Like many, Eddie Hearn was stupefied when the news of Terence Crawford’s choice of opponent was officially revealed.

After months of what appeared to be promising negotiations, Hearn was convinced that Crawford, the WBO welterweight trinket holder, would soon swap fists with unified champion, Errol Spence Jr. Yet, as both sides began fulminating bac

Like many, Eddie Hearn was stupefied when the news of Terence Crawford’s choice of opponent was officially revealed.

After months of what appeared to be promising negotiations, Hearn was convinced that Crawford, the WBO

k and forth, Crawford (38-0, 29 KOs) picked up his ball and went home. Having left Spence at the negotiating altar, Crawford will instead take on David Avanesyan on December 10th, at the Chi Health Center in Omaha, Nebraska.

From the moment news initially broke, Hearn admits that he let out a gigantic sigh. While the longtime promoter exhibited a considerable amount of excitement for a Crawford vs. Spence showdown, he’s somewhat understanding of Crawford’s position, despite having no interest in seeing him face Avanesyan.  

“I mean look, sooner or later Crawford has to fight,” said Hearn to Fight Hub TV. “He's been out for a long time. It’s obviously disappointing for boxing. Crawford vs. Avanesyan is a fight that no one wants to see.”

Before locking in the 34-year-old fringe contender as his next foe, Crawford sat sequestered on the sidelines for the entirety of the 2022 calendar year. Prior to his recent stretch of inactivity, Crawford was last spotted in the ring in November of 2021. In what amounted to the fifth defense of his WBO crown, Crawford fought past the bruising Shawn Porter, resulting in a 10th-round stoppage win.

Spence, on the other hand, treated his fans at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, to an action-packed night on April 16th, earlier this year. On the night, the 32-year-old would forcibly rip away the WBA 147-pound title from Yordenis Ugas. In doing so, the former Olympian became the proud holder of three of the four major world titles in the welterweight division.

Following his 10th-round KO victory, Spence (28-0, 22 KOs) immediately turned his attention towards Crawford, something the 35-year-old openly and gleefully welcomed. Nevertheless, regardless of both sides desperately wanting to prove their superiority, talks behind the scenes broke down.

According to Mike Coppinger of ESPN, Crawford continually harped upon his need to be given full financial transparency. In any event, an undisputed battle has officially gone by the wayside for the time being. While Hearn wasn't privy to talks, he has a hunch that both Crawford and Spence’s financial demands were the straw that broke the camel's back.

Although Hearn admits that the boxing world is anxious to witness the pound-for-pound tandem square-off, he comes to the conclusion that from a broader standpoint, their monetary requirements are simply out of touch with reality.

“Sometimes, the fighter's expectancy of how much money they should make in a fight isn't real life. The problem with Spence vs. Crawford is, to us, to people in boxing, it’s a massive fight. But to the general world, it’s not as big as you think it is. So, therefore, the money these guys want is not necessarily achievable.”