In an exclusive interview with Fight Hype, Antonio Tarver voiced his insights regarding the upcoming match between Errol Spence and Bud Crawford and he didn’t hold back on his critique, particularly pointing out the static nature of Spence’s fight style.
“Spence hasn’t shown me that he can make a lot of adjustments,” said Tarver, pointing out a potential shortcoming in Spence’s fighting approach. “When y’all look at Spence’s style, I see the same thing – an aggressive boxer. But I ain’t never seen him boxing going back. I ain’t never seen him use this kind of punching ability. I ain’t never seen him block, make my miss, and make them pay.”
Tarver implied that Spence’s strength lies in his aggressiveness, but that might not be enough to win against a more versatile opponent. His approach seems to lack the ability to make real-time adjustments and exhibit diverse skills that top-tier boxing requires.
In contrast, Tarver perceives Crawford as the more adaptable of the two, expressing his belief in Crawford’s greater in-ring potential. “I believe Crawford has the ability to do more things in the ring. I’ve seen him do more things in the ring,” Tarver proclaimed, reinforcing his preference for Crawford’s more dynamic boxing style.
“I’ve seen him knock out with both hands, I’ve seen him fight, I’ve seen him box, I’ve seen him counterpunch,” he enumerated, as if the mental reel of Crawford’s fights was playing in his mind. “I’ve seen him do a lot of things in the ring.”
According to Tarver, Crawford’s style is a well-rounded combination of various boxing skills. His ability to not just attack but also to counterpunch gives him an edge in the ring. He possesses a range of skills and has shown the capability to adapt to different situations.
When it comes to Spence, Tarver seems to see a pattern of predictability. He said, “When I see Errol Spence fights, I don’t see a lot of that. I see a lot of the same thing, the same approach.”
Looking ahead to the match-up with Crawford, Tarver suggests that Spence will need to diversify his approach to stand a chance. He concluded with a warning, “When you fight a guy like Bud Crawford, you’re gonna have to have a lot of different things to your game.”
While we’ll have to wait until fight night to see if Spence proves Tarver wrong, there’s no doubt that the stage is set for a clash of styles and strategies, with both fighters undoubtedly having something to prove.
