Errol Spence, Jr. knows that Terence Crawford beat him badly, but that is not stopping him from taking another crack at getting his titles back. Spence’s trainer, Derrick James, announced on Thursday that his fighter has activated his rematch clause to face “Bud” again.
The next iteration of their matchup will probably happen at the 154-pound limit of junior middleweight — which Spence has always said he would go up to after his first fight against Crawford — the higher-weight class benefits Spence, the naturally larger man. However, Crawford’s dominant performance against Spence has many questioning whether he should make a second attempt.
In front of a sold-out crowd at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on July 29, Crawford knocked down Spence three times throughout the fight that only took nine rounds of a planned twelve. Crawford outclassed “The Big Fish” and battered him bloody, proving he was the top fighter at welterweight.
Big Fish In Bud’s Pond
The win made Crawford the first undisputed welterweight champion in the four-belt era, a feat neither Floyd Mayweather, Jr. nor Manny Pacquiao could accomplish during their time as welterweight kings.
Before the win, Crawford, already undisputed at light welterweight, was popularly considered the underdog regarding revenue and draw. The Vegas oddsmakers had him as the favorite to win before the fight, but many believed Spence to be the people’s favorite. After the win, Crawford has become the man in boxing, letting the world know that his ambitions have no bounds.
From talking trash immediately after the win in the ring to Spence’s stablemate, Jermell Charlo, to announcing his desire to face fellow undisputed champion Canelo Alvarez, “Bud” is owning his moment.
Is Spence Making A Mistake?
However, Spence holds all the chips for Crawford’s next bout, as they negotiated a rematch clause to be automatically Crawford’s next fight at the discretion of Spence if he lost. After the fight, Crawford received a parade in his native city of Omaha, Nebraska, and went on a media blitz.
Spence went on vacation to lick his wounds. After all, after the fight his stock went down, with even celebrity athletes like Paul Pierce taking potshots, saying the boxer can’t have the nickname “The Truth” that they share anymore because the beating Spence took “goes to show you there’s only one.”
Spence’s trainer James took a beating in the court of public opinion until his latest star pupil, Anthony Joshua, won his heavyweight match against Robert Helenius in the U.K. Now the pair want to regain the belts that made Spence one of the top draws in boxing, but does Terence Crawford have Errol Spence’s number in yet another weight class?
Spence had better hope not, because it would tarnish his boxing brand, possibly irreparably, if Crawford does.
