LOS ANGELES — Top Rank boss Bob Arum maintains the notion that it’s a matter of when, not if, in regard to a super fight between Terence Crawford and Errol Spence Jr. being staged.
Arum points to his repaired relationship with PBC head Al Haymon as a reason for the fight to finally happen, and the fact that they’re currently working as cohorts as part of a massive ESPN and Fox co-promotion for the rematch between Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury.
Arum feels that the framework has been established with Haymon to stage super fights together, much like they did in the past for a matchup between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao.
“Al told me last year that we would get [Crawford-Spence] this year,” said Arum. “Then the [Spence] accident happened. I don’t know whether the accident effects whether they’ll fight this year. We’ll see. I would like the fight this year, but it depends on Spence’s health.”
Arum emphasized that it’s a matter of time until the fight happens.
Both Crawford and Spence fired shots at each other on Twitter earlier this year, teasing fans even more that a fight one day between the two champions would take place.
The 30-year-old Spence (26-0, 21 KOs), the WBC and IBF champion, said he will fight again this year after surviving a scary car crash last October.
The 33-year-old Crawford (36-0, 27 KOs), the WBO champion, meanwhile, is entertaining thoughts of a dual crossover fight with UFC star Conor McGregor.
Once the Wilder-Fury fight is over in Feb. 22, Arum and Haymon should be inclined to carry the conversation over to delivering on a career-defining fight for their respective welterweight greats.
Manouk Akopyan is a sports journalist and member of the Boxing Writers Assn. of America since 2011. He has written for the likes of the LA Times, Guardian, USA Today, Philadelphia Inquirer, Men’s Health and NFL.com and currently does TV commentary for combat sports programming that airs on Fox Sports and hosts his own radio show in Los Angeles. He can be reached on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube at @ManoukAkopyan or via email at manouk.akopyan@gmail.com.