In a highly anticipated undisputed welterweight title fight, Errol Spence Jr. suffered a brutal defeat against Terence Crawford at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, with Crawford’s exceptional skills leading him to a knockout victory over Spence in the ninth round.
Following the defeat, there are many contrasting opinions regarding Errol Spence Jr. and the way he was outclassed by Bud. Among many, Stephen A. Smith was someone who was highly criticized by the fans for making an absurd comment regarding the future of Spence in the sport of boxing.
Analyst’s absurd take on Errol Spence earns severe fan backlash
In one of his recent shows after the welterweight bout, Stephen A. Smith expressed admiration for Terence Crawford, stating that Crawford has solidified his position as the number one pound-for-pound fighter on the planet and as one of the greatest in the welterweight division.
However, Smith’s remark that Errol should retire now sparked controversy among fans and critics. The popular sports analyst is now the center of controversy for making such an absurd comment regarding the 33-year-old boxing star.
“I believe that Errol Spence Jr. should consider retirement,” Smith said.
Stephen A Smith says Terence Crawford beat Errol Spence Jr up so bad he should retire and not do a rematch in December pic.twitter.com/PR71oZjzMf
— SOUND (@itsavibe) July 31, 2023
Kobe expressed his dissatisfaction regarding Smith’s comment by saying, “This is why we don’t get these fights as much and fighters protect their 0 because as soon as they lose 1 time everyone says they trash or should retire. Crawford is just different but Errol Spence is still Errol Spence.”
“Now Errol needs to retire!?!?!? This is why we don’t get to see the fights we want, because as soon as a boxer loses that 0 he’s “washed”, “trash” and needs to “retire”. This is one thing that makes the UFC superior as a business.” a user said.
Gilbert Page also criticized Smith by saying,” Bud is lb 4 lb the best boxer today. Don’t go on Smith’s word. Smith knows Jack about boxing. Atlas explained his point on TV. Smith then went on a rant & had Atlas admitting that he didn’t have the formal ed., Smith had. In fact, Atlas is much more boxing savvy.”
.@stephenasmith believes #SpenceCrawford should be Errol's last fight 👀 pic.twitter.com/o031YLbQto
— ESPN Ringside (@ESPNRingside) July 31, 2023
Nicky presented an example to mock Smith as he said:” Hey Stephen A. Did you feel the same way when Bronze Bomber took a worse beating from Tyson Fury ? Did you feel Deontay should retire? You won’t reply, always “in character” when speaking to the “American public” – just be more serious, to be taken seriously by boxing fans.”
“Who cares what he says about combat sports? SAS doesn’t know shit about boxing or MMA. That has been evident from the occasions where ESPN has had him cover them and he has embarrassed himself,” said Jacob Hendrix.
“The Truth” open to rematch against Crawford
Immediately after the fight, Errol Spence Jr. showed no intention of retiring and promptly activated the rematch clause, setting the stage for another exciting encounter with Crawford in the near future.
“I did what I was supposed to do, regardless of the outcome. I promised everybody I was going to do it and I did it as a man. I’m not gonna sulk over this, I’ll get right back and get to it, hopefully at 154 lbs.” Errol said.
Errol Spence Jr congratulating the undisputed 147 champion Bud Crawford on his instagram 💪🏽🔥 #boxing pic.twitter.com/9pudtAlNsy
— Calls 🥷 (@RealLopez951) July 31, 2023
‘The Truth’ also praised Bud and admitted that his timing was slightly off during the match, accepting that Crawford was the better fighter without making any excuses. The New Yorker also expressed optimism for the rematch to happen at 154 pounds instead of 147.
Do you think Spence’s fate will be different when they run it back? Share your predictions with us in the comment section.
