Welterweight titleholder Terence Crawford appears on The MMA Hour to follow up on the disappointing fallout of a failed fight with Errol Spence, and what we can expect from the opponent he’ll now be facing in David Avanesyan. Check out some excerpts of what Crawford had to say with the full video interview above.
Crawford on fielding constant questions about Spence while he’s preparing to face Avanesyan
“I’m moving forward with my career. Me and Errol, if that fight happens it will happen next year. I just don’t like the fact that a lot of people is blaming me for trying to make the fight…I just blame the business of boxing…I don’t blame myself for not one portion of the fight not being made.
“I feel like I agreed to everything I needed to agree to. I feel like I done everything that I was supposed to do as an independent fighter. It’s only so much I can do.”
On why he decided to go it alone, no longer being signed to a major promoter
“For more opportunities. I can be independent and can go on any platform and display my skills and prove I’m the best fight in the world without having any roadblocks or anything standing in the way from me accomplishing the things I want to accomplish in the sport of boxing.”
On if he still harbors animosity towards Top Rank
“Not at all. I don’t have any animosity or any hates towards them. I still go to Top Rank events, I still go to their shows, and that’s that. Business is business at the end of the day. Bob is Bob. I don’t have no ill will feelings towards him. It is what it is.”
On what he needs to be concerned about in facing David Avanesyan
“Well, David is very tricky. He’s been around boxing for a long time, he knows what he’s doing in the ring. He’s very strong, very powerful, very crafty, and he’s hungry and determined. Those the guys you got to look out for.
“He got a lot to gain, so for me to not go in there 110% prepared is making for a huge upset on his behalf but, for me, I’m going in there like I’m fighting any other fight. I’m training 200%, hard as I can, to make sure that Dec. 10 I get that victory.”
On the BLK Prime platform he’ll be fighting on
“BLK is kind of like an app, kind of like DAZN, ESPN+, and it’s giving us fighters the platform to actually become our own bosses — for us to take back what’s ours and get the lions share of the deal instead of the promoters and everybody out there.
“If you notice, there haven’t been a lot of promoters or owners of BLK in the media. They want to give the attention all to the boxers…the boxers get to define their destiny in making the big fights happen and getting paid doing it.”