Fight fans know full well the welterweight fight they want to see next; or it could even be said of fight fans that they know what fight they want to see next regardless of weight division: Errol Spence against Terence Crawford, a fight that would have genuine Super-Fight status attached; a fight that would see two of the top-three or four (depending on your view) pound-for-pound fighters in the world today going at it for pretty much all the marbles. But will we see this fight, and if so will it be next?
Bob Arum insists this fight simply has to be made, and fans agree with him, but this does not mean it will get done. There are plenty of fighters wanting to get it on with either Crawford or Spence, or both, and it seems quite likely these two will indeed take another fight each this year before facing one another.
One man who has put his name forward for a shot at WBO welterweight ruler Crawford is Kell Brook. Eddie Hearn has also expressed interest in seeing this fight. But what would the paying fans make of it? And what would Arum make of it if this fight got made (remember, Uncle Bob has stated how fans should boycott Al Haymon’s PBC if Spence/Crawford is not made next)?
Brook was, along with quite a few other people, highly critical of Amir Khan, saying how he quit against Crawford this past Saturday night, and Brook now says that a fight between he and his countryman/intense rival is “dead” and that he wishes to fight the best of the best – and the former IBF welterweight champ wants Crawford as much as he wants a second go at Spence, the man who of course took his belt a couple of years ago.
Which fight would you rather see out of the two: Spence/Brook II or Crawford/Spence? I know, you are probably in no real rush to see either fight, but then who really, truly wanted to see Crawford against Khan? There are many (too many) fights made that nobody really wants to see and that’s a sad fact of boxing these days. Don’t be surprised if Brook gets a shot at Crawford. But if he did, would the Sheffield man be able to do any better against “Bud” than Khan did?
Brook should perhaps be careful when using the quitter label and tagging it on another fighter. Wasn’t it Brook who, in great pain for sure, took a knee when losing his cherished strap to Spence? Brook would also struggle mightily to make the 147 pound limit without depleting himself. If he did fight Crawford, chances are Brook would, like Khan, fail to see the final bell.
But again, this doesn’t in any way mean we won’t see this fight – or some other mismatch involving Crawford – get signed and sealed. Let’s face it, if Crawford fights anyone but Spence next he’s going to get criticized. Just who he fights next if it ain’t Spence will depend on just how much criticism Crawford has to listen to.
