Errol Spence Jr. recalled wanting the Terence Crawford fight in 2019, despite being in hospital following his car crash, after he pleaded guilty to driving under influence.
The pair will face each other on July 29th, 2023, live from the T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, with the winner becoming the first undisputed welterweight champion of the four-belt era.
However, the fight may not have happened if Spence did not recover from his car crash.
And things took another turn last year, as the star suffered another crash when an underaged driver crashed into his vehicle as they crossed a red light.
But through all the struggles, Spence could not let the Crawford fight slip.
“Al Haymon came to the hospital. I don’t remember none of that. I didn’t know he came to the hospital, probably until like four months after being in the hospital.
“Everybody told me that I was telling him (Haymon) that after I get out of the hospital that I want to fight Terence Crawford. And they hyped me up, [telling me], ‘Don’t worry about it, we gon’ get that boy.’
“I was thinking about fighting. I was like, ‘Hey, when I come back, I want to fight Terence Crawford in my first fight back.’ I’m saying stuff like that, [with] missing teeth, everything, one eye,” Spence said
Now that the fight is here, there will be question marks over whether Spence has fully recovered from those crashes.
And with his 15-month lay-off since his win over Yordenis Ugas, Spence will have to silence some doubters.