Promotional free agent Terence Crawford had a one-track mind all year to fight Errol Spence Jr., but negotiations never crossed the finish line.

The WBO welterweight champion Crawford has since moved on to a Dec. 10 date with Armenian contender David Avanesyan, but the most pressing topic that is still top of mind for everyone is if or when the two pound-for-pound greats will meet. 

“It is what it is – I’m moving forward with my career. Me and Errol, if that fight happens, it will happen next year. I just don’t like the fact that a lot of people are blaming me for trying to make the fight. That’s about it. But my main focus is not on Errol right now. My main focus is on David Avanesyan,” Crawford told Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour on Monday.

“I just blame the business of boxing. I don’t blame myself for [even] one portion of the fight not being made.

“I felt like I agreed to everything that I needed to agree to. I feel like I’ve done everything I’m supposed to do as an independent fighter to get that fight made. But there’s only so much I can do.”

When Helwani asked Crawford if the fight would have been made if Spence was independent as well, the Nebraska native replied “100 percent.” 

Spence is tied to Al Haymon’s Premier Boxing Champions, and Crawford proclaimed that he understands PBC has to put Spence in “the best position possible.”

“They are doing what is best for him. I don’t blame them,” said Crawford. 

“I think he wanted the fight. I think he really wanted the fight. I think he still wants the fight, but I don’t know what’s going on in his team. The only thing I can do is speak for myself and my team.

“Hopefully [the fight will happen]. I can’t say if it’s true or false. The only thing I can say is, if you were to ask me, ‘Does Terence Crawford want to fight Errol Spence?’ I would say true. But I can’t say if a fight is true or false, if it happens or not. Anything can happen in today’s society.”

Manouk Akopyan is a sports journalist, writer and broadcast reporter. He’s also a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and MMA Journalists Association. He can be reached on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube at @ManoukAkopyan, via email at manouk[dot]akopyan[at]gmail.com or on www.ManoukAkopyan.com.