Errol Spence Jr says he’s open to facing undisputed super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez if that fight is offered to him.
Spence (28-0, 22 KOs) has his plate full at the moment with his July 29th fight against Terence Crawford, but once he gets his expected two battles are done with him, he’ll be free to face Canelo.
In the past, Canelo (59-2-2, 39 KOs) would likely be averse to offering a fight against Spence, but given that he’s beginning to show his wear & tear, he might be more willing to entertain this match-up.
“We’re not thinking about Canelo right now, but I’d definitely take that fight. I feel like 165lbs-168lbs, that’s more my natural weight, and it’s a lot easier for me to make, so I’d definitely take that fight,” said Errol Spence Jr to the Dallas Cowboys channel.
Spence has the size, power, and high punch output to exhaust Canelo to get the better of him. Whether Spence would be given the decision is another thing.
As we saw in Bivol’s recent win over Canelo, you got to really dominate him in 10-2 or 11-1 fashion to squeak by with a win. Bivol appeared to win 10-2, and all three judges gave him a razor close 7-5 win. Gennadiy Golovkin appeared to beat Canelo 8-4 in their first fight in 2017, and the judges scored it a draw.
If given the choice of fighting David Benavidez or Spence, it’s reasonable to conclude with a near 100% surety that Canelo would take the latter option.
For Spence, it would be a victory just to get the fight against Canelo because the money he’ll get for that fight will likely far surpass what he’ll be getting for his next fight against Terence Crawford.
The reason for that is obvious. Canelo is popular nationwide in the U.S., where Crawford’s fanbase is isolated to tiny Omaha, Nebraska. Spence says the reason he sacrificed the last year of his career, spending it negotiating with Crawford. In hindsight, Spence would have made more money fighting two to three times or better yet, fighting Canelo.
Canelo’s promoter Eddie Hearn says he’s in negotiations for a rematch with WBA light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol in September. Still, knowledgeable boxing fans don’t believe that fight will happen for a second.
If Canelo had any serious intent on ever fighting Bivol again, he would have done it by now. Canelo will stick to fighting guys he thinks he can beat, and Bivol ain’t one of them.
