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Errol Spence Jr. has kept a mostly low profile since suffering a one-sided stoppage defeat by Terence Crawford for the undisputed welterweight title.
Spence was thrust back into the spotlight over the weekend in Las Vegas, this time as a promoter backing his charge, Frank Martin, in an eighth-round knockout loss to Gervonta “Tank” Davis.
During fight week, Spence fielded plenty of questions about Crawford – especially about his conqueror’s chances against undisputed super middleweight champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez.
“If Crawford wants to challenge himself to be great, let him try to be great,” Spence said. “I’m with it. I’d be going for Bud if he fights Canelo. I don’t know if he’d win or lose, but if anybody can pull it off, he can pull it off. He’s chasing greatness, so why not?
“Canelo came up to 175 and fought [Sergey] Kovalev and the other guy [Dmitrii Bivol], too. If he can do it, and he started at 147, why can’t Crawford do it?”
Crawford is keen on the Alvarez fight, but the Mexican is not after previously stating he’d be open to it. Boxing power broker Turki Alalshikh, of the General Entertainment Authority, is very interested in staging a super showdown.
The three-division champion Crawford will make his 154-pound debut against the WBA titleholder Israil Madrimov on August 3 in Los Angeles – a division Spence is also moving into.
Spence said he is slated to face the super-welterweight titleholder Sebastian Fundora in either October or November.
He’s also involved in a fight outside of the ring, because he and his long-time trainer Derrick James are suing each other.
Spence, 34, has even hinted at retirement.
“I ain't firm on it, but I can go out the door anytime,” he said.
Manouk Akopyan is a sports journalist, writer and broadcast reporter. He’s also a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and the MMA Journalists Association. He can be reached on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube at @ManoukAkopyan, through email at manouk[dot]akopyan[at]gmail.com or via www.ManoukAkopyan.com.
