Errol Spence might have been certain but the rest of us had reasons to be fearful.
Back in September 1981, when Sugar Ray Leonard and Thomas Hearns met for the first time, the fights that “had to happen” usually did. Boxing – and the expectations of fans - have changed.
Leonard and Hearns fought for the WBC and WBA welterweight titles but the emergence of the IBF and the WBO later in the 1980s created more opportunities and, ultimately, more scope for excuses when it came to creating super-fights.
In terms of global appeal, Crawford and Spence is making less impact than Leonard and Hearns 42 years ago or Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao in 2015 but Vegas is again the most fitting location for a showdown with a genuine generational feel, featuring two men who would have survived in any era in a weight division which has housed so many of the game’s greatest.
Between them, Crawford and Spence have engaged in 24 world title fights - more than double the number racked up by Leonard and Hearns back then – and, even taking periods of inactivity into account, they appear to be at or close to their peak.
I was ringside when they announced themselves on the world championship stage here in the UK: Crawford outpointing Ricky Burns for the WBO lightweight crown in Glasgow in 2014 and Spence wearing down Kell Brook to claim the IBF welterweight belt outdoors in Sheffield three years later.
In both cases, there were mixed noises accompanying them across the Atlantic. Were they stars in the making? Or over-hyped and untested, like Rico Hoye? In 2005, Hoye arrived here ahead of his fight against Clinton Woods for the vacant IBF light-heavyweight title touted as the new Bob Foster but his downfall reduced such bluster to nonsense.
Crawford and Spence not only rose to the occasion but have gone on to build reputations based on longevity, one of the key criteria in Hall of Fame conversations, which have survived controversies outside the ring.
Spence underwent surgery for a detached retina in August 2021 and the surgeon suggested the problem might have stemmed from a serious car crash two years earlier, when Spence was spared jail time after admitting to driving while intoxicated. Crawford was incarcerated for a few hours in 2016 but had his sentence overturned on appeal, in relation to an incident at an auto-repair garage.
Crawford’s story was described in an article in the New York Times in 2017 as “complicated and ongoing”. The label could be applied to many a boxer and, in such cases, a steadying hand acting as kind of rudder is key.
Crawford has known his trainer Brian ‘Bomac’ McIntyre through a lifelong family connection and Spence’s link with Derrick James stretches across his professional career. And who knows how important the role in the corner will prove to be? Will a single message alter the course of the fight?
Leonard was trailing on all three cards against Hearns in 1981 when Angelo Dundee clambered up the ringside steps to galvanise his man ahead of the 13th round: “You’ve got nine minutes. You’re blowing now, son, you’re blowing it.”
Leonard prevailed in the 14th and told me in an interview recently that Dundee’s influence could not be overstated. There are times when even a genius needs help.
Control of the ring will be key for Spence and Crawford. Spence is a master of building attacks behind the jab. Crawford switches effortlessly between southpaw and orthodox and the early exchanges will be fascinating and possibly crucial.
In all but one of his 17 world title fights, Crawford has begun the opening round by adopting the same stance as his opponent. (The exception was his contest against Egidijus Kavaliauskas in 2019, when he met the Lithuanian’s orthodox style with a southpaw response).
In Vegas this week, my feeling is that Crawford has more ways to win and therefore carries the edge – a feeling reflected in the bookmakers’ odds. But that first Leonard-Hearns showdown served as a reminder that, on nights like these, it is wise to keep an open mind.
In the car park at Caesar’s Palace back in those days before Crawford and Spence were born, the drama was breath-taking: at times, Hearns ‘the puncher’ out-boxed the boxer … only for Leonard ‘the boxer’ to out-punch the puncher in an unforgettable finish.
At a coaching clinic I attended in London in 2011, the great Emanuel Steward reflected on his experience in Hearns’ corner and how it taught him that – in most cases – both boxers leave a super-fight with their reputations enhanced.
We can but hope that the night Crawford met Spence is still being talked about in 40 years’ time.