Terence Crawford and Errol Spence Jr. don’t talk often.

When they do communicate, the undefeated welterweight champions convey their supposed superiority over one another. Crawford recounted some of their conversations as part of Chris Mannix’s most recent Sports Illustrated boxing podcast.

“I wouldn’t say we talk [regularly], but I hit him up a couple of times and, you know, we got on FaceTime and spoke briefly,” Crawford said. “It was just, you know, us talking about making the fight. That was pretty much it. I told him I was gonna f--k him up.”

Crawford laughed after making that statement, but that is exactly what the WBO welterweight champion expects to happen if they ever meet in what’s one of boxing’s most anticipated matchups.

“It’s real,” Crawford said. “I truly feel like when we fight, I’m gonna f--k him up. You know, and he feel the same way. So, that’s why it makes for a great fight. You’ve got the two top welterweights in the division telling the media that they gonna f--k each one up, you know. So, let’s see who’s telling the truth at the end of the day.”

Spence and Crawford most recently talked trash when they were seated near one another at ringside for the Tyson Fury-Deontay Wilder rematch February 22 at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Crawford reminded Spence that’s the type of enormous event they could create if they signed contracts for a welterweight title unification fight.

“My seat was right behind, catty-corner, right behind him and his [seat] was in front of me,” Crawford said. “And I had tapped him. You know what I mean? He turned around, like, ‘See.’ Like I just let him know like, ‘This gonna be us, you know what I mean?’ And he was just like, ‘Man, I’m gonna wash you.’ I was like, ‘Yeah? You’ve gotta get in the ring to do that first.’ You know what I mean? So, you know, it was just little jokes between us two.”

The 30-year-old Spence (26-0, 21 KOs), of DeSoto, Texas, has recovered from injuries he suffered during a one-car accident October 10 in Dallas. Spence expects to defend his IBF and WBC 147-pound crowns either in September or October, but he won’t fight Crawford next.

The 32-year-old Crawford (36-0, 27 KOs), of Omaha, Nebraska, mentioned England’s Kell Brook (39-2, 27 KOs) and Brazil’s Patrick Teixeira (31-1, 22 KOs), the WBO junior middleweight champion, as potential opponents for his next fight. Crawford was tentatively scheduled to box June 13, but his bout was pushed back indefinitely due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

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