Terence Crawford edges closer to his battle with Errol Spence Jr. with each passing day as the welterweight star aims for another historic win.
Crawford aims to add the WBC, WBA, and IBF titles to his WBO version on a July 29 SHOWTIME PPV from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas
Spence vs Crawford headlines a Premier Boxing Champions event, with the winner having the opportunity to be Pound for Pound King.
However, ‘Bud’ is criticized for his undefeated run despite picking up a host of world titles. As WBN pointed out, the Omaha man has only defeated two boxers in his career that were also rated in the P4P Top 50.
At present, Crawford sits outside the WBN Top 10 but can take the top spot if Naoya Inoue fails to win and he beats Spence.
Crawford is under no illusions that without Spence, his legacy won’t be as good as it should have been.
Terence Crawford talks legacy
“This fight puts a stamp on everything that I’ve accomplished in this sport,” said Crawford. “People have tried to discredit me for this and that and have been calling for this fight.
“This solidifies everything. This is the fight that boxing needs. With the magnitude and the stage and just everything that’s surrounding this fight, yes, I needed Errol.
“But legacy-wise, I had already accomplished a lot and was already a Hall of Famer. This win is the cherry on top for me.”
Crawford added on how preparation has gone: “Not much has changed. We’re firm believers in ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.’ So we’ve been steady.
“This fight boils down to who prepared the best and then, on fight night, who’s on their A+ game. That’s what it comes down to.”
Spence vs Crawford has a rematch clause, and two fights are expected. However, the professional he is, Crawford will only zoom into one bout.
“I’m not focusing on a potential rematch. I plan on winning the first match. The rematch is not in my mind. I’m focused on the job at hand right now,” said the former undisputed super lightweight ruler.
“The objective is always to get the win first and foremost. But if you’ve followed our careers, you know that Errol and I are always in exciting fights.
“There’s no doubt in my mind that this fight will be more of the same. Errol and I got on the phone to get the biggest fight in boxing made.
“We both understood the assignment and had the same goals and dreams in mind. We came together to make sure we were both mature enough to get the fight made.”
Size difference
Concluding on any possible difference in size as Crawford walks around at 150 pounds, he stated: “I’m not worried about any size difference.
“Look at Jeff Horn and Shawn Porter. Even Jose Benavidez Jr. was a big welterweight. This is nothing new.
“I was always the smaller guy, even when I was fighting at 140 pounds. The bigger they are, the harder they fall.
“Everyone Errol faced had a loss and had something already taken from them. He faced guys who already knew how to lose. I take a fighter’s belt and their ‘0’.
“Those fighters are never the same after they face me.”
