Bob Arum doesn’t consider Terence Crawford-Errol Spence Jr. a fight that finally could occur in 2020 or even in 2021.
Based on what Arum has been told recently regarding Spence’s recovery from injuries suffered during a car accident in October, Crawford’s promoter suspects Spence won’t be physically ready to return to the ring anytime soon. Spence, of DeSoto, Texas, hasn’t offered any updates on how he’s healing from injuries incurred when he crashed his Ferrari in the early-morning hours of October 10 in downtown Dallas.
The 29-year-old Spence’s handlers haven’t commented on his health over the past two months, either.
Arum maintained as part of a new interview with IFL TV that a reliable source has informed him that Spence won’t be able to fight for “the foreseeable future” due to his injuries. Spence, who was charged with driving while intoxicated once he was released from the hospital, reportedly suffered facial lacerations and damaged his teeth in that one-car crash.
“I don’t think [Crawford-Spence will] happen next year,” Arum told IFL TV for an interview that posted to its YouTube channel Thursday night. “I don’t think it’ll happen the year after. And it’s not because promoters don’t want it to happen. [It’s] because I have grave doubts whether Errol Spence will be back in the ring in the foreseeable future. [As unfortunate] as that may be, and I have received some inside intelligence that allows me to say that.
“So, I mean, let’s pass on Errol Spence because until we see him face to face, until he appears in public, until we can establish that he’s ready to go back into the ring, it’s unfortunate, but let’s not talk about him. He’s a lovely young man. That was a horrible accident that he had. And just leave it at that.”
The 88-year-old Arum declined to reveal who updated him on Spence’s health.
“I don’t think that would be appropriate, but it is good information,” Arum said. “It’s, very unfortunately, very good information.”
Earlier this week, Arum told BoxingScene.com that he would like to match Crawford with Shawn Porter next now that Spence isn’t available. Porter (30-3-1, 17 KOs) lost a split decision to Spence (26-0, 21 KOs) in an action-packed, closely contested, 12-round, 147-pound title unification match September 28 at Staples Center in Los Angeles.
Crawford (35-0, 26 KOs) first must defeat Egidjius Kavaliauskas (21-0-1, 17 KOs) in their main event Saturday night at Madison Square Garden in New York (ESPN; 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT). Lithuania’s Kavaliauskas is the mandatory challenger for Crawford’s WBO welterweight title.
Crawford-Porter wouldn’t be a welterweight title unification fight. Porter lost the WBC title to Spence, who also owns the IBF belt.
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.