Errol Spence Jr. Is Back – Who Will He Fight?
Errol Spence Jr. will return to boxing soon following his cataract surgery.
Spence has been out of the ring since his defeat to Terence Crawford. Bud stopped the Truth in round nine to become the first Undisputed Welterweight Champion of the four-belt era. Spence’s defeat was accompanied by three knockdowns, as the manner of the performance raised question marks over whether he should retire. Spence expressed his desire to rematch Crawford, but that broke down as the welterweight underwent cataract surgery. Now that he has had some time to recover, he expects to return to boxing very soon.
Spence’s Return
This naturally begs the question: Who could Spence face? Outside of Crawford, the other big fight at 147 is Jaron Ennis. Boots is the IBF Welterweight Champion, a belt secured after Crawford was stripped for not facing him due to the Spence rematch. A fight would likely take place at 147, but it would require Spence to boil himself down to welterweight.
There were suggestions that the weight cut also hampered him in the Crawford fight, as he wanted the rematch at 154. Another option is to move up to 154 pounds and target a world title. Tim Tszyu, the current WBO Junior Middleweight Champion, has spoken about his desire to fight Spence in the past.
“There have been talks between us. And I give Crawford all respect. He’ll fight anyone. And that’s why I see him as such a great challenge. There’s a lot going on. It could be Crawford, Errol Spence, whichever one is easiest to make,” Tszyu said
Spence’s Options
If that fight is not on the table, there is an outside chance that Spence chases a Canelo Alvarez fight. Before his loss to Crawford, Spence did target the Mexican. Unlike Crawford, Spence is a much bigger fighter than 147.
He has spoken about fighting over 154 pounds, as Canelo offers the chance to make an in-house PBC fight. But since Canelo faces pressure to fight David Benavidez, there are question marks over whether the fight will sell. Spence may not be seen as the same fighter now that his undefeated aura has gone. But based on his prior comments, Spence wanted that bout.
“[A fight against Alvarez] sounds good, but I mean, [Alvarez has] a three-fight deal [with Premier Boxing Champions]. So, I don’t know who it could be in that deal. It could be [David] Benavidez, then Jermall [Charlo], and whoever else. He and [PBC head] Al [Haymon] and whoever he did the deal with – they probably already got the names picked out. It’s already pre-written. I have no idea. I get people’s speculation, but at the end of the day, it’s nothing but speculation,” Spence stated
But before these other fights can be entertained, Spence must return to action in peak condition. Otherwise, there is a danger he will aggravate an existing injury. Find all the latest boxing news and MMA breaking updates on boxingnews.com.
