Terence Crawford will not be fighting Errol Spence Jr. for a second time following injury and eye surgery revelations regarding his opponent.
“Bud” has announced he’s done with Spence after “The Truth” revealed he went under the knife for cataracts.
Terence Crawford calls off Errol Spence rematch
“I done heard it all now, Errol Spence. It’s ok, though, because – all in all, I’m glad it’s over and done with. I wish you well, ma brotha,” said Crawford.
Spence blamed his poor performance against Crawford last July on the fact he ‘got hit with so many hooks and jabs’ in the fight.
Crawford has since been bombarded with complaints over Spence fighting with a severe ailment. Some fans believe the contest was never a fair fight as Crawford battered Spence.
Before the Pay Per View, Spence was seen as a solid fifty-fifty competitor in the bout. However, once the first bell rang, many questioned what was wrong with Spence.
Looking like a shell of himself, Spence was taken apart and dispatched in nine rounds, seven months after a second car accident almost derailed the headliner.
A battle with Manny Pacquiao was previously called off in 2021 due to Spence almost being killed in another horror smash. This time, the fight went ahead despite Spence’s admission that he couldn’t see one hundred percent clearly.
Surgery recovery
Post-surgery recovery is set to be at least six weeks for Spence, who invoked a rematch clause in the weeks after his first defeat. As his statement suggests, Crawford seems to have the option to walk away.
The timeframe may be the issue as Crawford fends off further allegations of him not being active enough. The two-weight undisputed champion believed that he deserved Fighter of the Year for his win over Spence.
However, most fans and media saw Naoya Inoue’s achievements in two victories as greater than Crawford’s solitary effort.
The 2023 win has since been seen as something of a sham due to the troubles with Spence’s eye going into the fight. Crawford’s best career win had the shine firmly taken off it amid claims of a mismatch.
If Spence had been at the top of his game and injury-free, the consensus is that Crawford would not have dealt with him like he did in Las Vegas.
Crawford will no longer get the chance to prove it was no walkover. This is because Spence is out of the running as his next opponent. The likeliness is that Crawford will move up to 154 pounds for a more significant challenge.
The remainder of his welterweight belts will now go up in the air. However, once and only if Spence is fully recovered, a future reignition of the second fight cannot be ruled out.
Phil Jay is an experienced boxing news writer and has been the Editor of World Boxing News since 2010.
