By Norm Frauenheim –
Terence Crawford-Errol Spence Jr, a fascinating fight embedded in the public imagination for years, is generating lots of ideas about how it will unfold, yet no idea about how it will end.
That much was evident Thursday in a virtual news conference featuring Shawn Porter and Kell Brook — retired welterweights beaten by both — and respected trainers, Virgil Hunter and Stephen “Breadman” Edwards.
The imagined scenarios were unlimited. So, too, was the insight. In the end, however, there was only one agreement.
With opening bell on July 29 just a few weeks away, Porter, Brook, Hunter and Edwards agreed – for now — not to pick a winner.
“I don’t have a pick,’’ said Porter, a former two-time 147-pound champion who lost a 10th-round TKO to Crawford in November 2021 and a split-decision to Spence in September 2019. “I don’t know who is going to win this fight.
“This is what boxing truly is.’’
Truly, true.
It’s why Crawford-Spence has been at the top of the public’s most-wanted list for so long. It also explains why there was so much frustration last fall at news that negotiations had fallen apart.
But the frustration is gone, supplanted by the fascination. There haven’t been too many high-level, high-wire fights during an era ruled by Floyd Mayweather’s risk-to-reward ratio. The formula mitigated the risk, much of the drama and most of the compelling reasons to watch.
Too many fights were easy to pick. Crawford-Spence isn’t.
“I don’t have a pick right now,’’ said Edwards, who was in the corner for Caleb Plant in a tense scorecard loss to super-middleweight contender David Benavidez in March. “That’s the honest truth. I think we’re going to have the Fight of the Century. ‘’
The Century is still young. It’s only 23-years old, still enough time for fights forever etched into history. There was Diego Corrales’ 10th-round TKO of Jose Luis Castillo in a 2005 epic.
About 21 months ago, there was one that will be remembered as wild, even by the heavyweight division’s extreme standards. Tyson Fury’s crazy, up-and-down 11th-round KO of Deontay Wilder was buckle-your-seatbelt crazy
The last 23 years are not a lost era. Still, they are dogged by the one fight seen by more people than any other. Mayweather’s 2015 decision over Manny Pacquiao, also in a welterweight bout, fell short. Before opening bell, It was much hyped and it’s been much derided ever since.
There’s a suggestion – perhaps a prayer — Crawford-Spence can deliver a performance that will close the book on that lingering disappointment.
From Breadman’s perspective, both Spence and Crawford have qualities that remind him of a more celebrated era. He foresees a performance that won’t disappoint.
“I don’t see either guy choking up under the bright lights,’’ he said. “Both guys seem to have that clutch gene.
“…Every time, I’ve seen one of these guys’ backs against the wall, they up the ante, raise the stakes.’’
Breadman says the fight will make fans want more. That means a rematch. But Breadman meant more than just that.
“I think the casual fan might say: ‘There’s not enough action,’ ‘’ Breadman said. “But for the purist, you’ll see some great, great stuff. It will become a classic.
“I think this one is one I wish was 15 rounds, because I think both guys are 15-round fighters and would have flourished in a 15-round era.’’
The winner? It depends.
Depends, perhaps, on how the bigger Spence rehydrates the week before opening bell at Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena, says Hunter, who was Andre Ward’s trainer.
Depends, maybe, on how Crawford adjusts to a blistering desert summer in Nevada after training at altitude in the Colorado mountains, Hunter also says.
“It’s going to come down to very small margin,’’ said Brook, a former 147-pound champion stopped by Crawford in a fourth-round TKO in November 2020 and knocked out by Spence in the 11th round of a punishing bout in May 2017.
The calculating Crawford, Brook says, possesses a precision that can result in dangerous accuracy. It has a snap, Brook says of a Crawford punch that lands like a whip.
“Very sharp and snapping puncher,’’ said Brook, who won a majority over to Porter in August 2014.
Spence is more fundamental. Once Spence starts to move forward, he can run you over, he says.
“A grinding and thumping kind of power,’’ said Brook, who has felt Crawford’s dynamic snap and Spence’s grinding thump.
“That’s the difference,” Brook added.
Maybe, the drama, too. For now, that’s the only pick.
Valdez-Navarrete Update
Emerging lightweight Raymond “Danger” Muratalla hopes to take another step in his swift ascent against fellow Mexican Diego Torres Aug. 12 on the ESPN-televised card featuring Oscar Valdez Jr.-versus-Emanuel Navarrete for a junior-lightweight title at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale AZ, Top Rank announced this week.
Muratalla (18-0, 15 KOs) calls himself Danger, a nickname that reflects his unbeaten record, which includes 12 stoppages in his last 13 bouts. He’s also Busy.
He faces an equally dangerous Torres (17-0, 16 KOs) in his third fight in 2023.
“I couldn’t be more excited to get back in that ring on such a great card,’’ Muratalla said. “I can’t wait to put on another great performance for the fans. I believe this is my time now, and I will continue to show the hard work that’s being put in.”
Muratalla has the momentum. Torres hopes to halt it.
“Fighting against another undefeated fighter is something that I was looking for,’’ Torres said. “It is my way of showing that I am made for this, and I am here to achieve great things.
“I am not afraid. I’m going to give it my all and come out with a great victory.”
Muratalla-Torres has been added to a card also scheduled to include Richard Torrez Jr. (5-0, 5 KOs), a silver medalist for the U.S. at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, against Willie Jake Jr. (11-3-2, 3 KOs) in a six-round heavyweight bout.
