Showtime Sports President Stephen Espinoza has added to the positive noises that an Errol Spence Jr-Terence Crawford fight will take place this year.
The titanic Undisputed Welterweight clash is near the top of every boxing fan’s 2022 wish list and both men have already gone on record believing it will happen.
During an appearance on Brian Custer’s The Last Stand podcast in April Spence said the super-fight ‘could be an easy fight to make’ provided he beat Yordenis Ugas. Nine days later the Texan did just that adding the WBA title to the IBF and WBC he already owned. Immediately after the win Spence made it clear who he wanted next.
“I want Terence Crawford next. That’s the fight I want. I’m coming for that mother f*****g belt!”
A month later the wheels turned even more when WBO champion Crawford said it would happen in Las Vegas this October.
After Showtime’s Jake Paul-Hasim Rahman Jr launch presser yesterday FightHype asked Espinoza if the Spence Jr-Crawford fight would be delivered this year.
“I’m very optimistic that we are. And if you ask Errol Spence like we did at the telecast this past Saturday in the Jim Gray interview he was very definitive. He’s predicted that we will get it and I tend to agree with him.”
“We know there are no network obligations or conflicts, there are no promoter obligations or conflicts. Those are the things that usually mess it up. Now, it’s just a matter of grinding through the deal, getting to a point where everyone feels like they’re being treated fairly, all the details to take care of.”
“Knowing how bad Errol wants it, knowing how bad Terence wants it I think it will happen this year.”
Crawford is free to negotiate with whoever he chooses after parting ways with Top Rank while Spence is a pay-per-view fighter on Showtime.