Elite fighters only for Errol Spence from here on in, please

By James Slater - 06/17/2018 - Comments

No-body was giving Carlos Ocampo much of a chance going into last night’s challenge of IBF welterweight king Errol Spence, and the end result, though perhaps a little surprising in its swiftness, shocked no-one. Spence, really looking to be the best welterweight in the world, showed off his handy-work before an adoring crowd, his fast and accurate shots to the previously unbeaten Ocampo’s midsection leaving the challenger in a crumpled heap inside three-minutes.

Now 24-0(21) and having made two retentions of the belt he won by beating Kell Brook last May, Spence has made it abundantly clear there can be no more routine, you could argue needless (how Ocampo was mandatory challenger is open to opinion), challengers for him. Spence, as special as he is, needs elite fighters only. Next up, if “The Truth” gets his way, will be a fight with the winner of the scheduled August clash between Shawn Porter and Danny Garcia; who will fight for the vacant WBC crown vacated by Keith Thurman. But can even either of these two former champions test the southpaw?

Spence wants all the belts at 147 and he has many people on his side who feel he is more than capable of getting them. But the big problem Spence may encounter is actually getting the big fights. Terence Crawford aside, Spence looks to be too good for anyone in the division – all due respect to warrior Porter, a man who can never be written off against any fighter, and to Garcia.

Unless Thurman can return and pick up where he left off, it seems Crawford is the only fighter capable of beating Spence. Between the two of them, Spence and Crawford can unify the belts and then, in an ideal world, meet in a blockbuster unification super-fight that would contest all the gold. Who wins? Who knows? Both Crawford and Spence seem to be as close to unbeatable as can be imagined.

It’s true Spence has not yet faced a pound-for-pound fighter, and some fans point to his resume and claim it is somewhat thin – but Spence craves fights with the best; he just needs to be given these defining fights. Will the other champions relish the idea of facing Spence, though?

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