Report: Spence Jr., Crawford Agree to Unification Bout
The long-anticipated megafight is reportedly set to take place later this year.
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Welterweight superstars Errol Spence Jr. and Terence Crawford have reportedly agreed to terms on a blockbuster bout scheduled to take place later this year.
ESPN’s Mike Coppinger reported the details of the long-awaited meeting Thursday, noting that the two sides have “agreed to all material terms” for a title unification fight slated for Nov. 19 in Las Vegas. Spence, 32, currently holds the WBC, WBA and IBF titles while Crawford, 34, is the reigning WBO champion.
While the agreement marks a major step forward in ongoing negotiations surrounding the anticipated 147-pound bout, Coppinger reported the deal has not yet been signed as of Thursday. Spence and Crawford’s lawyers are reportedly cleaning up the legal language in the agreement before the megafight is made official; additionally, the event is expected to be billed as a co-promotion between Spence’s Man Down Promotions and Crawford’s TBC Promotions on PBC pay-per-view.
According to ESPN, the proposed deal includes a “bilateral rematch clause that the loser will have the right to exercise,” which would result in the winner earning the majority of revenue in event of a rematch. Crawford, the No. 1-ranked fighter in Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix’s Pound-for-Pound rankings, has reportedly agreed to “all proposed financial terms” from PBC creator Al Haymon, and will receive the lesser amount in a revenue split for the November bout, per Coppinger.
Widely considered as one of the true remaining dream matches of this era, Spence (28–0) and Crawford (38–0) have proclaimed their desire to meet in the ring for several years, with talks finally picking up steam back in June. Now, boxing fans around the world are as close as they’ve ever been to seeing what could be a classic fight for the undisputed welterweight championship.
Spence, Mannix’s No. 5 ranked fighter, is coming off a 10th-round TKO of Yordenis Ugas in April to capture the Cuban fighter’s WBA belt. Crawford, meanwhile, last fought in November 2021, defeating Shawn Porter via a 10th-round TKO.
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