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Errol Spence Jr knew this time would be different. For the best part of five years, fans had debated what a fight between the two best welterweights of their generation would look like. Promoters had spoken in public and in private about whether fans would get a look at that fight at all. On more than one occasion, the contest seemed to be within grasp before drifting out of reach. But when Terence Crawford texted him, Spence Jr knew this time would be different. “I think it really took us just getting on the phone, and talking to each other,” Spence told The Independent over Zoom, a week out from their fight at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on 29 July. “It took us relaying different messages to each other about the negotiations, and basically me just giving him stuff that he wanted to make the fight happen. I didn’t really want much. The big obstacles were the [purse] split and the ring walk.” Such obstacles could not have been overcome without Spence and his fellow American sharing a mutual respect, both fighters told The Independent, with Crawford saying on a call with other reporters: “You’ve got a lot of people that put on a little circus act and start going about things the wrong way – being disrespectful, taking it to another level that it doesn’t need to be taken to. Sometimes, you can’t come back from that.” There was no such problem when Crawford and Spence picked up the phone, initially bypassing promoters, agents and handlers to try to hash out a deal for a historic fight – one between two unbeaten title holders, to crown an undisputed welterweight champion. “There’s definitely a respect between us, I respect him a lot,” Spence acknowledged, while Crawford said: “It was never nothing [antagonistic], it was all business and respect [on the phone]. “I hit him up on 1 January,” Crawford added. “I sent him a text, just telling him that we need to actually fight, to make history. He was in agreement about us fighting. And at that particular time, I reached out to [promoter] Al Haymon and started back up the conversation. Errol got back on a phone call and started talking about the structure of the fight, the deal. That’s how the fight was made.” “The conversations were just us talking about what was going on with the negotiations, and seeing if we could get to the middle of it – the meat of it,” Spence explained. “Basically there was some stuff that he wanted, which me and my team didn’t agree to [at first].” Eventually, however, agreements were reached. It had been a year of mixed results in terms of talks over marquee fights. Tyson Fury’s prospective clash with Oleksandr Usyk collapsed, despite the latter agreeing to a 70-30 purse split in the Briton’s favour. The Ukrainian made that concession in spite of holding three of the four major heavyweight belts, compared to Fury’s one, and holding an unbeaten record like his potential opponent. A long-awaited bout between Fury and compatriot Anthony Joshua also crashed and burned before it got off the ground, and not for the first time. However, a highly-anticipated showdown between Gervonta “Tank” Davis and Ryan Garcia did materialise, as did huge title fights between Vasiliy Lomachenko and Devin Haney and Josh Taylor and Teofimo Lopez. So, should more fighters take the approach that Spence and Crawford did? “If they’re mature enough, they definitely need to get on the phone with each other and talk,” Spence said. “But I don’t know if they’re as level-headed as me and Terence are, talking and having disagreements but trying to make the fight happen. You’ve got to have a level head to talk to another fighter and just come up with the same scenario. [It was me] talking to my people, and then at some points we had my team and his team, himself and myself. We were always on a call with each other, trying to figure out how to make the fight happen.” Crawford then told The Independent: “If you have two grown men that are willing to set aside their pride and put the hype to the side and come together and both want the same thing, then yes,” before telling another reporter: “I can’t speak on other people’s situations, because I’m not the one trying to make the fight happen with them, but boxers are the ones in charge. “Once a fighter realises that, the advisers, promoters and managers go to work. They’ve got to give the fighter what he wants. You’ve had two cases recently: ‘Tank’ and Garcia wanted to fight each other, and they made sure that deal got done, just like you have Terence Crawford and Errol Spence wanting to fight each other. We both went to our people and got the fight done, so it all comes down to the fighters at the end of the day. “Yeah, our handlers want to look out for our best interests and make sure we make the best business decision at the right time, but it’s up to us as fighters to say ‘yes’ or ‘no’. There’s a lot of fighters that can say, ‘No, I don’t wanna fight this guy; I want him, give me him,’ and if the opposing fighter is saying the same thing, there’s nothing anyone can do but to make the fight happen.” And so, one of the most-anticipated fights of a generation did happen, as Spence carried the WBC, WBA and IBF welterweight titles into the T-Mobile Arena, while Crawford brought the WBO belt. On a shocking evening, it was not the ‘50-50’ fight that most expected it would be. Crawford produced a masterclass to dismantle Spence, dropping him once in the second round and twice in the seventh, before overwhelming his rival to force a TKO in Round 9. And while Spence will have been devastated by the result and the manner in which it came about, he deserves immense credit for ensuring that this fight, which so many fans craved for so many years, came together. He deserves credit for taking the risk. “I definitely think it’s something that would’ve been hanging over our heads for our whole careers, if we didn’t make this fight happen,” Spence admitted to The Independent, ahead of the fight. “It’d have been tied to us all the time. ‘Man, Spence, I wish he would’ve fought Terence.’ Or, ‘Man, I wish Terence would’ve fought Spence.’ It would’ve been that super-fight that didn’t happen.” Meanwhile, Crawford said before the bout: “It means a lot, but at the same time, there are a lot of other fights in the history of boxing that didn’t happen. So, if the fight with Errol didn’t happen, I wouldn’t be the first and I wouldn’t be the last to have people talking about them like that. It’d just be another fight on the list.” Thankfully, the fight did not belong on such a list. Rather, it belongs on a list of all-time great performances in boxing super-fights. Read More Terence Crawford dismantles Errol Spence Jr to become undisputed welterweight king What time does Spence vs Crawford start tonight? How to watch Spence vs Crawford online and on TV tonight Exclusive look at Terence Crawford’s ring gear ahead of clash with Errol Spence Jr The meaning behind Terence Crawford’s ring gear in Errol Spence Jr clash Terence Crawford wins coin toss with Errol Spence to make key fight-night decision

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Erik ten Hag is demanding Manchester United raise the bar once again having overseen “necessary” and “immense” improvements during his first year in charge. Last summer the Dutchman took the reins at a club in disarray, with a lack of coherency, quality and joined-up thinking resulting in a wretched 2021-22 campaign. Ten Hag brought in a new style, implemented demanding standards and handled star Cristiano Ronaldo’s exit as well he could before masterminding the end of United’s six-year wait for silverware. The Carabao Cup triumph was followed by a third-placed Premier League finish and FA Cup final loss to eventual treble winners Manchester City, who are the target as they push for further improvements. “I think the levels all across increased (at an) immense (level) and that was necessary,” Ten Hag said, reflecting on his first year in charge. “But, still, we are not there where we want to be and we have to raise the bar, so we have to go to next levels. “You learn always and I think English football evolves and I think you see nowadays the league is stronger and stronger. When you compare it with three, four years ago, it’s definitely the case. “Because all the strong players get attracted to the Premier League, all the best managers got attracted to the Premier League, so every time it develops and progresses. “It’s really a challenge and I’m really looking forward again to go in the season and to get the challenge.” United have been bolstered heading into the new season by the arrivals of Mason Mount from Chelsea and Inter Milan’s adventurous goalkeeper Andre Onana. Rasmus Hojlund is set to join them after United agreed a deal in principle to sign the talented Atalanta striker for a £64million fee rising to £72m – a potentially key addition to a goal-shy group. “I can’t talk about this player in this moment because I’m a long time in football and I know first we need signings,” said Ten Hag, who always tends to keeps cards close to his chest. “So far, we have to keep calm and let the professionals do their work. “ Hojlund’s arrival will take United’s summer outlay to £162.8m – a figure that would increase to £179.2m if the respective clauses in the three arrivals’ contracts are met. Club success is key to many of those add-ons and fans could be concerned it will be hard to reach those heights under the Glazers given their track record. Hope that their long, unpopular ownership could end grew with November’s announcement of a “strategic review” at United, with Sheikh Jassim and Sir Jim Ratcliffe placing bids. But the Glazers are dragging their heels and no resolution is in sight with the Premier League kick-off less than a fortnight away. “I focus on my job, and that is to improve the team,” Ten Hag told the PA news agency when asked about the takeover situation. “I have to do my work to sign the players and I have to work on the way of play. That is my focus area. “That’s what I’ve done, so I don’t get distracted from any of the strategic review. That’s what others in the club will deal with. We are building, we are building a project. We want to win trophies Erik ten Hag “We have a good information line. We’re sharing the information, so I know where I am and I can focus on my job. “Most of the times (the information) is going over (chief executive) Richard Arnold or (football director) John Murtough. But sometimes also we have direct contact, as you have seen in New York.” Ten Hag faced a variety of questions about different topics in the New York area ahead of kicking off their US tour with a 2-0 friendly win against Arsenal at MetLife Stadium. The Dutchman pointed back to his comments there when asked for an update on Mason Greenwood, who has been suspended since January 2022. The Crown Prosecution Service announced in February that all charges, including attempted rape and assault, had been dropped but an internal investigation continues. “I explained in New York and I don’t think I have to reply again on that question,” Ten Hag said. “I answered this question, but I can’t every time answer the same question.” Another major topic heading into the New York leg was the United captaincy as Ten Hag had just stripped Harry Maguire of the armband and handed it to Bruno Fernandes. The club have since rejected a £20m bid from West Ham for the out-of-favour defender, who it was suggested could dominate the first few months of the season like Ronaldo did last term. “I don’t see it like that, but you can have that impression,” Ten Hag retorted. “That’s your choice. “But not last year, not this year. We are building, we are building a project. We want to win trophies. “And, so we have to invest in the way of play, we have to invest in the team and our focus is not on one player.” Ten Hag says consistency across the team is essential if United are to kick on next season, with the early acquisitions of Mount and Onana boosting their preparations. “I wouldn’t call it an Erik ten Hag squad,” the manager added. “It’s about the demands of top football. “We have to find the players, or we have to increase the levels from the players who are there. “I think many players improved during last season. My expectation is that we can make another step that we increase the levels of the individuals.”