You know the saying: You’re only as good as your last fight.
Unfortunately for Errol Spence Jr., his last outing in the ring wasn’t a pretty one.
For roughly half a decade, Spence (28-1, 22 KOs) and Terence Crawford played tug of war with the welterweight throne. Depending on who you asked, half sat firmly with Spence. The other half rocked with Crawford.
When the two were finally able to meet in 2023, Crawford (41-0, 31 KOs) handed out a one-sided beating. Spence hasn’t been in the ring since. Yet, despite Spence being out of sight and out of mind, Crawford hasn’t forgotten about how great a fighter he once was.
“I’ll give him a 10,” Crawford said to The Ring when asked to rate Spence.Crawford is locked into an arduous training camp as he prepares for his Sept. 13 showdown against Canelo Alvarez at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada. In addition to putting together a game plan to knock off the pound-for-pound star, Crawford is hitting the weights room more than ever as he attempts to move up two divisions.
But while Alvarez consumes his every thought, he reminisces about the night he dismantled Spence.
No matter which side of the fence you were on, most agreed that their matchup would be incredibly competitive. However, it was anything but that.
Crawford won’t downplay Spence. He also believes that Spence doesn’t need to jump on the Internet to defend himself, either. If anyone took the time to peel back the layers and examine his resume, they’ll remember how terrific he was.
“He was an undefeated, unified world champion, running through all the welterweights that were put in front of him. He beat a few champions at that. I give him a 10.”