By: Hans Themistode
Errol Spence Jr. promises he’s a man of his word. Several years ago, the unified welterweight champion stated that a showdown with WBO belt holder Terence Crawford is in his near future. But, first things first, the Dallas native expressed a desire in “cleaning up his side of the street.” Meaning, he wanted to collect every single welterweight world title in his PBC stable before attempting to negotiate a deal with team Crawford.
While fans were seemingly willing to wait initially, many have grown impatient. Despite their frustrations, Spence Jr. (27-0, 21 KOs) has continued on his path and will move one step closer to making his dreams a reality. The powerful southpaw is currently scheduled to take on Manny Pacquiao on August 21st, in Las Vegas, Nevada. Pacquiao, the WBA “Champion in Recess” is likely to regain full champion status according to WBA President, Gilberto Mendoza.
If everything goes according to Spence Jr.’s plan, he said he’ll immediately turn his attention to Crawford. But, if for some reason negotiations break down, Spence Jr. explained that he has a plan B.
“Once I get that belt, like I told Al (Haymon), I want that fight with Terence Crawford,” said Spence Jr. during an interview with Barbershop Conversations. “But if it don’t happen, I’ll probably just move up.”
Crawford, 33, was last seen in the ring in November of 2020 against fringe contender and former champion Kell Brook. It took the Omaha native only four rounds to get rid of his man in The Bubble at the MGM Grand, in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Before a showdown between Spence Jr. and Pacquiao was announced, team Crawford was quietly working behind the scenes to lock down a deal of his own to face the future first-ballot Hall of Famer.
According to promoter Bob Arum, a Crawford vs. Pacquiao contest was as good as done. However, due to financial reasons, their deal fell apart. While it’s unclear what Crawford (37-0, 28 KOs) will do now, Spence Jr. has already placed a target on his back, provided of course, he defeats Pacquiao.
With that said, considering that Crawford has stated on multiple occasions that he is no longer interested in facing Spence Jr., a deal could become complicated. If discussions do in fact become a hassle, Spence Jr. wouldn’t hesitate to walk away from the negotiating table completely.
“I’m not gonna waste my time trying to fight somebody who said he don’t have any interest anymore.”