‘Nothing but fireworks’ – Errol Spence Jr and Terence Crawford predict ‘iconic’ welterweight unification showdown

During a tense final press conference, both Errol Spence Jr and Terence Crawford promised “fireworks” ahead of what promises to be an electric Las Vegas showdown to crown the undisputed welterweight champion and pound-for-pound king.

Not only were the fighters highly charged, but so were trainers and those in attendance as one of the most eagerly anticipated contests in years fast approaches. Both Spence Jr and ‘Bud’ Crawford insisted they would be the ones to get their hand raised, but one of them will lose their undefeated record.

Spence Jr, whose record reads 28 wins and zero losses, began proceedings by paying tribute to his mother and father before urging those in attendance and tuning in to “bring some seasoning because we’re going to have a Craw-fish bowl and boil his a**.”

He added: “I’m going to win because I’m the better fighter. I’m the better fighter physically, mentally, it doesn’t matter. Like I said I’m going to break him down and I’m going to break his will.”

In response, Crawford (39-0) said: “Everything about Terence Crawford is better than Errol Spence Jr. When you look at everything I do in the ring, it’s better than Errol Spence Jr.

“Come fight night I’ll be proving each and every one of the doubters wrong once again that Terence Crawford is the best fighter in the world today.

“And that’s just what it is. Not taking any credit away from Errol, he’s a great fighter, he’s good at what he do, but when you compare him to Terence Crawford, there is no comparison, I’m just the better fighter.”

Whatever happens, Saturday night is set to be historical for boxing. Not since Zab Judah in 2006 has there been an undisputed welterweight king. It’s a feat that even eluded the great Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao during their Hall of Fame careers.

Spence Jr, who puts the IBF, WBA and WBC belts on the line on Saturday night, is well aware this is the epitome of a legacy fight for both men and tipped the mouth-watering clash to be remembered alongside some of the sport’s most iconic bouts.

“It [winning] would mean a lot, it would definitely mean a lot,” Spence Jr said. “It means I am one of the greatest welterweights that ever laced up a pair of gloves.

“This is going to be legendary. Y’all make sure you tune in, this is a legendary, old-school fight.

“This is going to be iconic. People going to talk about this fight 30, 40 years from now when they talk about Ray Leonard-Tommy Hearns and Marvin Hagler and all those tough fights back then, they going to talk about this fight the same way.

“There’s going to be somebody in USA boxing as an amateur 20 years from now watching our fight on YouTube, whatever platforms they got, saying, ‘Man I want to be in an Errol Spence and Terence Crawford-type fight.

“So you all tune in, I guarantee there’s going to be nothing but fireworks from start to finish.”

Crawford, on the other hand, who has 30 knockouts in his 39 wins, insists this is his “era” and promised to add another KO to his resume “if he gets out of line”.

“Like I said before, this is the Terence ‘Bud’ Crawford era,” he said. “When you look at the body of work that I’ve done in each weight class I’ve been in you can’t deny that this in my era.

“I never had a close fight, I never had a fight where people thought I lost, I never had a fight that I didn’t look spectacular in.

“And that’s against every person they’ve put in front of me.

“So given the body of work and how long I’ve been doing it for, yeah, this is the Terence Crawford era – since Floyd Mayweather retired and Andre Ward.”

As for what Spence Jr can expect to find out, he added: “The same thing that everybody else find out. They’re going to come in there and say, ‘Damn, I kind of underestimated this guy. On TV he looks one way but, in the ring, I saw three of him’.

“But it’s all good. He’s got the fundamentals, he got the durability, he got the stamina, he got the size, he strong, he’s the big bad wolf, so come fight night we’re going to find out all that he says he is.

“He’s going to have to show me.

“I always tell everybody, I don’t go in looking for the knockout, I go in looking for the win, but if he gets out of line, he’s going to be the next one down.”

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