Paulie Malignaggi, former professional boxer and now boxing commentator, anticipates that the boxing prowess of Errol Spence Jr. - including his size, power, rapid tempo, body punching, and overall consistency - will overpower the smaller, weaker, and older Terence Crawford in their bout on July 29th. Malignaggi acknowledges Crawford's versatility, labeling him as his #1 pound-for-pound fighter, however, he highlights that these achievements were mostly made against less competitive opponents.
Crawford, despite his perfect record, has spent most of his career defeating lesser competitors and is only now stepping up to face an elite-level opponent like Spence. Malignaggi predicts that Spence, the current IBF, WBA, and WBC welterweight champion, will eventually wear down and triumph over the 36-year-old Crawford. He dismisses Crawford’s switch-hitting strategy as ineffective against the physically superior Spence, suggesting that the bigger, stronger fighter will batter Crawford.
However, Malignaggi acknowledges that Crawford could challenge predictions by resorting to unconventional tactics. He remembers Crawford's fight with Amir Khan in 2019 where he appeared to use low blows to his advantage. Crawford, known to get irritable when hit, might be tempted to break the rules and resort to low blows to gain an edge over Spence.
Malignaggi also considers other factors that might influence the outcome of the fight. He refers to Spence’s previous accident and detached retina as potential vulnerabilities. Furthermore, he raises concerns about Spence’s inactivity and potential ring rust, as well as the fact that he has been fighting at welterweight since his amateur days, which might require him to lose more weight than before. Despite these factors, Malignaggi predicts a late stoppage win for Spence, a good body puncher, against Crawford. However, he clarifies that he has no personal preference and simply wants to witness a good fight.
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