Notebook: Spence-Crawford coin flip, trainer heat and final words
'Pitbull' Cruz wants win, then 'Tank' rematch; mayors wager on fight; BetUS show; title defense tops GB card; Quick hits; Show and tell
A note to Fight Freaks Unite readers: I created Fight Freaks Unite in January 2021 and eight months later it also became available for paid subscriptions for additional content — and as a way to help keep this newsletter going and for readers to support independent journalism. If you haven’t upgraded to a paid subscription please consider it. If you have already, I truly appreciate it! Also, consider a gift subscription for the Fight Freak in your life.
LAS VEGAS — Just before the lively final news conference on Thursday ahead of the mega fight between Errol Spence Jr. and Terence Crawford, there was business to take care of before the fighters and their teams continued to talk up the undisputed welterweight championship fight.
It was time for the coin flip Spence agreed to that would determine the order of the pre-fight pageantry when they meet in the first four-belt welterweight unification fight on Saturday (Showtime PPV and PPV.com, 8 p.m. ET, $84.99) at T-Mobile Arena.
If there’s an undisputed fight and a coin flip is needed then it seemed to make sense organizers would tap a former undisputed champion to do the honors, so after Spence and Crawford posed for a face off, heavyweight great Mike Tyson joined them in stage inside the arena, where he (very poorly) tossed the coin.
Crawford had picked heads and won the toss, giving him the option to either walk in second and be introduced first or walk in first and be introduced second.
At the official weigh-in on Friday morning behind closed doors (and also closed to media), Spence was 147 pounds, Crawford 146.8, per four sources with knowledge of the weights. There is an afternoon ceremonial weigh-in inside T-Mobile Arena
I’m in Las Vegas covering the Spence-Crawford mega fight. Upgrade to a paid subscription and make sure you don’t miss any posts.