Fortunes Divided: Terence Crawford Rises as Errol Spence Faces Uncertain Future
Whenever we reflect on the 2023 welterweight superfight between Terence Crawford and Errol Spence Jnr, we tend to focus on how the fight ended rather than our feelings beforehand. That is to say, we picture Crawford with his arms raised in victory, and we picture Spence on the canvas, his dreams shattered and his face disfigured. We think only of the result: Crawford TKO 9 Spence. We think only of Crawford’s undeniable brilliance and how that display in Las Vegas set him on a path to greatness.
Yet surely to think in those terms – narrow, revisionist – does a disservice to both Crawford and the fight itself. It strips from the fight, in particular its original context, appeal, and beauty. It removes the uncertainty we all experienced going into it, as well as the excitement we felt knowing Crawford and Spence would at last be sharing a ring following years of circling one another. That, in retrospect, was what made the fight feel so special at the time. It was what had many trying to outdo one another with their pre-fight predictions, as though guessing correctly was a sign of intelligence. The truth is, though, nobody had a clue. Not really.
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Both Crawford and Spence had been near-perfect in their respective careers to that point and had a combined professional record of 67-0. They were, back then, considered not only rivals but equals – flipsides of the same coin, Thing One and Thing Two. In Crawford, you had the genius technician with the sharp counters and one-shot power, while in Spence you had stamina and body-punching and an ability to keep pushing round after round. Combined, you had a bit of everything. They could do it all. But who could do it the best?
That Crawford would end up beating Spence in such a dominant fashion should not detract from how torn most of us were the night before. Many, quite understandably, were backing Spence to win and go on to become the new face of American boxing. In fact, during the week of the fight there was a growing sense that Spence was the slight favourite and that his greater punch output could be the deciding factor.
Plenty of journalists covering the fight were making those kinds of noises, and so too were those around Spence. In hotel lobbies and along The Strip you would spot “Team Spence” T-shirts, worn by fans and team members alike. Even Spence himself was starting to get that feeling. That feeling of fate. That feeling of the time being right. That feeling of it being his time.
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“It’s definitely happening at the right time,” he added. “It has a lot of hype around it on social media and there are a lot of people talking about it. I would walk in stores before the fight was made and the first thing people would ask me was, ‘When are you and Terence going to fight?’ It’s happening at the right time. I’m in my prime. He’s in my prime. We are the two best fighters in the welterweight division and two of the best fighters in the world. Whoever wins on Saturday night will be the best fighter in boxing, period.”
