Errol Spence Jr. hasn’t revealed who he will fight next now that his showdown with Terence Crawford has been, at the very least, pushed into 2023.
Crawford suggested during his Instagram Live session Tuesday night that Spence will fight longtime rival Keith Thurman. Spence repeatedly has said in recent years that he won’t fight Thurman, but Spence-Thurman seemingly is the most marketable in-house fight Premier Boxing Champions founder Al Haymon can put together after prolonged negotiations with Crawford ceased a few weeks ago.
Lithuania’s Eimantas Stanionis (14-0, 9 KOs, 1 NC), the WBA’s mandatory challenger for one of Spence’s 147-pound crowns, and Jaron Ennis (29-0, 27 KOs, 1 NC), the IBF’s number one contender for another of Spence’s welterweight championships, both want their title shots next. Spence-Stanionis and Spence-Ennis could be made next, but Thurman (30-1, 22 KOs, 1 NC) is a former WBA and WBC welterweight champion who has lost only a split decision to retired legend Manny Pacquiao and is a contemporary who has long been mentioned intermittently as a potential opponent for Spence.
Ennis, in particular, is generally regarded as a very high-risk, low-reward proposition for established, undefeated champions like Spence (28-0, 22 KOs) and Crawford (38-0, 29 KOs) and appears unlikely to get a shot at either fighter at any point in the foreseeable future. Philadelphia’s Ennis also is the WBO’s second-ranked contender for Crawford’s welterweight title, one spot below Vergil Ortiz Jr. (19-0, 19 KOs).
Crawford will make a voluntary defense of his belt against Russia’s David Avanesyan (29-3-1, 17 KOs) on December 10 at CHI Health Center in Omaha, Nebraska, Crawford’s hometown. Spence called Crawford-Avanesyan a “tune-up” Wednesday night during a Twitter exchange with Crawford.
“When you look at it,” Crawford said, “a lotta people say, ‘Oh, well, why he didn’t fight ‘Boots [Ennis]?’ Or, ‘Why he didn’t fight Ortiz?’ Well, them names never came up. I woulda fought them names in a heartbeat. Come on, man. I’m the best fighter in the world. Who do you think I am? Who do you think I am? I’m the best fighter in the world. I’ve always fought my mandatories. I ain’t never ducked my mandatories. But, you know, and still I hear through the grapevine Spence is about to fight a guy that he promised and he swear that he wasn’t gonna fight, which is Keith Thurman.
“Now, I don’t know how true that is, but that’s what’s floatin’ around. So, what’s up with the trueness with that? You swear up and down that you’re not gonna fight this guy, you don’t care what nobody say. Now, you about to fight him. So, that means you was lyin’, buddy. But you know why he gotta fight Thurman? You wanna know why, fans? Because of the money. It’s all about the money. Come on, now. He not gonna make that much money fighting Ortiz or ‘Boots.’ Come on, man, it’s obvious. Who is Spence gonna fight, besides me, that’s gonna make, you know, $20 million? Nobody.”
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.