Errol Spence Jr recently took shots at the man he is fighting on July 29th, at the T-Mobile Arena, on Showtime pay-per-view, Terence Crawford, as both fighters rated their peer's various abilities.
Spence has famously gone on a journey to capture his three world titles beginning with defeating Kell Brook for the IBF welterweight title overseas in the United Kingdom, to most recently defeating Yordenis Ugas for the WBA welterweight world title. Spence currently holds three of the four major titles with the only one left WBO welterweight title held by Crawford, which means the winner of their July 29th showdown will be an undisputed champion.
As a piece of content generated by Premier Boxing Champions for their YouTube and social media pages - they polled both fighters on their rival's skillset. Spence was far from flattering, and one could even say disrespectful.
When looking at Crawford’s resume Spence rated Crawford’s career resume as a ‘0.5’, with a chuckle after for good measure. Crawford was much more complimentary as he rated Spence’s resume as a ‘7’.
More jabs were thrown when Spence rated Crawford’s defense as a ‘three or a four’, which could be construed as a ‘3.5’.
It might seem as though Spence doesn’t fully respect Crawford by his ratings, but that isn’t entirely true as some of this looks to be some level of gamesmanship, with a bit of humor mixed in. Spence rated Crawford an ‘8’ in terms of ring intelligence the highest rating he had for Crawford. Crawford rated Spence at a ‘9’ in terms of ring IQ and conditioning both the highest rating given amongst the two.
In the end, the average score Crawford had for Errol Spence Jr was 7, meanwhile, Spence Jr’s average score for Crawford was a very low 5.4.
Two questions persist after this poll. Is Spence Jr. taking Crawford lightly, or is Crawford giving Spence Jr too much respect…?
Even deeper is the disrespect from Spence Jr., a part of a game plan set in motion prior to the fight, by Spence, to possibly have Crawford aim to prove a point - look to earn the respect of Spence, who is the naturally bigger man.
This segment, which seemingly was a piece of consumable media now has created a new monster…a look into how both fighters view each other and is one of the fighters trying to lure the other into something based on their responses.
This has come on the heels of Spence Jr. also questioning where the money from the sanctioning bodies goes, and humorous blurbs at every press conference.
Early in the promotion of this fight, it is clear Spence has raised his profile and become an even bigger attraction through aspects of his personality that are revealed in his career-defining fight.
