Errol Spence Jr. (21-0, 18 KOs) showed scary power in destroying #6 IBF Leonard Bundu (33-2-1, 12 KOs) in a 6th round knockout in their International Boxing Federation welterweight title eliminator on Sunday afternoon at Ford Amphitheater in Coney Island, New York.
Spence put the 41-year-old Bundu down twice in the 6th to get the knockout. On both knockdowns, Spence landed crushed left uppercuts to the head of Bundu. In the final knockdown, Spence landed his left uppercut and right hook that sent Bundu down for the count.
(Photo credit: Ryan Greene/Premier Boxing Champions)
Bundu started off well in the 1st round in pressuring Spence, and landing body shots. Spence was mostly just jabbing in that round and throwing straight lefts.
In the 2nd round, Spence started to land some hard body shots in catching Bundu while he was coming forward. Bundu landed a couple of nice right hands in the final seconds of the round, but other than that, it was a Spence round.
Spence focused on using his jab in round three. The 5’6 1/2″ Bundu wasn’t able to get near Spence to land much of anything in the round other than a few right hands. Spence landed some nice lefts to the head in the final minute of the round.
In the 4th, Spence turned up the head with powerful left hands to the head of Bundu. Late in the round, Spence hurt Bundu with a left uppercut to the head that caused him to lose his mouthpiece. Bundu was fortunate that the referee decided to stop the action to have his mouthpiece put back in, because he was badly hurt. The referee’s decision to immediately stop the action to have Bundu’s mouthpiece put back in might have saved the 41-year-old fighter from being knocked out in that round because he looked badly buzzed from that shot. If the referee had let Spence hit Bundu with several more punches, he likely would have knocked him out. It’s unclear whether Bundu purposely spit out his mouthpiece or not. Whatever the case, it saved him from being stopped in this round.