Boxing

Errol Spence's Past Canelo Alvarez vs Terence Crawford Stance Raises Eyebrows

Errol Spence Jr. got honest about his feelings toward a potential fight between Canelo Alvarez and Terence Crawford.
Grant Young|
Terence Crawford and Errol Spence Jr. during a July 27, 2023 press conference.
Terence Crawford and Errol Spence Jr. during a July 27, 2023 press conference. | IMAGO / Hoganphotos

Two of boxing's pound-for-pound greats faced off on July 29, 2023, when Terence Crawford and Errol Spence Jr. went toe to toe in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Both of these American boxers entered this fight with undefeated professional records (28–0 with 22 KOs for Spence Jr. and 39–0 with 30 KOs for Crawford), and the bout was to unify the welterweight championship belts, as Spence was the unified WBA Super, WBC and IBF champion while Crawford was the WBO champion.

Crawford ultimately won the fight via ninth-round TKO, making him the first male to win an undisputed championship in two weight classes in the four-belt era.

Spence Jr. hasn't fought since that defeat while Crawford defeated Israil Madrimov in August 2024. Crawford now appears to have a fight lined up with Saul "Canelo" Alvarez for September 2025.

A potential Canelo vs. Crawford fight has been rumored ever since Crawford's victory over Spence Jr. And last year, Spence Jr. spoke about this potential blockbuster fight during an interview with Fight Hub TV.

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“It could happen, why not? I mean, if Crawford wants to challenge himself to be great, let him try to be great," Spence Jr. said of this potential fight. "I’ll be going for [Crawford] if he fights Canelo, I’ll be going for him. I don’t know if he’s going to win or lose, but I’ll definitely be going for Crawford. I think if anybody can pull it off, he can pull it off.

“He’s chasing greatness, so why not?" Spence Jr. continued. "Canelo went up to 175 and fought Kovalev and fought the other guy [Bivol] too. He started at 147, so if he did it, why can’t ‘Bud’ do it?”

It's interesting to hear that Spence Jr. would be rooting for his former opponent in this future bout. Then again, there was nothing but respect between him and Crawford — and Crawford winning would age well for his resumé.

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Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young is a Staff Writer for On SI’s Boxing, New York Mets, Indiana Fever, and Women’s Fastbreak sites. Before joining SI in 2024, he wrote for various boxing and sports verticals such as FanBuzz and NY Fights. Young has a bachelor’s degree in marketing and a master’s degree in creative writing with an emphasis on sports nonfiction from the University of San Francisco, where he played five seasons of Division 1 baseball. He fought Muay Thai professionally in Thailand in 2023, loves a good essay, and is driven crazy trying to handle a pitpull puppy named Aura. Young lives in San Diego and was raised in the San Francisco Bay Area.