Spence and Tszyu plan to fight next, provided Tim wins his fight tonight against Denis Nurja in a middleweight bout at the WIN Entertainment Centre, Wollongong in Australia.
“I’ve got Errol, but I’m not 100 percent confident. I just know the caliber of fighter Errol is, just like I know the caliber of fighter Tim is. I think both of them have taken a lot of damage so far in their careers, but I just think Errol, skill-wise, just makes it on the edge,” Crawford told the media.
Crawford’s comments are about as honest as it gets in this sport. He talks about wear and tear and the soul-wrenching nature of the battles these guys have been in recently.
Crawford is the one who inflicted a career-changing amount of that damage on Spence. Since their 2023 fight, Spence has dealt with cataract surgery and a nearly three-year layoff. Jumping right into a fight with a puncher like Tszyu at 154 or 160 pounds is a physical ask for a 36-year-old going through what Errol is.
While Terence technically sided with Spence, his reasoning focused almost entirely on the “damage” suffered by both men. This outlook moves the narrative away from technical mastery and centers it on which fighter has more left in the tank.
After defeating Spence in 2023, Crawford knows exactly what the former unified champion surrendered in that ring.
If the fight takes place later this year, the story will not be about who is the best in the world, but rather which veteran can still access their prime after the wars they have already endured.
