Terence Crawford and Shakur Stevenson spar, gearing up for 2021 returns

Terence Crawford and Shakur Stevenson are both in the gym preparing for their first fights of 20201, and the two wound up sparring together yesterday. There’s no real footage, of course, but they had some (positive) words on social media.

“Any and every time me and little bro get together in a gym this is what happens,” Crawford wrote. “Not going to say how many rounds I did, just know I went crazy today.”

“Walked in the gym fresh off my flight to watch Bud spar and I end up sparring him,” Stevenson said. “This man is one of the greatest fighters I’ve ever seen, he did so many rounds it’s crazy and on God, this sparring was fireworks. It was high skill level chess. I’m gonna be one of the greatest, I put that on everything I love.”

Stevenson (15-0, 8 KO) is expected to headline a June 12 Top Rank show on ESPN against Jeremiah Nakathila (21-1, 17 KO), which could wind up being for the vacant WBO junior lightweight title if Jamel Herring doesn’t sign to face the winner. The interim belt is already on the line. Herring still has a couple of weeks to agree in writing or vacate.

Crawford (37-0, 28 KO) still has the WBO welterweight title but not a set return. The most recent rumor is he’s back in the mix to fight Manny Pacquiao, which would be a really big fight. That’s a repeat of talks that didn’t wind up going anywhere before, and Crawford has also been linked to a possible fight with Shawn Porter, but that also — for the moment, at least — seems to have fizzled for a second time.