Comments Thread For: Terence Crawford To Fight David Avanesyan On December 10 In Hometown Of Omaha

[factsarenice]

Then why was TC negotiating with somebody else, sounds as fishy as hell.

How can Spence be not serious when they sent a contract to TC, well I wont be paying to see TC in a BS fight.

Terrance has been calling on Errol for years and Errol seems to want it but not without Al Haymon's blessing. The contract always contained a poison pill because it's a massive risk and Hayman isn't about to loose money on his future entertainment investment. That's right, that's what I said...entertainment investment. The game has changed, boxing isn't about risking best vs best it's about money, some for the fighters but much more important is the money that flows into the hands of the managers and promoters with a network contracts.

[factsarenice]

Welterweight Terence Crawford to fight David Avanesyan on Dec. 10

Welterweight titleholder Terence Crawford and David Avanesyan have signed contracts for a pay-per-view fight on Dec. 10 at CHI Health Center in the champion's native Omaha, Nebraska, Crawford told ESPN on Thursday.

The fight will be available on BLK Prime for $39.95, a spokesperson for the streaming service told ESPN. Crawford (38-0, 29 KOs) will earn a career-high eight-figure payday, sources said.

Crawford remains in talks to face Errol Spence Jr. for the undisputed 147-pound championship, but when it became clear to Crawford that PBC was now targeting the first quarter of 2023 for that fight, he decided to push forward with a title defense to ensure he, like Spence, fought at least once in 2022.

Spence and Crawford are still motivated to strike a deal, sources said. With both fighters in their primes -- and peaking -- the welterweight summit meeting stands as one of the biggest commercial fights in the sport.

"I'm excited about this opportunity," Crawford said. "I was really looking forward to the Errol Spence fight. I started communicating with [boxing manager] Al Haymon and PBC back in June. And unfortunately, they represent a fighter in Errol Spence who didn't want the fight as bad as I did.

Crawford (38-0, 29 KO), the WBO welterweight titleholder, and Spence, who holds the WBC, WBA, and IBF titles, were at one point expected to meet on Nov. 19, but that fell apart, and Crawford says it wasn’t his lack of interest:

“I was really looking forward to the Errol Spence fight. I started communicating with Al Haymon and PBC back in June. And unfortunately, they represent a fighter in Errol Spence who didn’t want the fight as bad as I did.”

Crawford left Top Rank following his Nov. 2021 win over Shawn Porter, with the idea that he intended to finally make the Spence fight happen. After Spence’s win in April over Yordenis Ugas, both fighters publicly expressed their interest to get the deal done for their next fight, which was a new wrinkle in the long wait and only occasional acknowledgment of one another.

But it just doesn’t look like it’s going to happen, and without a promoter or major connections, Crawford won’t have a major outlet. But if the report is correct, he’ll make the money he wants all the same.

"I agreed to all of their [B.S.] and they've been dragging their ass for months. Spence was nowhere to be found while I was trying to make the deal," Crawford continued. "I explained to Al Haymon and Errol that I was going to fight before the end of the year. ... David Avanesyan is a very tough task. He's knocked out his last six opponents and this guy is dangerous. Once I'm successful against Avanesyan, my plan is still the same: Whoop Errol Spence's ass."

ESPN's No. 1 pound-for-pound boxer, Crawford acquiesced to the short end of the financial split for the clash with Spence, who is aligned with Haymon's PBC. Major terms are agreed to, but Crawford, a promotional free agent, wants transparency related to event expenses since the contract contains no guaranteed purse, sources said.

Rather, Crawford would earn a percentage of the net revenue, so he requested the ability to approve expenses as a partner in the event.

With the sides unable to solve the lingering issue in a timely fashion, Crawford decided to seek a different opponent rather than wait on PBC for a fight in February or March, sources said. The proposed Showtime PPV was targeted for Nov. 19, but the extended talks made that date unfeasible with approximately 60 days needed to properly promote the event and set up training camps.

Floyd Mayweather, Haymon's longtime business partner, told Fight Hype earlier this month that Spence-Crawford wouldn't happen until "further down the future."

There remains optimism Spence and Crawford will meet after interim fights, but for now, Crawford will focus on Avanesyan, a 34-year-old Russian fighting out of England.

ESPN's No. 10 welterweight, Avanesyan has scored six consecutive wins since a sixth-round TKO loss to Egidijus Kavaliauskas in 2018. That stretch includes a sixth-round stoppage of Josh Kelly in 2021, Avanesyan's best win to date.

A power-punching pressure fighter, Avanesyan (29-3-1, 17 KOs) owns a 2016 win over a well-past-his-prime version of Hall of Famer Shane Mosley. With an expected victory over Avanesyan, the European welterweight champion, Crawford could move onto the long-awaited matchup with Spence.

The proposed Spence-Crawford deal includes a bilateral rematch clause. If the rematch clause is triggered, the winner will earn the majority of the revenue for the return bout, sources said.

"We want to be a fixture in boxing for years to come," a BLK Prime spokesperson said. "Everyone was concerned about the other fight with Errol Spence. Unfortunately, that didn't happen. David Avanesyan is a formidable opponent, European champion and we're excited about Dec. 10 in Omaha."

Crawford, ESPN's top welterweight, last fought in November, a 10th-round TKO victory over Shawn Porter to retain his WBO title.

Spence, a 32-year-old from Desoto, Texas, returned from surgery to repair a detached retina to score a 10th-round TKO of Yordenis Ugas in April to add the WBA belt to go along with his WBC and WBA titles. Spence (28-0, 22 KOs) was set to fight Manny Pacquiao in August 2021 but withdrew from the matchup because of the eye injury.

It was the second major setback of Spence's career after an October 2019 car crash led to him being hospitalized. He did not fight again until December 2020. He's rated No. 3 pound-for-pound by ESPN and No. 2 at welterweight.

"[Crawford has] been stalling for months, I could've fought in November," Spence tweeted on Thursday. "Been fighting at this weight for over a decade, this s--- ain't easy or fun."

Context is everything.....Thanks

[thack]

I knew my man Bud would swerve all along.Boxing is a mess with these modern day wankers .Real fighters like Marvin & co do not exist today , who really gives a damm about whispering Bud anyway.

[Bronx2245]

There's always 2 sides to every story and then there's the Truth

8 figures to fight Avanesyan is insane! Hard to make the "Best vs. Best," when a guy can get 8 figures for fighting the #10 ranked WW! Why fight Vergil Ortiz, WBO #1, when you can make $10 million fighting Avanesyan? Now I want to see if Spence will fight Jaron "Boots" Ennis?

[factsarenice]

8 figures to fight Avanesyan is insane! Hard to make the "Best vs. Best," when a guy can get 8 figures for fighting the #10 ranked WW! Why fight Vergil Ortiz, WBO #1, when you can make $10 million fighting Avanesyan? Now I want to see if Spence will fight Jaron "Boots" Ennis?

In the end, both fighters will make what they can in a rigged sport that left legacy behind with the dinosaurs.

[brettWall]

That Spence negotiations had taken so long Bud Crawford couldn't stand waiting around anymore. He had to fight before the year ends. It could have been the Spence fight, but it seems a mess in that PBC side of the street. Most of their fighters have only fought once this year. Their top fighters are ducking each other. The situation is abysmal.

[bballchump11]

he just squeezing in a fight this year, still can go right back to negotiating with Spence so it is really nothing to panic about just because their not fighting this year doesn't mean that both should just stay inactive and wait

Spence should fight Thurman, Stanionis or Boots in December if possible

Very Disappointing though but also kinda SAD that Bud has ZERO backing and is going from ESPN to "BLK PRIME"?

what-the.gif

and We're suppose to believe that somehow BLK Prime is going to give Bud a Career High Payday? Strange Situation!

The sad thing this that the PBC offered him a Thurman fight to stay busy in the summer with Spence afterward.

[Baba K]

If I'm Spence...I'd vow TO NEVER fight Crawford. In my mind, he'd already have surrendered. His problem is that his boy owns junior middle so I don't see them knucklin' up. He could try to catch Golovkin slippin' though.

But Crawford? Done. He don't want it.

[alexnation]

Wow this makes me really really sad. I've always been a fan of Crawford but his career moves are just plain sad for any boxing fan. It should have been Spence-Crawford and nothing else

[siablo14]

Dang!

I am shocked. Even though Bud always had a f-ck you, world vibe to him.