Spence vs. Crawford comes off the success of April’s Gervonta Davis vs. Ryan Garcia fight, which had a reported 1.2 million PPV buys and a $22.8 million gate, the fifth-largest gate for boxing in Nevada history. Per Coppinger, the fight has a bidirectional rematch clause that can be activated 30 days following the showdown.
Following years of delays and a tease of a fight in 2022, Errol Spence Jr. and Terence Crawford are finally ready to throw down.
The Ring first reported that Spence, the WBC, IBF, and WBA welterweight champion, will face WBO champion Crawford in July. Mike Coppinger later reported that the fight was confirmed for July 29. The fight is in Las Vegas and airs on Showtime PPV.
A Golden Gloves silver medalist, Crawford made his pro debut in 2008. Crawford became light welterweight champion in 2014 and, by 2017, held the WBO, WBC, WBA, and IBF titles. In 2018, Crawford beat Jeff Horn for the WBO welterweight title. He has defended the belt six times.
In his last fight, ‘Bud’ beat David Avanesyan via knockout in December. It was the first bout under the BLK Prime banner after he left Top Rank, suing the promotion and Bob Arum and seeking nearly $10 million after alleging “revolting racist bias” that resulted in him failing to secure big-money fights.
“The fans and I have both wanted this fight for years and now it is finally happening,” said Crawford. “This truly is a once in a generation fight, so come out to T-Mobile Arena or tune in to SHOWTIME PPV for the biggest fight in boxing. On July 29, I look forward to making history and becoming two-time undisputed champion of the world.”
Spence beat Kell Brook in 2017 for the IBF belt and Shawn Porter in 2019 for the WBC strap. He last fought in April 2022, beating Yordenis Ugas via TKO for the WBA welterweight title. That was his first fight since 2020, as he was recovering from a detached retina that forced a bout with Manny Pacquiao to get nixed.
“I’m truly excited to be a part of the biggest fight in boxing and the best welterweight matchup of the century,” said Spence. “Terence Crawford is a great fighter and our styles are going to make for a great fight. I told him and the world what I was going to do after I captured my first welterweight title and it’s been strap season ever since.
“On July 29, I’m going to put on a tremendous performance and become the undisputed king of the welterweight division. This is truly going to be a night to remember, one where history is made, and I want everyone to be a part of it.”
At first, there was a target date of November and December 2022 for a Spence-Crawford fight. Max Kellerman told Mike Coppinger there were disagreements in contract talks regarding events, expenses, and transparency, while Crawford went in-depth about how representatives from two unnamed hedge funds offered guaranteed purses of $25 million for himself and Spence.
Now, the fight for all the marbles is on!
Source: The Sporting News
