Terence Crawford has given Sebastian Fundora the green light to fight Errol Spence Jr. before their ordered unification bout. Crawford made this decision just before the WBO's deadline, paving the way for Fundora and Spence to face off early next year.
Crawford, who beat Israil Madrimov in August to grab the WBA super-welterweight title, was initially ordered by the WBO to negotiate a unification fight with Fundora. The organization even gave them an extra 10 days to work things out.
But Crawford, who became the undisputed welterweight champ by beating Spence last year, has decided to let Fundora take on Spence first. Mike Coppinger broke the news on X, saying:
"Ahead of tomorrow's WBO deadline, Terence Crawford and Sebastian Fundora reached a resolution to allow Fundora to proceed with a voluntary defense with the understanding the junior middleweight title unification will be explored afterward, sources told ESPN."
Crawford's decision sets up a big fight between Fundora and Spence. They've already agreed to terms, and now that the WBO issue is sorted, they're looking to fight in Texas early next year.
If Fundora wins, he'll be in a great position to face Crawford later in 2025. That fight would be much bigger than if they fought now.
But there's another possibility. If Spence beats Fundora, we might see a rematch between Crawford and Spence. Their first fight contract included a rematch clause, but it never happened.
While all this is going on, Canelo Alvarez is taking a break after his September win over Edgar Berlanga. Crawford had hoped to fight Canelo, but that's on hold for now.
Crawford's rise to super-welterweight champ has shaken things up in the division. His decision to let Fundora fight Spence shows he's playing the long game. He's betting that a fight with the Fundora-Spence winner will be even bigger down the road.
