Errol Spence Jr. believes he’ll encounter the absolute best version of Terence Crawford when they at long last square off July 29 in Las Vegas.

The unbeaten IBF/WBA/WBC welterweight champion anticipates an absolute dogfight from his rival as they vie to become boxing’s first fully unified 147-pound champion of the four-belt era. Eventually, however, Spence expects to wear down Crawford both mentally and physically in their Showtime Pay-Per-View main event at T-Mobile Arena ($84.99).

Spence spoke about their fascinating fight Saturday night during the Frank Martin-Artem Harutyunyan card at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas.

“It’s gonna be a battle of the will and who can break who down,” said Spence, whose company, Man Down Promotions, represents Martin. “And I know that I can break him down. I know that he’s not as durable as me and my skill set is gonna overpower anything that he brings to the table.”

Crawford and Spence have similar mindsets and work habits, but experts consider Crawford one of the smartest, most versatile boxers in the sport. The Omaha, Nebraska native is also a ferocious finisher, despite that he typically is smaller than his 147-pound opponents.

The 33-year-old Spence, of DeSoto, Texas, stands about two inches taller than Crawford. The 5-foot-10 Spence (28-0, 22 KOs) also has fought at or near the welterweight limit throughout a professional career he launched after representing the United States at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.

The 35-year-old Crawford, meanwhile, has competed in the welterweight division for the past five years. Crawford (39-0, 30 KOs) previously won world titles in the lightweight and junior welterweight divisions, though, and the former undisputed 140-pound champion will have to deal with height and weight disadvantages when the bell rings for their 12-round championship unification fight.

When asked Saturday night how he would “overpower” Crawford, Spence replied, “Basically everything – it doesn’t matter what it is. You know, just me being fundamentally sound, me being defensively responsible and just staying focused the whole fight.”

His confidence notwithstanding, Spence is listed as an underdog – albeit barely – for the first time in his 10-year pro career against Crawford, who will defend his WBO welterweight title.

Spence will end a 15-month layoff when he encounters Crawford. The strong southpaw hasn’t boxed since he stopped Cuba’s Yordenis Ugas (27-5, 12 KOs) in the 10th round of their title unification fight in April 2022 at the Dallas Cowboys’ AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

Crawford-Spence will headline a four-fight pay-per-view show scheduled to start at 8 p.m. EDT (5 p.m. PDT).

 

Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.