Sylvester Stallone’s Rocky series catapulted boxing’s popularity. Rocky Balboa became the icon every teenager wanted to become. Film’s original soundtrack became the standard number in gyms. At the business end, though, tables turned. Big money got the ball rolling for significant bouts.

The fallout – if the amount came from a cropper, a single jab failed to eventuate, come rain or shine. God alone knows the number of matches sacrificed at the altar of negotiations!

WBO world welterweight champion Terence Crawford was to fight the WBC, WBA, and IBF welterweight champion Errol Spence Jr. by November this year. Labeled ‘Fight of the Year‘, the talks came apart in September when the teams failed to agree on the amount to be split.

Floyd Mayweather Talks Fighting Errol Spence Jr., Terence Crawford

‘Bud’ Crawford had successfully retained his WBO title since 2018, when he won for the first time against Jeff Horn. Meanwhile, Errol, The Truth Spencer, won the WBA’s Super welterweight title in April 2022 at Texas by dethroning Yordenis Ugas.

Welterweight Unification

The path was clear for a unification title bout. Talks were going on between their respective promoters. Vegas-based Top Rank’s CEO and founder Bob Arum backed Terence Crawford. On the other hand, Floyd ‘The Money’ Mayweather’s former Manager and five-time Manager of the Year award winner, Al Haymon, represented Errol Spence Jr.

Al Haymon manages other big names such as Deontay Wilder, Keith Thurman, Danny Garcia, besides Errol Spence.

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One for the Master, One for the Dame……

Through an Instagram post, Crawford revealed why the fight didn’t materialize. Not to mention the over-and-above offer of $50 million from sources whose names are not known. Dividing the amount equally, Bud shared the details with Spence, “……….On and on, I have two companies, you know, that reach out to me that, you know, wanted to give me and Spence $25 million guaranteed – $25 million guaranteed, up front. So, a real guy like myself, I called Spence. ‘Hey, bro, look, listen, you know what I mean? I got this company that’s willing to give us $25 million apiece guaranteed. What’s up? What you gonna do?’ He like, ‘Twenty-five million? What about the back end?’……”

However, in the end, Haymon refused to go ahead and sign a deal with someone he barely knew. Bud Crawford continued, “[Spence] had to go back and ask Al for permission, you know, if he can, you know, take this big chunk, a lump sum of money, to fight Terence Crawford,” Crawford said. “Which he didn’t call me back, so I proposed it to Al. I hit up Al. I’m like, ‘Al, listen, you know, man, I got this big hedge fund company out there. You know, they claim they know you. Not one, but two. Not one, but two. You know, two companies willing to put $20-plus million in both of our pockets, guaranteed. Al told me straight up, ‘I’m not letting anybody touch this fight.’ Like, ‘All right, cool.’

Road Ahead 

Both the boxers were looking forward to this fight. Crawford told ESPN’s boxing and MMA reporter Mike Coppinger, “There’s nothing standing in the way from us fighting.” After winning the WBA title, Spence mentioned likewise, “That’s the fight that I want… That’s the fight that everybody else wants.”

In the absence of a significant fight, Crawford decided to move on and will face the reigning European welterweight title holder, David Avanesyan, from Russia on December 10th.

Both fighters are now in their early thirties. But, God forbid, if two of the generation’s best pound-for-pound boxers do not meet at the right time, then pundits foresee a repeat of the same fate as that met by Mayweather-Pacquiao’s second match.

Watch Out for More: How Terence Craw(led)ford the Championship Journey