Errol Spence Jr. promises to 'smoke' Terence Crawford in July return

The war of words ahead of Terence Crawford vs. Errol Spence Jr. has begun.

'Bud' has been out of the ring since December, when he faced David Avanesyan. The bout was a one-off pay-per-view main event with the upstart BLK Prime promotion. Earlier that year, Crawford became a free agent, partially to help make the fight with 'Big Fish'.

In his return last Winter, the WBO welterweight champion scored a highlight-reel knockout win. Following the victory over Avanesyan, Crawford again called out Spence Jr. However, few actually doubted that the callout would lead anywhere, which was the case for years.

Instead, the fight somehow got done. Terence Crawford vs. Errol Spence Jr. is slated to go down on July 29 in Las Vegas, in one of the most exciting bouts in years. Yesterday, the welterweight champions had their kickoff press conference, formally announcing the fight.

There, 'The Truth' opened the war of words by promising to smoke his longtime rival next month in Sin City. At the opening press conference, Spence Jr. joked that he was going to smoke his opponent, while also shouting out his new product line. At the presser, he stated:

“Y’all go to ESJTheTruth.com and go buy that pack, man. We gonna roll him up and smoke him. It's legal in Vegas. We gonna roll him up and smoke this dude."

---

Terence Crawford vs. Errol Spence Jr.: 'Bud' makes case for being the fighter of his era

The Terence Crawford vs. Errol Spence Jr. presser perfectly contrasted the two champions' personalities.

At the kickoff press conference yesterday, 'Big Fish' was much more lively and jovial. He was making jokes, including the aforementioned reference to his new cannabis brand.

However, the WBO welterweight champion was less than enthusiastic about the whole ordeal. Crawford wasn't in a bad mood, but it was clear that he was ready to fight and ready to win.

At the press conference, Terence Crawford made his case that he was the greatest fighter of his era. That would be even clearer with a big win next month, with the welterweight stating:

“Y’all are going to witness greatness. We measure greatness by eras. July 29, I’m going to show everyone why this era is the Terence Crawford era... A win shows that I’m the greatest fighter of the era. No man has captured undisputed in two weight classes. That solidifies me as the greatest fighter of this era."