In the opinion of some good judges, unbeaten Errol Spence Junior, the reigning IBF welterweight king, has already proven himself as the best 147 pounder in the sport today; others need further proof. And the gifted southpaw who relieved the long-reigning Kell Brook of his IBF belt just over two months ago is fully intending on providing this proof.
The 27 year old from Texas with the 22-0(19) record spoke with Sky Sports recently, and “The Truth” made it clear he intends to prove his bold nickname is one he is worthy of carrying. Spence wants all the titles at 147 and he wants them asap.
“I’m definitely chasing world title fights,” Spence told Sky Sports. “Keith Thurman has two of them. Jeff Horn has another one. We’ll see what the future holds. Right now I’m trying to get a fight in before Keith Thurman, he’s supposed to be injured right now. He won’t come back until early 2018, I’m not going to wait that long. Hopefully I can fight before the year is over and then fight him later next year. That’s a fight I’ve been wanting a long time – even when I was 15-0, I was asking for that fight.”
But Spence will have to wait, as he acknowledges. In the meantime, ahead of what would arguably be the biggest three-belt welterweight unification showdown since Don Curry-Milton McCrory, Spence is looking at making a voluntary defence of his IBF title. Konstantin Ponomarev is set to face Carlos Ocampo in October or November, with the winner earning a mandatory shot at the IBF belt. So Spence, as he correctly states, doesn’t have a mandatory yet: “I guess I’ll make a voluntary,” he said.
It will be interesting to see who gets the first crack at Spence’s belt. The 147 division is red-hot right now, and Spence can keep his tools sharp as he awaits the huge, career-defining fights he wants. And we fans sure want to see Spence get the mega-fights he craves.
Spence-Thurman has guaranteed classic written all over it. Let’s hope Thurman’s elbow injury heals and heals fast.