Boxing fans have waited for a massive fight that’s too late in arriving far too often. They’re in danger of experiencing that yet again when it comes to Errol Spence Jr. and Terence Crawford.
Last night, Crawford fought a game David Avanesyan for six rounds until the WBO Welterweight champion decided he had enough and fed Avanesyan a devastating right hand that sent the challenger to the canvas for the night.
Crawford’s right hand was so lightning fast that most missed it until the replays were shown.
But the knockout wasn’t the wildest part of the night.
To me, it was the fact that the Omaha native delivered most of his punishing punches, including the knockout punch, with his right hand.
And he’s a southpaw!
Crawford’s right hooks to Avanesyan’s body wore him down each round, and he complemented them with enough lefts that the challenger looked hurt and bewildered. It was almost as if he didn’t know what punch was coming until his kidneys got blasted by powerful a right hook.
While most give Avanesyan props for hanging with Crawford for six rounds, to me it felt like Crawford had adopted the Floyd Mayweather strategy of fighting.
Sell out the area, give the fans enough to stay engaged and interested in the fight and then end it about halfway through so no one feels like they wasted their money.
Last night, it worked to perfection in front of a packed house in his hometown of Omaha, NE.
Crawford now sits at 39-0 with 30 KOs. A stellar record for one of the best in the game.
Yet boxing fans don’t really care because they’re only interested in one fight.
Errol Spence Jr. vs Terence Crawford.
Last year we wrote that there was no excuse not to give fans that super fight in 2022. The fighters and fans were both ready.
Yet politics, money, egos and bickering slammed the door shut on the fight for this year.
And that’s yet another reason why so many are frustrated with the sport.
The 32-year-old Spence (28-0, 22 KOs) holds three belts; the WBA Super Welterweight title and the IBF and WBC Welterweight titles. He’s also one of the best in the game, proving that most recently with a 10th-round TKO of Yordenis Ugas this past April.
His speed and power are devastating, and he has the size to move up one or two weight classes.
Crawford is built in the same fashion, and he has already cleaned house in other divisions to reach the elite of the welterweights.
And they’re both southpaws.
Last month, the two engaged in a Twitter spat that revealed the ugliness of boxing and how it deprives fans of the fights they truly deserve.
The two parties had agreed to the fight in principle and the bout was scheduled for November 19th of this year. But the contracts had never been signed.
The lawyers for both fighters demanded that language be “cleaned up” and, of course, money came into play.
Ultimately, the fight fell apart, opening the door to accusations, bad blood and more frustration.
As a result, Crawford fought this month and Spence didn’t.
Last night, Spence was involved in another car accident in Dallas, giving fans a scare. His car was hit by a fourteen-year-old, unlicensed driver who had taken his family’s car before crashing into the champion.
Spence emerged relatively unscathed but did complain of leg pain. The incident immediately brought back memories of Spence’s near-fatal crash in 2019 where he was speeding, crashed, ejected from the vehicle and almost died.
We’re glad Spence is ok. Hopefully, he’s just sore.
Assuming that Spence has a full recovery, it’s time for the games to stop.
It’s time for the politics and bickering to cease. These antics continue to mar the sport, which has seen a rebirth over the last few years. The loss of this super fight could have a lingering effect on the trajectory of boxing as fans that have been gravitating to pugilism would once again become disenchanted with it.
The boxing powers that be need to end their frustrating ways and give fans, fighters and the sport what they need and deserve.
When it continues to punch itself in the face by erecting barriers that deter great fights, time and life come into play, detracting from the impact and opportunity of the fight.
Both fighters are getting older.
Spence was involved in yet another accident, even though it wasn’t his fault in this instance.
Boxing, we’ve seen enough.
Stop wasting time and give us Spence vs Crawford before it’s too late.
