LAS VEGAS – Errol Spence Jr. is well aware of the scoring controversies in big fights in Las Vegas in recent years.
The unbeaten IBF/WBA/WBC welterweight champion won’t allow himself, however, to become consumed with the possibility of that happening again Saturday night at T-Mobile Arena in the biggest fight of his 10-year professional career. If Spence were to lose a disputable decision to Terence Crawford, Spence is certain that fans and other observers would still recognize him as the true winner of their 12-round welterweight title unification fight.
“It’s not a concern,” Spence told BoxingScene.com. “It’s not a concern at all. I’m not worried about it because there’s nothing I can do. I mean, the judges, they gonna decide whatever they decide. But as long as, you know, the fans and everybody else sees it and know who rightfully won, I feel like that’s what matters.”
Prevailing public opinion wouldn’t alter what would be the only blemish on his record, yet Spence would be assured a shot at redemption if Crawford defeats him in Spence’s debut as a headliner in Las Vegas. The Spence-Crawford loser can exercise an immediate rematch clause in his contract, which would give one of them the opportunity, unless their fight results in a draw or no-contest, to avenge his first professional defeat.
Spence (28-0, 22 KOs) has only one close result on his record – a 12-round, split-decision victory over Shawn Porter in their welterweight title unification fight in September 2019 at Staples Center in Los Angeles.
Crawford doesn’t have any debatable decision wins on his record (39-0, 30 KOs). The three-weight world champion from Omaha, Nebraska, also has won each of his seven welterweight bouts by knockout or technical knockout, including a 10th-round stoppage of Porter (31-4-1, 17 KOs) in November 2021 at Mandalay Bay’s Michelob ULTRA Arena.
Crawford looks at potentially divisive scoring of their Showtime Pay-Per-View main event the same way as Spence. It is up to him, Crawford contended, to make sure he leaves the judges no choice but to score their 147-pound title fight for him.
“My job is to go in there and do what I’m capable of doing and what I can control,” Crawford told a small group of reporters recently. “I can’t control what the judges see or how they mark [it] down or how they score things. My job is to make sure that there’s no [room] for them to, you know, cheat me or anything.”
The Nevada State Athletic Commission has assigned Nevada’s Tim Cheatham, Oklahoma’s David Sutherland and New Jersey’s Steve Weisfeld to judge Spence-Crawford (https://www.boxingscene.com/judge-who-scored-kambosos-hughes-draw-among-officials-assigned-spence-crawford–176419).
Crawford, 35, is slightly favored to beat Spence, a 33-year-old southpaw from DeSoto, Texas.
Crawford or Spence can become boxing’s first undisputed welterweight champion of the four-belt era. Only Crawford can earn the distinction of being the first male boxer to be crowned a fully unified champion in two weight classes during that same span.
Spence-Crawford will headline a four-fight pay-per-view show scheduled to start at 8 p.m. EDT (5 p.m. PDT; $84.99).
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.