Errol Spence boxing news
IBF Welterweight World Champion Kell Brook and undefeated Errol Spence Jr. faced off on Wednesday at Bramall Lane in Sheffield, England as they officially announced their May 27 blockbuster, which will air on SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING live on SHOWTIME in the U.S.
(Photos: Credit Matchroom)
Brook (36-1, 25 KOs) will make the fourth defense of his IBF belt against Spence (21-0, 18 KOs), the mandatory challenger and one of the most highly regarded contenders in the sport today.
Kell Brook will defend his IBF World Welterweight title against U.S. star Errol Spence at Bramall Lane in Sheffield on Saturday May 27, live on Sky Sports Box Office and live on SHOWTIME in the U.S. on SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING.
Brook makes the fourth defense of his beloved IBF strap he landed in the U.S. in August 2014 with a career-best win over Shawn Porter. He then blitzed Jo Jo Dan, Frankie Gavin and Kevin Bizier before stepping up to middleweight to face fearsome Kazakh Gennady Golovkin at The O2 in September. Now, the Sheffield star welcomes another unbeaten superstar into the ring.
Reigning and defending IBF welterweight champion Kell Brook will enjoy home town advantage when he meets his mandatory challenger Errol Spence Junior in May. But if Brook thinks the prospect of facing him in front of around 30,000 rabid Sheffield fans fazes Spence, he can think again – so says the unbeaten southpaw in speaking with Sky Sports.
Arguably the deepest, most talent-rich division in boxing today, the welterweight division is shaping up for a great year. By the time IBF champ Kell Brook steps into the ring to face Errol Spence Junior – for some the new superstar, not only of the welterweight division but of the entire sport – WBA and WBC champs Keith Thurman and Danny Garcia will have settled their differences.
It’s agreed, it’s on and promoter Eddie Hearn says it’s the best fight that could be made in the welterweight division today. And even though a number of fans would likely argue how the upcoming Keith Thurman-Danny Garcia is a better, bigger fight, the Kell Brook-Errol Spence fight is without doubt a big deal.
Hearn announced this evening UK time that terms have been agreed and that the fight will go ahead “in the UK.” Already fans are looking forward to a big Sheffield night, although Hearn says an official announcement, regarding venue and exact date, is to come (the likely date is May 20, venue Bramall Lane, Sheffield).
An exasperated Eddie Hearn says he thinks it is “ridiculous” that Amir Khan and his team will not agree to a fight with Kell Brook. Hearn, in speaking with Sky Sports, said that after all this time, three years, his only conclusion as to why the fight hasn’t happened – and now most likely never will happen – is because Khan doesn’t want it.
So with all the time spent trying to make a Khan-Brook fight now nothing but a frustrating episode in his career as a promoter, Hearn is looking at what Brook will do next instead. Though Hearn wants Brook to move up in weight to 154, Brook himself is unwilling to give up his IBF welterweight crown. So that means a mandatory defence against the unbeaten and ultra-talented Errol Spence Junior.
It’s one of the hottest fights between young and gifted welterweights and it could happen in the UK in the first quarter of next year. It’s a Kell Brook-Errol Spence Jnr fight, with IBF ruler Brook defending against mandatory contender Spence. And Brook says he will send the unbeaten Spence home “with his tail between his legs” with a successful defence.
Kell Brook is still the reigning IBF welterweight champion and he has until February 24 of next year to decide if he wants to defend that title against mandatory challenger Errol Spence Jnr or move up to 154. As fans know, Brook bulked up for a middleweight title challenge of Gennady Golovkin in September, and the Sheffield fighter says he now craves further massive fights.
But will these come at 147 or at 154? Brook says the broken eye socket he suffered at the damaging hands of GGG is now “healing well,” and that his weight has “settled down.” Still, Brook is not yet sure if his future lies at welter or junior-middle. However, Brook told ESPN.com that he is very much interested in facing the likes of Manny Pacquiao (who Brook expects to beat Jessie Vargas this Saturday, via points verdict) Amir Khan, Spence and the Danny Garcia-Keith Thurman winner – so maybe Brook will look to try to hold onto that IBF belt.
Modern day fight fans know there is a lot more to it that mere fighting prowess when it comes to being able to unify a weight class. These days, with fighters performing on rival networks for rival promoters, the actual getting of a big fight can prove more troublesome and stressful than the actual in the ring fighting (well, not quite, but you get the idea). Simply put, it is much easier these days for fighter A to duck fighter B, and just put the failure to make the fight down to boxing politics.
It’s fair to say unbeaten middleweight king Gennady Golovkin received mixed reviews for his largely dominant 5th-round stoppage of a game Kell Brook. Some fans raved over GGG’s power, willingness to rumble and his usual ability at cutting off he ring. Others still say Triple-G got hit way too much, was poor defensively and could not knock his welterweight challenger clean out.
One man who has a vested interest went further in the criticism stakes, much further. Derrick James, trainer of the sensationally talented Errol Spence Junior, told RingTV.com how he feels Brook “exposed” Golovkin, and that his fighter would not only defeat, but KO both GGG and Brook if he got the opportunity to fight them.