Terence Crawford v Errol Spence on for July 22, Says RING

The long-awaited Terence Crawford v Errol Spence undisputed welterweight championship showdown between the IBF, WBA and WBC titlist from Texas and the WBO counterpart from Nebraska will take place on July 22 in Las Vegas.

That's according to Ring TV, which first reported the story.

Boxing writer Dan Rafael Tweeted out his thoughts:

Dan Rafael Tweet saying RING jumped the gun

The two had been involved in negotiations since last May. That was roughly six months after Crawford’s promotional contract with Top Rank expired, making the three-division world champion a free agent. This allowed Crawford to negotiate directly  with Al Haymon’s Premier Boxing Champions.

Last weekend, Inside Boxing Live's Dan Canobbio ran into Spence shortly before Gervonta Davis and Ryan Garcia squared off at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. When asked if the much-anticipated fight was coming, Spence told Canobbio, “For sure.”

Terence Crawford v Errol Spence has finally been made official, it seems, though PBC hasn't announced the development.

Terence Crawford is 35, but pundits haven't noted a decline in his skills

Agreement Comes After So Much Talk and Plenty of Negotiating

Both sides failed to come to an agreement last year after six months of negotiations. Crawford took a stay-busy fight against fringe contender David Avanesyan last December, scoring an emphatic sixth-round knockout of the former secondary titlist.

In January, we heard reports that Spence contemplated moving up to the junior middleweight to challenge Keith Thurman in a non-title bout. In recent days, we learned the former unified 147-pound world champion was the backup plan in case a Crawford bout fell through again.

Spence (28-0, 22 knockouts; age 33, of DeSoto, Texas) has not fought since last April 16 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, the home of the Dallas Cowboys.

Team Spence after Errol Spence beat Yordenis Ugas. Plenty of pundits assessing Terence Crawford v Errol Spence have moved predictions to Bud, feeling Spence hasn't been as committed to the sport for a spell

He stopped former beltholder and Manny Pacquiao conqueror Yordenis Ugas in the 10th round to add the WBA title to his arsenal.

Relative inactivity has indeed been hurting boxing mightily. The best and brightest fight so very infrequently. Not everyone will embrace Terence Crawford v Errol Spence getting made. Plenty will grouse that it should have happened 2-3-4 years ago.

Errol Spence Has Wracked Up Big Wins

The 33-year-old southpaw Spence  first won the IBF title with an 11th-round knockout of Kell Brook on enemy turf at Bramall Lane Football Ground in Sheffield, England. He also added the WBC title to his collection with a 12-round split decision win over the now-retired Shawn Porter in September 2019 at Staples Center in Los Angeles. Overall, Spence has made six defenses and also holds championship wins over Danny Garcia (UD 12), and Mikey Garcia (UD 12).

Crawford (39-0, 30 KOs) stood out as an amateur, same as Spence. He won multiple national titles before turning professional in 2008. The 35-year-old is viewed as one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the sport, coupling that with paralyzing power. The Omaha, Nebraska, native has scored 10 consecutive wins by knockout.

Terence Crawford lands on David Avanesyan. Spence has power that will likely make Bud more cautious about trying to close the show

Furthermore, Crawford has won world titles in three weight classes, lightweight, junior welterweight and welterweight. He has held the WBO welterweight title since June 2018.

His most notable wins include triumphs over Kell Brook (TKO 4), Amir Khan (TKO 6), and Shawn Porter (TKO 10).

We saw Benavidez-Plant, Davis-Garcia, soon is Haney-Lomachenko. Then Taylor-Lopez soon to come and Terence Crawford v Errol Spence. Think about that for a second, people.

This is just half of the year. We still have another six months to go, and if we keep this up, 2023 could be the best year of the era.