The wildly-anticipated Spence Jr. v. Crawford showdown 'will get made,' sources say

• All the major players in the Errol Spence Jr. vs. Terence Crawford bout want the fight to happen.

• A box office extravaganza such as this requires a greater runway than the initial date could provide.

• Three months would be ample time to market and advertise the biggest fight of the year.

LAS VEGAS — The prospective welterweight showdown between marquee American fighters Terence Crawford and Errol Spence Jr. "will get made," according to an Insider boxing source with knowledge of the situation.

The source told us that all parties involved with the fight, which could determine the No.1 boxer in the entire sport, want it to happen. It would be a Premier Boxing Champions event on Showtime pay-per-view.

That same source told us earlier in the year that organizers were targeting mid-November for the event and said the show is being pushed into the subsequent months. ESPN reported last week that the bout was being moved off of the date.

Big, pay-per-view events in the past required up to six months of promotion to adequately market and advertise the event on numerous platforms so that the fight had the best chance of transcending boxing and becoming a sporting spectacle.

In the modern era, a six-month runway may not be necessary. Insider understands organizers would prefer up to three months to promote this event.

Crawford and Spence are, by far, America's best boxers. They are ranked No.2 and No.3 in the sport, according to this Business Insider ranking. A bout between them could see the winner leapfrog Oleksandr Usyk as the pound-for-pound best fighter in boxing.

Organizers understand this fight's magnitude. If such a match materialized, it would be the most significant welterweight contest since Floyd Mayweather Jr. outclassed Manny Pacquiao in 2015.

The event could catch fire and captivate mainstream attention, a second source said

A second source with knowledge of the situation said that a huge boxing event is "the floor" of their expectations for this fight. The event could catch fire and become a hot commodity in all sports, that source said.

This is why organizers would likely prefer a greater "runway" to promote the show rather than the five weeks to prepare for a Las Vegas spectacle that a mid-November event would impose, Insider's first source said.

Organizers want to give the event the best possible chance of hitting mainstream sports fans and even the general public. "It could be January," that source told us.

Indeed, according to information seen by Insider, TGB Promotions — which helps promote Premier Boxing Champions events — has reserved the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on two dates in January and another date in February.

January 7, January 28, and February 4 are all reserved, according to the Nevada State Athletic Commission. The commission does not specify for what reason those dates are reserved.

Everyone involved still wants the fight to happen, the source said

Insider's primary source on this prospective match appeared bemused when told about ESPN's report that indicated the championship bout was "at risk" over a "dispute on contract details."

Spence, Crawford, and Premier Boxing Champions boss Al Haymon all want this fight to happen, the source told Insider.

Speaking to Showtime Sports after demolishing Yordenis Ugas on April 16, Spence said: "Everybody knows who I want next."

He added: "I want Terence Crawford next. That's the fight I want. That's the fight everybody else wants."

To Boxing Scene later in the year, Spence said: "I think it's gonna happen. He wants the fight. I want the fight."

More recently, Spence tweeted Wednesday that the Crawford mega fight "is happening next."

Spence vs. Crawford isn't the only super fight in the works

Insider met Golden Boy Promotions executives Eric Gomez and Roberto Diaz at their downtown Los Angeles headquarters earlier this week. They told us their company is "in deep talks" regarding a possible fight between Ryan Garcia and Mayweather Promotions stud Gervonta Davis.

Such a match would pair two of the most popular fighters in the entire sport at a time when they are in their mid-20s and entering their prime years as combat athletes.

It would pit the Deontay Wilder-esque power of Davis against Garcia's Amir Khan-like speed.

Gomez told us he is "working towards" making that fight a reality.

Diaz added: "The communication is there, which is a positive."

One source close to Davis confirmed these talks to Insider by saying they thought the bout was "fairly close."

Another source said they'd be stunned if a deal did not involve a rematch clause, meaning fans could see Davis, 27, and Garcia, 24, fight twice.

That same source said they'd be equally stunned if a rematch clause were not embedded into the negotiations for the Spence, 32, and Crawford, 35, event.

According to that source, these fights could happen in back-to-back months.

If Garcia and Davis were to fight in December, Spence and Crawford could throw slugs in January.

One thing is for sure, they would not take place in the same month.

'Everyone knows I'm coming for' Davis, Garcia recently tweeted

Like Spence vs. Crawford, Davis and Garcia is a bout that all parties seem to crave, from organizers to the boxers themselves.

For instance, Garcia's timeline on Twitter is filled with references to a prospective super fight against his budding rival.

"Everyone knows I'm coming for Tank," Garcia posted on September 28. "So just wait on that. He knows it, too. We all know it."

Around that time, Davis indicated that he was ready for all the smoke — Garcia included.

If both fights were to materialize, it would be a great statement of intent from a sport that seemed sluggish to emerge from the pandemic.

While the UFC brought MMA back early in the COVID-19 era in 2020, boxing struggled.

However, it has produced some good shows at the start of 2022, and if it were to book Davis against Garcia and Spence vs. Crawford in back-to-back months, then the sport would hog the limelight for a lengthy period.

If both fights carried rematch clauses and those clauses were exercised, it could retain that mainstream attention even longer.

Read the original article on Insider