Two and a half years on from Terence Crawford vs. Errol Spence and one of the two fighters is now happily retired while the other is still to return, writes Elliot Worsell.
On most occasions, Derrick James is the cool guy in the room. He sits back, barely says a single word, and doesn’t go out seeking the spotlight. Even when confronted, the 2022 Trainer of the Year doesn’t sweat it. For much of the build-up between Terence Crawford and Errol Spence Jr., James remained in character. However, during one particular press conference, James found himself screaming at the top of his lungs in a heated debate with opposing coach, Brian “Bomac” McIntyre.
Terence Crawford understands that Errol Spence Jr. had to backpedal on some of his demands at the negotiating table in order for their undisputed welterweight fight to become a reality.
Who will win? Terence Crawford or Errol Spence Jr.? Before things played out the way they did on July 29th, you would be hard-pressed to find a consensus answer to that question.
Like the rest of us, Canelo Alvarez was interested in seeing how Terence Crawford vs. Errol Spence Jr. would play out. With the two finally squaring off on July 29th, at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, Alvarez grabbed himself some popcorn, purchased the pay-per-view, and watched every second of every round. Before they officially got it on, the pound-for-pound star believed that, despite Spence being a great fighter in his own right, that Crawford simply had too many tools in his toolbox. He was right.
Errol Spence Jr. has always been the big bad bully of the welterweight division. That, in part, is one of the reasons why the boxing public was split on who would come out on top in his undisputed showdown against Terence Crawford.
Terence Crawford officially became the man to talk about. Heading into his undisputed showdown against Errol Spence Jr., opinions were split right down the middle. Jermell Charlo, however, was standing firmly on the side of his stablemate.
Paulie Malignaggi made sure to clear his schedule on the night of July 29th. With Errol Spence Jr. and Terence Crawford finally agreeing to face off for all of the welterweight marbles, the former two-division champ didn’t want to miss a single second of the action.
The time to fight Terence Crawford as a welterweight was when he was just starting out as one, some five-odd years ago, according to his longtime trainer Brian McIntyre.
Terence Crawford is practically numb to the alibis and asterisks that he says typically follow his fights. That includes the latest justifications that have dribbled out in the wake of his rousing ninth-round technical knockout of Errol Spence Jr.