Spence, Crawford Have Words on ESPN’s First Take

Now that their welterweight title fight is officially official, IBF/WBA/WBC champ Errol Spence and WBO champ Terence Crawford will be making the media rounds to discuss their long-awaited July 29 clash. Their first stop was on Friday with Stephen A. Smith on ESPN’s First Take.

“Great things take time,” Spence responded when asked why the fight took so long to make. “We both was going through negotiations and things but we’re here now, so all this stuff in the past. It’s the present, we here, we fighting each other, may the best man win. I feel like this is the best welterweight fight of the last probably 40 years. This is a fight of the decade, the best versus the best.”

Crawford would then talk about the frustration he felt in trying to get this fight made.

“It’s been very difficult, as you know,” Crawford said. “It’s been frustrating, but I’m excited, I’m happy, the fans are happy, everybody’s happy. We here now and I’m gonna show the world why I’m the best fighter on the planet and everybody need to tune in July 29th to watch me and Errol Spence go out there and put on a tremendous show.”

“I’m a man of my word,” Spence added. “He thought I was gonna move up but just like I told him when we encountered each other in Oklahoma, I said ‘I’m gonna get these belts on my side and then I’m gonna come take yours’ and I stood on that, even if it left me standing outside of the ring for a whole year and trying to get me to fight other people. This is the fight I wanted so I stuck to my guns and I said ‘I’m not fighting until I fight Terence Crawford’ so my team got it going.”

Crawford would counter.

“I’ve been wanting this fight, everybody been knowing I wanted this fight,” Crawford said. “He said he was gonna take the easy route and go handle what he had to handle, and he did that. So now he gotta live up to his word and come in and take this belt. The last one is always the hardest one and I assure you it won’t be like none of the other fights. He believe in his style, I believe in my style, it’s gonna be a great fight. I can’t wait. I’m so excited, I can’t wait.”

When talking about the in-ring dynamics of the fight and what he brings to the ring, the 33-year-old Spence was, predictably, confident.

“I feel like my style is basically– I’m not gonna say perfect– but it’s very good,” Spence said. “I got the jab, I feel like I might be the stronger opponent, great body shots. He has great talent, great skills, but I feel like my ability, my will, and my all-around being the better fighter I’m gonna beat him.”

When asked about the chip on his shoulder and whether he’ll get the full respect he feels he deserves by beating Spence, the 35-year-old Crawford was real and direct.

“Every fight is like that for me,” Crawford told Smith. “Every fight is meaningful, every fight is ‘I need to win this fight’ and I’m 100% certain Errol feels the same. So there’s a lot riding on this fight, this is the biggest fight in boxing in decades. So, of course I want to go out there and put on a tremendous show and win in spectacular fashion. I’m feeling good, I’m feeling strong, I’m ready to go next week if need be. But at the same time, everything has its time, the sun shines on everybody, and the sun gonna shine on me, July 29th.”