Spence: ‘I’m not worried about being the underdog’

On Wednesday, WBO welterweight champion Terence Crawford had his media workout in Las Vegas, and on Thursday, it was WBC, WBA, and IBF welterweight champion Errol Spence Jr.’s turn to show off his skills in Las Vegas.

Spence(28-0, 22 KOs) will battle Crawford(39-0, 30 KOs) on Saturday, July 29, at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas(Showtime PPV, 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT), as the two try to become the first undisputed champion in the welterweight division in the four-belt era.

“This is what I’ve worked for my whole career,” Spence said. “I want to be that undisputed welterweight champion of the world, and I’m excited to go up against a great opponent like Terence Crawford to accomplish that.

“I’ve been fighting the best for a long time. When you see all the legends of the sport, they fought each other and made historic fights. That’s what I want to do. Terence is one of the best fighters in the world, and I’m one of the best fighters in the world, so we had to make this happen.”

Photos: Ryan Hafey/Premier Boxing Champions

Crawford is the betting favorite in this fight, but Spence is ready to prove everybody wrong.

“I’m not worried about being the underdog,” he said. “People can say what they say and have their opinions. I just have to go prove them wrong.

“I’ve been feeling the buzz for this fight. Anywhere I go, they’ve been asking me about this fight. I knew I had to make it happen. This is what everyone wanted. We have to prove who the man is in the welterweight division and in boxing. The winner of this fight is the best fighter in boxing, period.”

Spence has fought Mikey Garcia, Shawn Porter, Danny Garcia, and Yordenis Ugas in his last four fights. In between all that, he got into a major car accident and eye surgery, so Spence has done it the hard way.

“Every belt I’ve gotten, I’ve taken from somebody,” Spence said. “I beat champion after champion. I’m going through the wringer, fighting the best guys in my division. There’s a big difference between facing a champion and someone without a belt. The guys with the belts have a lot more to fight for.”

Spence, like many, thinks his fight with Crawford is a historic clash. 

“Everybody make sure you tune into this fight,” he said. It’s gonna be an amazing fight. This fight is gonna be a war of attrition. It’s a guts and glory type of fight.

“I don’t think there’s anyone I fought who’s similar to Terence Crawford. His style is different from anybody else. I don’t think Sugar Ray Leonard fought anyone like Tommy Hearns until he fought Tommy, and vice versa. That’s what happens in these historic fights.”