Undefeated welterweights to fight, unify titles in Las Vegas

Welterweight boxing champions Errol Spence Jr. and Terence Crawford have agreed in principle to unify their titles and fight for the undisputed 147-pound championship Nov. 19 in Las Vegas, a person familiar with the situation confirmed to the Review-Journal.

Contracts have not been signed, and “it’s not done, but it might as well be,” the person said.

A venue has not been finalized, but the fight most likely will be at the MGM Grand Garden and broadcast via Showtime pay-per-view as a Premier Boxing Champions presentation, the person said.

Spence’s hometown of Dallas was under consideration as a potential host market.

Spence, 32, spent the past five years unifying the IBF, WBC and WBA welterweight titles with victories over Kell Brook, Shawn Porter and Yordenis Ugas, whom he stopped in April in Dallas before calling Crawford out.

Crawford, from Omaha, Nebraska, is a three-division champion and the WBO’s 147-pound champion, winning his title in 2018 with a victory over Jeff Horn. The 34-year-old last beat Porter in November via technical knockout at Michelob Ultra Arena.

A fight between Spence (28-0, 22 knockouts) and Crawford (38-0, 29 KOs) — two unbeaten champions still in their primes for an undisputed championship — represents a generational mega fight.

ESPN reported that Spence is receiving the favorable end of the revenue split, noting that there’s a bilateral rematch clause that the loser can exercise. The winner of the first fight would receive a majority of the revenue in a prospective rematch, per ESPN.

The fight will be co-promoted by Spence’s firm, Man Down Promotions, and Crawford’s, TBC Promotions. Spence long has been aligned with PBC, with whom Crawford was free to negotiate upon the expiration of his contract with Top Rank in November.

Contact Sam Gordon at sgordon@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BySamGordon on Twitter.