Terence Crawford says he never carried any animus toward Errol Spence Jr.

The top two welterweights in the world squared off last Saturday night at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas in a high-profile match to determine the undisputed champion in the division. In the end, Crawford came out on top, stopping Spence in the ninth round of a fight that was never really competitive. The win cemented Crawford, in the eyes of many, as the top fighter in the world.

Yet despite their heated rivalry over the years—it has been at least five years in the making—Crawford made it clear in a recent interview that there was never any ill will between him and Spence—something that, the Nebraskan suggested, got distorted by their partisan supporters.  

“I respect the hell out of Errol,” Crawford told radio hosts Ebro Darden and Peter Rosenberg on Hot 97. “I been telling people, I’m a fan of Errol’s. I’ve been a fan of his ever since he was in the amateurs. I followed his career. Things like this was never personal.

“I think the fans picking sides try to make it personal, try to divide and conquer two fighters that are going for the same goal and trying to be undisputed welterweight champion of the world. That’s what I felt the fans was trying to do. I never had any hatred toward Errol Spence anytime that he had an accident or anything I wished him well. I hoped that he come back stronger than ever. I pray for him because I don’t want to see anything bad happen to a fighter. I’m a fighter and I know how hard it is to get to this level. We all doing it for the same reason, to feed our family. I would never wish nothing bad on any fighter.”

Crawford and Spence set a respectful tone to their fight when they shook hands after their weigh-in. Spence was overheard thanking Crawford for helping make the fight happen.

A rematch could be in the works, per the terms of their contract, which gives the loser a right to invoke one. The winner, however, gets to decide the weight class in which the rematch takes place. Spence has indicated his preference is the 154-pound division. Crawford has acknowledged he is willing to move up as well. 

Sean Nam is the author of Murder on Federal Street: Tyrone Everett, the Black Mafia, and the Last Golden Age of Philadelphia Boxing.