Errol Spence Jr. may have a legitimate claim to being the best welterweight in the world, but for Keith Thurman, the Texan is unproven in some respects. (photo by Ryan Hafey)
Spence, Thurman said in a recent interview, has never fought a fighter with the combination of intelligence and athleticism like him and Terence Crawford.
Spence (28-0, 22 KOs), the WBC, WBA and IBF 147-pound champion, is reportedly in deep negotiations with Crawford (38-0, 29 KOs), the WBO champion, for a fight. undisputed at the end of this year. but no deal has been finalized yet.
When asked about that matchup, Thurman, a former champion, said he has followed Spence’s development closely and is therefore more confident in stating that the southpaw champion has not proven himself against an opponent who possesses first-rate physical and mental attributes.
Thurman suggested that can be rectified by fighting himself or Crawford.
“What I haven’t seen Spence face is what I think myself and Crawford bring to the table, which is obviously someone who has that IQ of that Olympic pedigree,” Thurman said on the Last Stand Podcast with Brian Custer. “And then on top of that, there’s athletics. You know? He hasn’t fought athletic, sneaky, fast-twitch… I don’t know enough about Crawford’s power. We’ve seen him hurt.”
Thurman (30-1, 22 KOs), who broke his years of inactivity earlier this year with a decision over Mario Barrios, recently indicated that if a Spence-Crawford fight doesn’t come to fruition, he believes he will become the favorite to fight Spence.
“I still consider Spence the biggest puncher, I think of him as the biggest man, the biggest puncher,” Thurman said. “All it takes is the right punch to end a fight, not the biggest punch. The athletics, watching Spence fight Crawford, watching Spence fight Thurman, it’s just a test that he’s never really faced.”
