Months of hype, promotion, and millions on the line went down the drain after the Sebastian Fundora vs. Errol Spence Jr. fight got canceled. Various news pieces and reports have been circulating, adding fuel to the speculation and startling fans who eagerly anticipated Spence Jr.’s return. Unsurprisingly, one of the key players in this unfolding story – Terence Crawford – joined the conversation and made his stance clear.

Eighteen months have passed since Errol Spence Jr. and Terence Crawford delivered an epic showdown for the undisputed welterweight title. Although Spence Jr. sought a rematch, the second fight, unfortunately, never materialized. Subsequently, Crawford moved up a division, seemingly in pursuit of a dream bout against Canelo Alvarez, and faced Israil Madrimov. In the meantime, reports of a potential clash with Sebastian Fundora surfaced. However, the Florida-born ‘Towering Inferno’ was already discussing a potential showdown with ‘The Truth’. Initially planned for October of last year, the fight was reportedly set to take place on March 29.

Terence Crawford takes a veiled jab

Reacting to Mike Coppinger‘s initial tweet, Terence Crawford responded with a pair of curious emojis: “👀👀👀.” Later, perhaps alluding to Sebastian Fundora’s hesitation, Crawford added, “Should have taken the fight when you had the chance; now it’s over with.”

In late August last year, news emerged that the WBO had directed Terence Crawford and Sebastian Fundora toward a title clash. Fundora held the full championship after his split-decision victory over Tim Tszyu. Meanwhile, Crawford became the interim champion following his win over Israil Madrimov on the August 3 Riyadh Season card.

Subsequently, the two parties were given time – following a ten-day extension request from Crawford – until October 10 to finalize an agreement. Otherwise, the fight would proceed to purse bids. A back-and-forth soon emerged between Crawford and Fundora regarding the negotiations.

Speaking with ‘Bernie Tha Boxer’ around the same time, Terence Crawford revealed that his side was still interested in the matchup with Fundora. However, he expressed concern over some rumors that had surfaced from Fundora’s camp. “But one thing that kind of threw me off was them saying I wasn’t, you know what I mean? They weren’t worried about me because I couldn’t sell,” he said.

Expressing his take on the matter

Crawford recalled moving up from the 147-pound weight class and immediately targeting Fundora for a fight. However, likely referring to the Tim Tszyu fight, he later learned that Fundora suffered an injury. As a result, Crawford chose to face Madrimov instead. Meanwhile, the Fundora camp reportedly pursued a fight with Errol Spence Jr.

But for one reason or another, it failed to materialize. “Now they’re looking for a fight… now they’re looking for some money like all Crawford now, Crawford now,” said the former undisputed champion. Nevertheless, Crawford emphasized that the fight with Fundora was still a possibility.

Perhaps the Fundora camp believed they could easily defeat Spence Jr. due to Crawford’s dominant win over him, ‘Bernie Tha Boxer’ suggested. But Crawford dismissed the notion. He pointed out the flawed logic. One fighter’s victory over another doesn’t automatically translate to the same outcome for someone else.

Highlighting the irony, Crawford suggested that Fundora might be overestimating himself. Sarcastically, Crawford turned the tables. Fundora may believe that he could exploit Crawford based on his performance against Madrimov. However, Crawford could equally exploit the fact that Madrimov reportedly knocked out Fundora during sparring.

With Crawford now focused on a potential matchup against Canelo Alvarez, the chances of a fight with Fundora anytime soon seem slim. Fans will now have to wait and see whom Fundora ends up fighting next.

If Terence Crawford’s statements in the interview are accurate, do you think Sebastian Fundora missed a golden opportunity by not taking the fight sooner?