Posted on 03/11/2021
By: Hans Themistode
Errol Spence Jr. has seemingly had a change of heart.
Over the past several years, fans of the unified welterweight champion have urged him to push all his chips to the middle of the table and take on WBO belt holder Terence Crawford. Despite the ongoing call for their showdown however, both sides have haggled over who will receive the bigger slice of the pie.
Recently, Spence Jr. (27-0, 21 KOs) explained that a contest between himself and Crawford could in fact happen, as long as he was willing to take 40 percent at the negotiating table. With most fans believing that revenue should be either split down the middle or, depending on who you’re talking to, one side should take a slightly larger percentage than the other, Spence Jr. has decided that the 60/40 split that he previously agreed to is no longer acceptable.
Instead, the Dallas native has thrown a bigger plate on the table as he demands more.
“70/30 now f*ck it,” said Spence Jr. during a self-recorded video. “Y’all gonna make me do 80/20. One thing I’m a tell y’all is my kids do not eat off no God damn belts.”
Spence Jr.’s demand to take an even bigger chunk of the overall revenue pie won’t sit right with Crawford. As it stands, the former three-division world champion was incredulous to a 60/40 split, even going as far as to say “Y’all won’t hear me talk about the Spence fight again.”
Now, with Spence Jr.’s even higher demands, it appears their contest is improbable at this point.
For Crawford (37-0, 28 KOs), while he would love to prove that he is unquestionably the best fighter in the division, the pound-for-pound star has turned his attention to more realistic matchups.
Currently, the Nebraska native is working behind the scenes in an attempt to finalize a deal that would see him take on future first-ballot Hall of Famer Manny Pacquiao. Although that would be his first choice, it doesn’t appear as though Crawford will get his wish as Pacquiao has recently stated that he is “leaning” towards a fight with Mikey Garcia instead.
It may not be the news he wanted to hear, but Crawford still has another enticing offer on the table. WBO mandatory challenger and former two-time welterweight champion Shawn Porter has stood firmly in front of Crawford telling him that he wants to fight.
Crawford’s promoter in Bob Arum has admitted that a Porter matchup would be most likely if Pacquiao continues to go in another direction. But while Crawford is currently working on his own fight deals, Spence Jr. is doing the same.
The long-reigning champion proved that he was back to his old dominant self following his horrific car wreck in late 2019 with a one-sided win over Danny Garcia just a few months ago.
Nothing at the moment is set in stone in terms of his next contest but the talented southpaw recently set his sights on Yordenis Ugas and his WBA welterweight world title.
“All you needed was something I wanted,” said Spence Jr. shortly after Ugas was elevated to full champion a few months ago.
With both Crawford and Spence Jr. heading in opposite directions, it doesn’t appear that their showdown has gotten any closer to becoming a reality.