknowledges that he faces an entirely different animal. Crawford didn’t simply wake up one day and find himself at the top of virtually every pound-for-pound list for no reason. His high placement amongst those listings came through hard work and in-ring masteries, something that Spence recognizes.
In the eyes of many, Spence vs. Crawford is simply too good of a fight to see only once. Regardless of the final outcome, most are convinced that a sequel, if not a trilogy, will be upon us. Those sentiments, however, are just wishful thinking.
The way Spence sees it, if he dominates Crawford round after round, there won’t be a need for a rematch.
“If I beat the wood out of him,” said Spence on The Pivot Podcast. “He probably won’t take it.”