Sources – Terence Crawford, Errol Spence fit for July 29th fight

Terence Crawford and Errol Spence Jr. have agreed to fight for the undisputed middleweight title on July 29 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, sources tell ESPN.

PBC’s Al Haymon, who advises Spence, and CAA’s Ish Hinson, who advises Crawford, negotiated and now have the most anticipated boxing match since the mega-fight between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao in 2015.

Crawford and Spence are each guaranteed eight figures for the Showtime PPV bout, sources said, and there is a two-way rematch clause that the loser can trigger within 30 days of the bout. It’s a two-fight deal for Crawford with PBC, sources said. After a likely rematch between Crawford and Spence, which must take place before the end of 2023, both boxers are expected to move up to 154 pounds.

If they split two fights, a trilogy fight is overwhelmingly likely. And whoever comes out on top is expected to make a run for the undisputed junior welterweight title currently held by Jermell Charlo. Spence and Charlo are both training in Dallas with Derrick James.

According to the contract, Crawford and Spence will circle each other for years as the two best middleweights in the world without ever stepping foot in the ring.

But now they are set to meet in one of the sport’s biggest events, a bout that will decide supremacy at 147 pounds and give the winner a claim as the best boxer in the world, regardless of weight. Crawford is already ESPN’s No. 1 boxer, and Spence is three spots behind him at No. 4.

Spence (28-0, 22 KOs) was scheduled to move up to 154 pounds for a summer bout against Keith Thurman, but both Spence and Crawford had decided to fight each other next. The fighters met in March and agreed on broad terms, sources said.

An essential part of the agreement were the fighters’ advisers. Haymon and Hinson, who have a long relationship, worked together for the second and third heavyweight title fights between Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder.

And now another superfight is on the horizon, pitting Crawford against Spence in a fight fans have been waiting years for.

Ever since Crawford (39-0, 30 KOs) won the WBO welterweight title in his first fight at 147 pounds in June 2018, there have been calls for a summit clash against Spence. For years, there was one major obstacle: competing promoters.

Spence, who holds the WBA, WBC and IBF titles, is with the PBC, while Crawford was formerly with the Top Rank entities, which rarely trade with each other. Top Rank promoted Crawford’s title defense against PBC fighter Shawn Porter in November 2021, but that was a WBO-sanctioned bout.

Crawford, 35, became a free agent with the promotion after a 10th-round TKO victory over Porter, paving the way for a potential matchup with Spence. The two sides held talks for much of last year and came close to a deal in September, but talks collapsed at the 11th hour.

Crawford scored a sixth-round highlight reel KO of David Avanesyan in December in his native Omaha, Nebraska. Spence, 33, last fought in April 2022 with a 10th-round TKO victory over Yordenis Ugas in Arlington, Texas, to claim a third welterweight title.

The fight was Spence’s first since undergoing surgery in August 2021 to repair a detached retina. He was scheduled to fight the legendary Manny Pacquiao that same month, but pulled out of the bout due to an eye injury. But Spence came back better than ever, just as he recovered from a serious car accident in October 2019 that threatened to jeopardize his career.

Fourteen months after the accident, Spence dethroned Danny Garcia by decision. And while many boxers have had to retire with a detached retina, Spence came back from surgery – just like Sugar Ray Leonard in the 1980s – to stop Ugas.

Now Spence and Crawford are ready for their toughest challenge yet, an event that will decide their legacy once and for all. And it’s happening because the fighters pushed backstage to finally finish the match.