Terence ‘Bud’ Crawford says they’re still trying to put together the undisputed welterweight clash with IBF/WBA/WBC champion Errol Spence Jr. for later this year. WBO 147-lb belt-holder Crawford (38-0, 29 KOs) remains hopeful the match can get put together.
What makes things difficult is the 34-year-old Crawford only has one belt to Spence’s three, and he’s not a huge pay-per-view attraction or ticket seller like him.
Although Crawford is ranked ahead of Spence in Ring Magazine’s pound-for-pound list at #3 to his #4, there’s not enough of a cushion to help in the negotiations.
If the Spence vs. Crawford fight doesn’t happen next, perhaps it can down the road.
What would help is if Crawford moves up to 154 right away and fights the winner of the Jermell Charlo vs. Tim Tszyu fight for the undisputed junior middleweight championship.
Capturing the four belts at 154 would give Crawford a huge boost when it comes to negotiating a fight with Spence.
What helps Crawford get a fight with Jermell is that he’s not close friends with him like Spence is. Due to Charlo’s friendship with Spence, it’s safe to say he’s NEVER going to agree to fight him.
“Ain’t no updates yet. We’re still trying to figure things out. Hopefully, we can get this thing done and get it done soon,” said Terence Crawford to Fighthype, when asked about the progress on the negotiations with Errol Spence Jr. for an undisputed welterweight clash in 2022.
“I can’t wait until it’s my time to shine and walk that stage to greatness and history and the record books,” said Terence.
“Crawford reminds me of me, so I think you know how I feel about that,” said retired former light heavyweight champion Antonio Tarver to Fighthype.
“Nobody else is going to say that, but I’m going to say that. The way he approaches that, he don’t see none of those guys. He don’t care about none of those guys. He got that real dog in him, and that’s why I say he reminds me of me.
“I just think the man can do so much in the ring. I can see what [Jermell] Charlo can do, I can see what Spence can do. I’ve seen what Spence can do, but he hasn’t shown me that he can make a lot of adjustments.
“When I look at Spence’s style, I see a lot of the same things. An aggressive boxer, but I’ve never seen him boxing going back. I’ve never seen him use his counter-punching ability. I’ve never seen him block, make a mother f*** miss, and make a mother f*** pay.
“There are levels to this, but these guys. When you’re looking at it from my eyes, there’s a different understanding of the game. So I can critique those guys. I don’t care who they is. I can critique their a**.
“I don’t know,” said Tarver when asked if he sees Crawford stopping Spence. “I’m just telling you that I believe Crawfford has the ability to do more things in the ring. I’ve seen him do more than things in the ring.
“I’ve seen him fight ambidextrous, I’ve seen him knock mother f*** out with both hands, and I’ve seen him fight, I’ve seen him box, I’ve seen him counterpunch, I’ve seen him do a lot of things in the ring.
“When I see Errol Spence’s fights, I don’t see a lot of that. I see a lot of the same things, the same approach. The way he knocked my boy [Kell Brook] out in England. The same thing aggressively, and the same way fighting, bro.
“When you fight a guy like Bud Crawford, you got to have a lot of different things to your game. That’s how I feel. That’s my take,” said Tarver.
