Terence Crawford is eager to fight Errol Spence Jr. in 2023, but the unbeaten WBO welterweight champion feels that his legacy is complete with or without Errol Spence Jr.
“Well, I think it’s a great fight for both our legacies and for boxing as a whole,” Crawford told host Max Kellerman, during ESPN’s “Max On Boxing”. “…at the same time, you know, I think, you know, a lotta people is reaching when they say it’s gonna damage my legacy. You know, I’m a three-weight world champion, I’m a former undisputed world champion. You know, I have accomplished a lot in boxing. You know, so I really don’t think it’ll damage my legacy. You know, it’ll just go down as one of the biggest fights that never happened.”
Crawford is considered by many the best fighter in the world but is still missing that marquee win to put him over the top. Most if not all fight fans want to see him fight, Spence, and it is a question that the top pugilist can't avoid these days.
“When you look back at, you know, ‘Sugar’ Ray Leonard versus Aaron Pryor,” Crawford said, “they never fought each other and, you know, both of them is still considered two of the greatest fighters that ever fought.”
Crawford, who fights next month has taken the lion’s share of criticism and seems a bit flustered by the fact that many fight fans find him to be the culprit in why the fight isn’t happening.
“By no means am I not saying that it’s not important to get that fight,” Crawford said. “You know, like I been saying for years, that’s the fight that I want. That’s the fight that I been trying to secure. That’s the fight that fans wanna see. You know, but at some point, you know, all you could do is so much. I been doing all that I can to try to get that fight, and I’m still the one to be blamed for not making the fight happen. You know, so I’m gonna continue to try to, you know, get that fight done and, you know, sealed, so everybody can see who the best fighter in the world is. You know, that’s all I could do. That’s all I could do.”