'A rematch at 154 lbs' - said Spence during the post fight presser of Spence vs Crawford
In a one-sided Spence vs Crawford bout, Errol Spence Jr faced his first defeat at the hands of Terence Crawford, who dominated the fight and claimed the undisputed welterweight championship with a ninth-round stoppage. Spence (28-1, 22 KO) stated his desire for a rematch at the super welterweight limit of 154 pounds during the post-fight presser. He did, however, agree that at the end Crawford will decide as he is the winner of their fight. Spence intimated that if the rematch takes place at the welterweight limit of 147 pounds, he might not consent to it. He accepted the loss with grace, giving full credit to Crawford for his performance. Spence admitted that he had an off-night, and Crawford was the better fighter that evening. He recognized that his timing was off, which prevented him from capitalizing on certain opportunities. Regarding the potential rematch, Spence mentioned that he would discuss it with his management, but his preference lies in competing at 154 lbs. He acknowledged the difficulty of cutting weight to make 147 lbs but refrained from making excuses for the loss. He commended Crawford's power but attributed some of his difficulties to his own mistimed shots.
“It’s something I’ve got to talk to my management about, but hopefully it’s at 154. ... (The weight cut) is always difficult, but I don’t make any excuses. The better man won tonight.”Despite some swelling, Spence stated that he didn't experience any vision problems during the fight. He felt physically capable and believed he could do enough to win, but Crawford's superior performance proved otherwise. Looking ahead, Spence expressed determination and resilience. He stated that he wouldn't dwell on the loss and would move forward to improve and grow as a fighter. He remained open to a rematch with Crawford and found solace in delivering an exciting fight to the boxing public. Spence acknowledged that he didn't perform at his best and believes he is much better than what he showed in the ring that night. He credited Crawford for being sharp and prepared, acknowledging the champion's 100 percent readiness for the fight. When asked about his thoughts after the second-round knockdown, Spence humorously remarked that his mindset was simply to fight back and defend himself. He expressed respect for Crawford's sportsmanship, with the latter praising him after the fight.
“Nothing really surprised me. He’s just like I thought. My timing wasn’t good today.
“I felt a little off physically, but most times I get through it. I thought it was going to be like the other times, but I couldn’t kick it up a notch.
“I got a feel for his power in probably the first or second round. He’s a strong dude, but everybody at the top level has some type of power. I think because my timing was off, he was catching me in between shots.
“No. I didn’t have any difficulty seeing at all.
“I felt cool. I felt I could do enough to win the fight. I felt good, like I said I’m not here to make any excuses. I’m a grown man. I agreed to the weight and to get down to it, and that’s what I did. No excuses. Hats off to the champion tonight.
“I’m not gonna stew over it at all. I did what I was supposed to do, regardless of the outcome. I promised everybody I was going to do it and I did it as a man. I’m not gonna sulk over this, I’ll get right back and get to it, hopefully at 154 lbs.
“Definitely. It was exciting. It’s something that I wouldn’t change for nothing. I’m definitely open to the rematch, and hopefully it’ll be at 154 lbs.
“I know I’m a lot better than what I showed tonight. I know that a lot of things were off with me. Even though Terence did what he was supposed to, he was sharp and he was on-point, and he made sure he was 100 percent ready in this fight.
“He just told me to keep my head up, I was off. He was trying to console me like he’s supposed to.
“Shit, uh, just fight back, I mean [laughing] — I mean, what you mean what was going through my mind? It’s a boxing match, so I was trying to block the shots he was throwing and come back with shots. Nothing really was going through my mind. Just the same stuff.
“He just said good fight, much respect, and that’s about it.”
