The 28-1 fighter then reminded his critics that he had been a good sport in defeat from the beginning. “They ask me did I want to do the presser,” he added, “showed up no glasses answered all the questions head up gave bra a hug for the a– whooping good s–t & dipped.” When noted trainer Stephen Edwards weighed in to denounce the cheap shots Spence has been taking online since the loss, Spence stated that “it’s cool the Spence family appreciate them if they been paying to watch this one trick pony.”

Boxing fans can be a cruel and shallow bunch. Fighters who are praised to the moon are suddenly mocked upon tasting defeat. This sort of thing goes back to at least 1892 when, after knocking out heavyweight champion John L Sullivan, Jim Corbett realized the crowd had gone from cheering for Sullivan to cheering for him. It left enough of a bitter taste in Corbett’s mouth for the man to write of it years later in his autobiography. Suffice to say, not much has changed in that regard. Because of the one sided nature of the magnificent Crawford’s performance against him, Spence now finds himself being treated by certain keyboard writers as if he’s second rate.

A dose of reality – one doesn’t achieve Olympic glory, cross the ocean to win a world title on their opponent’s home turf, defeat notable after notable for years, and fight for the opportunity to become an undisputed divisional champion by being second rate. Let's hope that Spence won't forget that he "didn’t live exactly like a boxer for the most part" before the fight with Crawford. Regardless of how things unfold for him in the future, it will always be something worth remembering.