Terence Crawford has spoken out on why negotiations for his undisputed showdown against Errol Spence Jr fell though, insisting he was getting ‘f****d’ on the deal.
WBO champion Crawford and IBF, WBC and WBA champion Spence sit at the summit of the welterweight division, both undefeated, pound-for-pound greats operating at the peak of their powers.
A unification bout between the two with all the gold at 147lbs on the line represents one of the most eagerly anticipated fights in boxing with genuine hope the fight was close to being made earlier this year.
An exasperating year for boxing fans – who have also seen Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua collapse – provided more frustration with Crawford vs Spence talks coming to a halt due to a contract dispute last month.
Crawford is now set to fight the undefeated David Avanesyan in December with reports suggesting the American will bank a career-high payday from that title defence.
Addressing how and why the fight broke down, Crawford sat down for a ‘raw and uncut’ Instagram Live on Tuesday night where he revealed two unnamed groups offered to pay him and Spence a guaranteed purse of $25million each for the fight.
After personally informing Spence of the deal, Crawford then turned to Al Haymon, Spence’s advisor to get the deal over the line. Haymon however refused to work with third parties, it is claimed.
Crawford also insisted he was ready to accept an offer that would have seen him move forward without a guaranteed split, convinced a share of the revenue would make it worthwhile.
‘We were just going back and forth on the numbers,’ Spence said during the 20-minute video. ‘I had two companies reach out to me, that wanted to give me and spence $25m guaranteed.
‘A real guy like myself, I called Spence. He had to go back and ask Al for permission. He didn’t call me back. So I went back to Al and Al told me straight up, “I’m not letting anyone touch this fight”.
‘I was the only one taking all the risk. So I told him I will take no guarantee, I will take the lesser end of the money. Whatever it is you want, I will take it because that is how much confidence I have got that I beat that man.
‘Even though I knew I was getting f****d in the long run, I just wanted a little transparency.’
Spence continued: ‘So you mad at me, for taking a fight against a tough opponent for a bigger pursue, a guarantee that I wasn’t even going to get (with you). You crazy in the head.
‘You expect me to be disrespected, ran over and stepped on and just sit there at take it.’
With Crawford taking o Avanesyan 10 December, Spence could now be in action the following week against Keith Thurman on 17 December.
MORE : ‘That’s the plan’ – Terence Crawford confident Errol Spence Jr unification showdown will happen next
MORE : Eddie Hearn names new opponent for Anthony Joshua should Dillian Whyte lose next fight
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