Errol Spence seen speaking with Shawn Porter in New York (Photo: Amanda Westcott – SHOWTIME)
By Hassnain Tariq
IBF welterweight world champion Errol Spence Jr. could possibly be the pound for pound number one fighter in the near future. Spence won three consecutive national championships and also represented the US at the 2012 Olympics.
As of today, according to the Ring Magazine, Spence is ranked as the world’s eighth best active boxer pound for pound. I wouldn’t be surprised if that changed within one year to top three. He is named “The Truth” and now we know why.
Is Spence the future of boxing in the United States?
Undoubtedly yes. Which active welterweight is able to stop Kell Brook in his home town in front of 27,000 fans to win the IBF title after 11 rounds? Spence threw immense combinations to Brook’s body in that fight, gradually wearing him down. Even critical of his performance afterwards, Spence scored himself a B-, yet he was able to corner Brook on the ropes and unload some heavy body shots.
Other welterweights should be wary of his accuracy and constant aggression, as it makes him a superior talent.
With many pinnacle performances, Spence can easily accumulate mainstream attention and appeal to a wider audience in the same way as greats like Floyd Mayweather and Sugar Ray Leonard did. We saw how Spence was vocal at the Shawn Porter vs. Danny Garcia post fight press conference in the Barclays Center this past Saturday, calling out many names, especially Terence Crawford.
I feel this is an exceptional fight for Spence and obviously so is a fight with Porter, who I feel will get stopped within seven rounds if they fight. More details and analysis of those fights will follow.
Spence is charismatic, shows confidence, and has won over bible belt fans in his native Dallas, Texas area. The wider marketability of Spence in Frisco, Texas showed he had support from his hometown in a sensational stoppage performance on June 16 vs. Carlos Ocampo. In that fight, Spence led the crowd to their feet as he ended the fight in the first round with a perfectly placed liver punch, which shows how scary Spence’s accuracy is.
How effective is Spence?
“I want to be the best at what I do and be mentioned with those greats, I mean it’s only right,” Spence said recently.
I feel as if this statement describes his hunger for success and to unify the welterweight division and even divisions above due to his frame and will to punish others.
Some strengths Spence signifies is his quickness inside the ring. Spence shows precision inside his footwork; this clearly indicates how he can take control in the ring and make enough distance from his stance, positioning, and the way he possesses his style.
Errol Spence is a very effective southpaw slayer. His stiff sharp jab shows his dominance over his opponent, from behind this jab is indicated world-class hand speed and punching accuracy. We see how his coach Derrick James, who trains WBC junior middle weight champion Jermell Charlo, employs brains, skills and smartness into his boxing ability. I feel James is a major asset to Spence.
How is Spence’s body attack so detrimental to opponents? His versatility in switching styles at ease, fighting on his back foot and countering in previous fights (especially Brook) and positioning himself inside, which some fighters are scared to employ, and fighting in the phone booth. You can tell in fights Spence shows high-level conditioning and has no problem going 12 hard rounds even in foreign territory.
The fall season is now upon us and that means we have to start thinking out how the year end schedule will look like for Errol, in which I am sure he will want to close the year out strong. Possible matchups for Spence could potentially be Yordenis Ugas who is in contention for Spence’s IBF title. A possible Luis Collazo match-up has been rumored as well, and we saw how vocal he was on social media; could Spence possibly retire Collazo?
To conclude this article, it is evident that Spence (24-0, 21 KO’s) is visibly the most avoided fighter in the 147-pound division and the most feared fighter who came up the hard way. Personally for me I hope he can achieve his long-term goal in fighting at the Dallas Cowboys’ AT&T Stadium which seats north of 100,000 people.
Hassnain Tariq can be reached at W1536881@my.westminster.ac.uk