Via Chris Williams: Terence Crawford says he’s not worried about his legacy if a fight against Errol Spence Jr never happens. The 35-year-old Crawford (38-0.29 KOs) feels he’s done enough during his 14-year career to be satisfied.
Terence was in danger of facing the first elite opponent of his career, Spence, but he unexpectedly withdrew and signed to face David Avanesyan.
That move by Crawford sent alarm bells to fans, who interpreted it as a case of his cold feet.
Crawford points out that he’s a former three-time world champion and undisputed champion, and he thinks he’s done more than enough to leave a solid legacy.
Fans will beg to differ, feeling that Crawford’s world titles and the majority of his wins have come before feeble opposition. We just saw a boxer with a similar record get exposed in Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez (44-1, 30 KOs) last weekend.
Like Crawford, Ramirez has set a glittering unbeaten record. However, it was smoke and mirrorHowever, since he had never fought anyone good until he met Dmitry Bivol last weekend and was defeated.
Max Kellerman: “Looks like you and Errol Spence were trying to make the biggest & best fight in boxing come true, and then it all fell apart. What happened?” Max said to ESPN.
Terence Crawford: “Well, you know, things got pulled out a lot. We did our best to get that fight. We’re getting close to it, but we want to be a little more transparent about budget write-offs. When we had money, we wanted an open book. “
Kellerman: “You agreed to fight Spence with no guarantees just for the money in the backend. Not the total net profit of the war.
“So you want to keep an eye on the books. How much are they spending on the promotion, etc., and you want access to it and you want to be able to agree to those expenditures.
“Al Haymon, Spence’s mentor, but the guy seems to be running the show there [at PBC] won’t have it. So in the end, you say, ‘We can’t move forward.’ Is that an accurate description of what happened? “
Crawford: “Sure. It’s a whole bunch of, ‘Why do you need this? Why do you need that? May I ask you what’s the reasoning behind this and what’s the reasoning behind it?’
“It was basically an ongoing thing until I was like, ‘Okay, that’s great. I’ll go somewhere else,’ and that’s when we started getting news from them.”
Kellerman: “I and many others not only think that Crawford-Spence is not only one of the best matches you can make, but it is also very important to both of their legacies. How do you feel about that?
“Do you believe the war will happen, and if the Spence war doesn’t happen, is that something you think will damage your legacy in any way, or whether anyone else is at Would the 147-pound level capture your interest in the same way?”
Crawford: “Well, I think it was a great fight both for our legacy and for boxing in general. But at the same time, I think a lot of people are reaching out when they say it will damage my legacy.
“I am a three-weight world champion; I am an undisputed former champion. I’ve done a lot in boxing, so I don’t think it’s going to damage my legacy. It will only go down as one of the biggest fights ever.
“When you look back at Sugar Ray Leonard and Aaron Pryor, they never fought. Both are considered two of the greatest warriors ever fought.”
Kellerman: “Terence, yes, that war never happened, and it will be a really interesting fight. But when it was all over, Sugar Ray was here, and Tommy Hearns was over there, and they moved on. That happened.
“That’s why he’s Sugar Ray Leonard. It was an uphill battle. He looked like he was about to lose. By the way, Errol Spence, a long male tennis player, has a high working speed, a good chin, plays defensively when he wants to, a good shot. Bud how to overcome that?
“Even if I think you should be favored in that and other games, it has that juice because the dust has settled. There’s Bud, and there’s Errol Spence. You mean tell me right now that getting that man isn’t important to you? “
Crawford: “No, I’m not saying that it’s not important to have that fight. As I’ve said for years, that’s the fight I want. That was the fight I was trying to secure.
“It’s the fight the fans want to see. At any given time, I can only do so much. I did all I could to try to get that war, and I’m still the one to blame for that war that didn’t happen.
“I will keep trying to finish that fight and get it sealed so everyone can see who is the best boxer in the world. That’s all I can do.”
Kellerman: “From a combat fan’s point of view, when I think about the best things I could see in this world, some of the most amazing things. Things that make a combat fan’s life worth living. I think of Bud Crawford and Errol Spence.
“I need to see that, and I appreciate that you seem to be the one trying to make it happen. I have a question for you about another welterweight fighter, and he hasn’t proven it yet.
“I asked you this once when I worked for ESPN and covered your games. I’ll talk to you when you’re keeping an eye on the others out there. Game recognition game; real realize real, who do you see. I actually said it would be Errol Spence.
“The other guy I see out there that is really interesting is Boots Ennis. If you can’t get Errol Spence into the ring while watching Boots, do you see anything special there?
Crawford: “Yes, of course. He was a very talented kid; he’s young, he’s strong, he’s big, he’s fast and he’s convertible. I’ve been watching him since he was an amateur, just like I watched Errol Spence.
“I see a lot of determination, skill and dedication in the kid. He’s on his way up. He will become a force to be reckoned with.”
Kellerman: “Bud, you are over 30 now. You were at light weight, light weight and now you are at light weight. How long will you be doing this?
“It looks like you are still at the peak of your power. How long are you going to do this?”
Crawford: “I don’t know. Right now, I still love sports, and my soul is still quite young. I don’t drink; I don’t smoke, so my body won’t go through any crazy wear and tear. .I’ve never been in any wars that broke me down or anything.
“I always said I wanted to retire at 33, and now I’m 35 and still going. Who knows?”
Kellerman: “One of the reasons I met you and Spence, which has almost never happened in boxing history, two people at or around their prime, at or around their best weight class, punch, speed, strength, skill, defense, exchange.
“You guys can do anything, and it’s like a 50-50 fight. Boxing fans are dying watching this. Tell me this will happen. Are you really going to let your career pass without making this fight happen? “
Crawford: “Why do people keep telling me I have to make the war go on? What do you want me to do? I guess I have to go there and say, ‘Listen, I’m going to fight with no guarantees, no backends, nothing at all. Fight because this is what the fans want you to do.’
“I am trying my best to make this fight happen. I just want everyone to know. I’m her.”
Kellerman: “Bud doesn’t smoke, drink or do any of these things. What he does is defeat warriors for a living. This is you and Spence that I just saw.
“I hope we can see this. I know it won’t happen in 2022. I hope before the end of 2023 and I appreciate your persistence in trying to make that happen.”
Crawford: “Sure. I think Spence wants it. It’s just the politics behind boxing that’s holding it. Crawford has been trying to make the fight for years now.”
Kellerman: “Warriors have no ducks. Motivator, manager [duck].”
