The two American Welterweight champions Errol Spence Jr. (28-0, 22 KO’s) and Terence Crawford (38-0, 29 KO’s) were rumored to be in negotiations for a fight, but the talks apparently broke down after it was discovered both boxers have moved on. Crawford already has a fight scheduled for the 10th of December against David Avanesyan (29-3-1, 17 KO’s), a Russian top 10 contender in the Welterweight division who had held the WBA interim world title years before, while Spence is set to face the unbeaten Lithuanian Eimantas Staniosis (14-0, 9 KO’s) who like Avanesyan has found himself in the top rankings of various governing bodies.

Eimantas Staniosis was previously set to face Yordenis Ugás as a mandatory for his WBA title, but Staniosis stepped aside to allow Errol Spence Jr. to face Ugás in a unification bout. After featuring on the same card as Spence Jr. and given the fact they belong to the same promotion – the PBC, there is virtually little to nothing that should prevent the matchup from occurring, especially now that Staniosis is still considered the mandatory for the WBA world Welterweight title which is still held by Spence.

David Avanesyan is no slouch himself despite his three losses and one draw. Being a former world interim champion and a veteran with him having been in the sport for 13 years, he has managed – in recent times – to go on an unprecedented six-match winning streak where he has stopped every opponent thus far over a course of the past three years, including combatants such as Josh Kelly and Kerman Lejarraga.

While it is easy to assume either Errol Spence’s side, Terence Crawford’s side or both parties are responsible, no one truly has delved into the negotiations. ESPN reportedly broke the news surrounding the negotiations, but even their reports came from secondhand sources and they had absolutely no transparency into what went on in the negotiatios other than what was told.

While Errol Spence Jr. has publicly reaffirmed that he did everything possible to get the undisputed fight with Crawford following the apparent breakdown in negotiations. Coincidentally, Spence Jr. himself has been accused of avoiding Crawford himself in the past, so his comments surrounding Terence Crawford do not necessarily reflect the truth.

At the same time, Crawford has yet to respond to any of the accusations leveled by his rival, or what happened to cause the negotiations with Spence Jr. to break down as he hasn’t said a word regarding the negotiations with Errol Spence. Crawford being as tight-lipped as he is surrounding the negotiations only breeds more speculation, yet also leaves him impervious to any claims of him sabotaging the fight as all the information seems to come from parties associated with Errol Spence Jr. or simply second-hand information that cannot be properly confirmed.

There are however questions surrounding Terence Crawford as to why he has not chosen to sign with the PBC – even in the short term – to smooth out negotiations between him and Errol Spence Jr. There were reports in the past that surfaced explaining how Bob Arum – Crawford’s former promoter – was a major factor in preventing the Spence vs. Crawford fight from happening even though according to Arum’s claims, Spence Jr. was the obstacle when it came to negotiations.

With Crawford now being a free agent there should be fewer issues when it comes to negotiations, and like Manny Pacquiao he can sign with the PBC for however long is needed. Pacquiao signed with PBC in the past in order to be able to fight Spence Jr. Though his fight with Spence Jr. fell through due to the latter suffering an injury, he faced another champion in Yordenis Ugás who also happened to be signed for the PBC promotion. Even Canelo Álvarez signed with the PBC – specifically the broadcasting network Showtime who is often affiliated with the PBC – for one match in order to be able to fight Caleb Plant who held the last belt to prevent Canelo Álvarez from becoming undisputed until they eventually fought.

Floyd Mayweather Jr. was also asked on the potential fight between the two American welterweights occurring, prompting him to respond via text message to YouTube boxing channel Fight Hype after being asked on whether the Spence vs. Crawford fight was true:

“Fight Hype please don’t post this because this is not true.” The apparent message of Floyd Mayweather said.

Floyd has been associated with Al Haymon’s PBC promotion since his fighting days and allegedly is still involved with the company. Though it is unknown what his position at the PBC entails, it is often assumed that Mayweather provides valuable information as an insider, thus prompting Fight Hype to reach out to him.

While the drama between Errol Spence Jr. and Terence Crawford will undoubtedly continue to unfold as the months pass, both of these fighters will have their hands full with their respective opponents as they try to stay sharp while holding onto their unbeaten records.