BOXING
George Foreman says Errol Spence Jr. can beat Terence Crawford in a rematch
‘Bud’ defeated Spence Jr. easier than most people believed, but the Dallas native could win in a second fight, according to Foreman.
While in March Gervonta Davis was considered by many as the ‘face of boxing’, only four months later the main focus is on Terence Crawford.
Bud is the man of the moment in boxing after his impressive display of skills that led him to dismantle Errol Spence Jr. in the most-anticipated bout of the year at T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas.
In a battle for the welterweight supremacy and the pound-for-pound No. 1 spot between two undefeated champions, the Omaha native proved he’s probably the most complete boxer in the sport, dominating the fight from the second round till the ninth when Crawford closed the show via TKO.
During the fight, Terence called out Jermell Charlo and after becoming victorious explained that his next goal is to fight Mell for all the marbles at 154 lbs (light middleweight).
Spence can defeat Crawford in a rematch
After the fight between the two welterweight giants, many feel that a rematch is not necessary, as Crawford defeated Spence Jr., and was never a close affair.
However, even with the difference inside the ring between both men, boxing legend George Foreman believes the outcome could be very different between them if Spence Jr. uses the right strategy to counterattack Crawford’s versatile style.
“He’s a fine boxer himself, but his main strength is his punching power, and the other guy [Crawford] is a grown man. He’s been practicing his boxing and counter-punching for so long. You can’t box those kinds of guys,” said George Foreman to The Odd Couple.
Foreman also stated that Spence Jr. used the wrong strategy by trying to box with Crawford’s counterpunches, fighting on the outside, and taking too much time to get his power punches going:
“You got to go out there and do a crude style of fighting, never landing hard shots. You’re not going to get them with a good shot. They get out of the way and just win every round by points”.
“Spence Jr. could have done that, but his corner was not aware of that. They were just sending him out doing what he was already doing wrong, and he just got caught up. He’s a nice young fighter”, he added.
“I think he still has got a good future. He just got beat at something that he doesn’t do well. No doubt about it [Spence Jr. can beat Crawford in a second fight]. You go back to the drawing board. Pick out some of the rounds where he did well. When he stayed close to the guy, he did well, but when he stayed out boxing, he got clocked. He could become better”.
“Spence is a good fighter. He’s got a good jab. He just couldn’t get his combinations going on a counterpuncher. Those counter-punchers when they get to that age especially, will ruin your fighters. You got to keep them away, but evidently, they made a lot of money. So what can you say?”, concluded Foreman.
While Crawford is eyeing a possible fight against Charlo, Mell is now totally focused on his upcoming fight against Canelo Álvarez in September. Rising star Jaron Ennis is another good option for Crawford if he decides to stay at 147 lbs and the rematch with Spence Jr. doesn’t happen.