Terence Crawford (AP Photo/Chase Stevens)
The proposed welterweight unification
boxing match between Errol Spence Jr. and Terence Crawford is
reportedly “in jeopardy” because of unresolved contract issues.
ESPN’s Mike Coppinger reported the
update Friday, noting that, at minimum, the title fight will be moved from
its expected Nov. 19 date:
Mike Coppinger @MikeCoppinger
The Errol Spence-Terence Crawford undisputed welterweight championship fight is in jeopardy due to lingering contract issues, sources tell ESPN, and if the fight does take place, it won’t be Nov. 19. Details on the issues at 5 p.m. ET with @maxkellerman on ESPN2 #SpenceCrawford pic.twitter.com/jsCg5ME85y
Rumors about a long-awaited agreement
for a showdown between Spence and Crawford date back to early June,
when Coppinger reported the sides were “closing in” on a deal.
There was silence on the fight for
awhile until mid-September when Jake Donovan of Boxing Scene noted
the camps had agreed to “terms in principle” for the Nov. 19
bout.
Now it appears a setback in
negotiations has put the matchup on hold once again.
While it’s unclear exactly what’s
holding up the contract talks, it would be a disappointing turn of
events for boxing if the welterweights superstars don’t step in the ring
together in the near future.
Spence—the WBC, IBC and WBA Super
welterweight champion—is 28-0 with 22 knockouts. He’s coming off
a 10th-round TKO against Yordenis Ugas in April.
Crawford—the WBO welterweight
champion—stands at 38-0 with 29 knockouts. His most recent
triumph was a 10th-round TKO of Shawn Porter last November.
They’ve each worked their way through
most of the division’s contenders and there isn’t anything available that would generate nearly as much attention as a
head-to-head battle.
In addition, waiting too long to face
off could yield similar disappointment to the Floyd Mayweather vs.
Manny Pacquiao matchup in 2015, which fell well short of expectation.
It would have been more intriguing if they’d fought four or five
years earlier.
Unfortunately, it’s been nearly four
months since the first word of a possible agreement and there’s still
no finalized contract in place, so it’s hard to predict where the
situation goes from here.
All boxing fans can do is hope the
sides can sense the interest in the fight and figure out a way to get
the deal done rather than begin the search for different opponents.
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