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          Errol Spence triggers rematch clause to fight Terence Crawford again

          • Ben Baby, ESPN Staff WriterAug 31, 2023, 11:24 PM
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              Ben Baby covers the Cincinnati Bengals for ESPN. He joined the company in July 2019. Prior to ESPN, he worked for various newspapers in Texas, most recently at The Dallas Morning News where he covered college sports. He provides daily coverage of the Bengals for ESPN.com, while making appearances on SportsCenter, ESPN's NFL shows and ESPN Radio programs. A native of Grapevine, Texas, he graduated from the University of North Texas with a bachelor's degree in journalism. He is an adjunct journalism professor at Southern Methodist University and a member of the Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA).
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          Errol Spence Jr. will get another crack at his biggest rival.

          The former unified welterweight champion has activated his rematch clause to set up another fight against Terence "Bud" Crawford, Spence's trainer, Derrick James, confirmed to ESPN on Thursday.

          The rematch likely will take place at junior middleweight, marking the debut for both fighters in the 154-pound division. The date and location, along with other details of the fight, were not immediately known.

          In July, Crawford and Spence met in Las Vegas in one of the most anticipated matches in recent years. The two rivals circled each other for most of the past four years until they finally fought for the undisputed welterweight title.

          The bout, expected to be a 50-50 affair, turned into a rout. Spence (28-1, 22 KOs) was knocked down three times, and Crawford (40-0, 31 KOs) forced a stoppage in the ninth round to win all four major belts in the division. With the win, Crawford became the first male fighter to become an undisputed champion in multiple weight classes.

          According to ESPN's Mike Coppinger, the loser of the bout had 30 days following it to trigger a bidirectional clause for a return fight later this year. As part of the clause, the winner of the July fight would decide if the rematch took place at 147 pounds or at Spence's preferred 154.