There’s no other way to put it: Errol Spence Jr. got dismantled by Terence Crawford on Saturday night in Las Vegas. The former IBF, WBA, and WBC champion at 147 pounds went down four times before the bout was mercifully stopped in the 9th round, and his previously-undefeated record goes by the wayside as he falls to 28-1 as a professional fighter.
But both fighters in this match up had a rematch clause that they can execute within 30 days, and immediately after the bout Spence Jr. told ring reporter Jim Gray that’s exactly what he intends to do.
A rematch before the end of the year?! @ErrolSpenceJr | #SpenceCrawford pic.twitter.com/3a8L7QiiZY
— SHOWTIME Boxing (@ShowtimeBoxing) July 30, 2023
While it likely won’t do the massive pay-per-view numbers of this battle, and there might be less interest because of the one-sided beating we saw after the first version, it’s still a major fight that will make both men much wealthier. There are rumors that a 50/50 split of nearly $90 million was the purse for the first battle, so even if it’s half that, it might be a payday worth making.
Spence also said he’d like to fight at 154 pounds in the rematch. While that means no belts would be on the line, it would also set up the winner with a shot at the undisputed champion at junior middleweight in Jermell Charlo. Like Crawford has now done at both 140 and 147 pounds, Charlo holds all four major belts at 154.