Will Spence vs Crawford Finally Happen In 2023?
The fight that will seemingly never be made, boxing fans have been waiting for Spence vs Crawford for years. After yet another false dawn, the pair of Americans will not be fighting a unification bout on November 19 as anticipated. Both have been calling each other out in the media for years, two supremely talented, unbeaten boxers, at the peak of their powers. The pair of welterweight rivals have been circling each other ever since Crawford came up a division in 2018 and won the WBO belt. At this point, they risk allowing the fight to go past its sell by date. No doubt if the fight does happen, it will attract the eyes of the whole boxing world.
There will certainly be a lot of betting activity around it, backing your man doesn’t have to be expensive thanks to the number of minimum deposit sportsbook offers available.
A Fantastic Career Nearly Derailed
In 2019, Errol Spence Jr was thrown from the window of his car in a horror DUI crash which saw his car somersault in the air multiple times. Many questioned whether he would ever return. In images that were released from the crash, you could see the obliterated Ferrari and in another haunting image, a single shoe believed to belong to the fighter. The concern initially was for his life but after miraculously getting away without sustaining any internal injuries or broken bones, the focus was back on whether he would box again.
Spence admittedly suffered from PTSD for some time after the accident. About 8 months after the crash Spence was ringside doing punditry after a period of radio silence. His eye seemed to be drooping and his speech was slurred, viewers were worried that there would be lasting implications from the crash.
The Comeback Kid
14 months after the accident, Spence extended his career record to 27-0 with 21 knockouts against Danny Garcia. The fight went the distance, Spence wasn’t at his sharpest but somehow, he was back. After Garcia, Spence dominated Yordenis Ugas in a 10 round TKO win that signalled a real return to form. ‘The Truth’ was back and with him the hype and clamour for a bout with Crawford returned.
Crawford Departs Top Rank
After years of frustration, things boiled over between Crawford and his manager Bob Arum. There were accusations of stifling Crawford’s career with systemic racism that prevented him from securing the big fights needed to unify the belts. Top Rank has denied any allegations of racism. Crawford became a free agent, a man on the hunt, calling out Spence at every opportunity.
There have been accusations from certain corners that PBC may be blocking the fight for financial reasons. Publicly, it appears that Crawford has done everything he can to make the fight happen. PBC has a history of protecting fighters and their financial interests first.
False Dawns
The appetite for this fight hasn’t diminished over the years but fans are growing tired and the fighters are getting older. The risk is a potentially historic unification bout being confined to the long list of failed fights that could have happened. Both fighters claim to be the best pound-for-pound in the sport, with zero blemishes on either record and having only fought in one weight class, both have a legitimate claim.
Why hasn’t an all American unification bout been made yet? Is it really all about money, or is there more to it? Only the people on the inside truly know. It would be a real shame to have these fighters finish their careers without having fought what would arguably be their biggest fight.
