Spence Vs Crawford: Word Is They Fight June 17

One of the biggest fights to be made in boxing could finally take place this summer. Stop me if you’ve heard this before, right? Well, rumors are pinging again that a date has emerged for Spence vs Crawford—June 17 is being whispered about.

You heard that Errol Spence and Bud Crawford were negotiating over the phone—without the involvement of promoters, managers, and networks—and had agreed on an undisclosed purse split. I’m hearing in a couple places that no, no site has been chosen but Saturday, June 17 is the circled date.

It would be great to see Spence Vs Crawford made so people can stop asking whose fault it is that it didn’t get done

So, it appears the long-awaited Spence Vs Crawford undisputed welterweight championship bout is closer to becoming a reality than ever before. But that’s been reported before. This time it may actually be different.

Crawford had transmitted a “memorandum of understanding” to Premier Boxing Champions and Al Haymon, who manages Spence.

It was previously reported, though, that the 33-year-old Spence, the WBA/WBC/IBF 147-pound titleholder, could move up to junior middleweight to face former welterweight titleholder Keith Thurman in a non-title bout. It seems that possibility has fizzled out, which would be a good thing considering the backlash that ensued on social media when that was revealed as a potential clash.

Crawford, on the other hand, was ordered to defend his WBO title against No. 1 contender Alexis Rocha. The three-division champion, however, is not interested in facing Rocha, per reports.

Tickets for Spence vs Crawford would likely be a hot commodity in a matchup boxing must move swiftly to consummate.

Bookmakers made the 35-year-old Crawford a slight favorite over Spence in odds released on Wednesday. He is currently 7/10 (-140) to win the fight outright, while you can get 21/20 (+100) on Spence if you believe he'll score the upset.

Both fighters had reportedly come to terms for a showdown last November. However, talks broke down before the contracts were signed.

Crawford (39-0, 30 KOs) scored a sixth-round knockout of fringe contender David Avanesyan in December at CHI Health Center in Omaha, Nebraska. Spence (28-0, 22 KOs), on the other hand, hasn’t fought since he knocked out former titlist Yordenis Ugas in 10 rounds in a title unification last April at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

Boxing needs Spence Vs Crawford to be an instant classic because there has not been enough memorable fights to raise the popularity of the sport in recent years. 2023, however, could prove to be one of the best in quite some time.

Super middleweights David Benavidez and Caleb Plant fight on Saturday at MGM Grand in Las Vegas. I will be watching on PPV.com.

On April 22, Gervonta Davis and Ryan Garcia meet for a scheduled 12-round, 136-pound bout at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Undisputed lightweight champion Devin Haney is expected to face Vasiliy Lomachenko in May. And former undisputed 140-pound champion Josh Taylor will defend his WBO title on June 10 against former unified titlist Teofimo Lopez, a fight between two skilled and brash young fighters. All will be available on PPV.com.

Now add in Spence Vs Crawford, and this could be the final seasoning to an incredible year. The schedule is already magnificent as is, but everyone loves some dessert with a kick.

Spence-Crawford, though, has been anything but a smooth serving. The fight has been difficult to make because the fighters have been affiliated with competing entities, Crawford with Top Rank and Spence with PBC.

Crawford departed from Top Rank last November shortly after his win over Shawn Porter, which opened up the door to a career-defining fight with Spence. That door looks to maybe—truly!—be open more than a sliver.