Errol Spence Jr. vs. Terence Crawford is a fight for all the welterweight titles — and their legacies

No matter what was said publicly, Errol Spence Jr. and Terence Crawford always seemed destined to face each other. In recent years, both men have held a claim to being the best welterweight in the world and have been in the discussion as the best men’s pound-for-pound boxer. But despite the many victories, titles and accolades on each of their resumes, there was always something lacking — a matchup against each other. Boxing fans weren’t the only ones clamoring for a Spence-Crawford showdown. Both of the fighters wanted it, too.

Ahead of their fight on Saturday night at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, one of the rarest between two top fighters in the same division in several years, Spence outlined why the fight is so important for each of their legacies.

“I wanted to fight him because I feel like he was the guy that’s my dancing partner,” Spence said on July 12 during a virtual news conference. “He is the guy I need, and the other way around. I’m the guy that he needs, especially [as] we talk about legacy-wise and boxing-wise.”

Whenever Spence and Crawford hang up their gloves, only a bout against each other could determine if one of them was truly the best 147-pound fighter of their generation.

The winner will remain undefeated, be crowned as the undisputed welterweight champion and own a victory over a fighter who can truly be considered an equal.

The latter is what makes this weekend’s bout so compelling. The winner will be able to claim superiority over his biggest rival. And like Spence said, the outcome will define the legacies of two of the best boxers of their era.

“I feel like if I didn’t fight him,” Spence said, “his name would always leave a stain on just my name, and if he didn’t fight me, my name would always leave a stain on his name, no matter if he wanted to say it or not.”