As fight fans know, today’s welterweight division is chock full of talent; with excellent fighters Keith Thurman, Shawn Porter, Danny Garcia and others lighting up the weight class in a manner the great Sugar Ray Leonard and Thomas Hearns would have been proud of (this year‘s epic Thurman-Porter war being something very special indeed). But when it comes to who the very best 147-pound fighter in the world is, it could well be the man who put on a spectacular performance yesterday: Errol Spence Jr.
Anthony Joshua will fight November 26th, opponent and venue to be revealed soon says Hearn
Anthony Joshua, who was a pumped up analyst at the Rio Olympics, giving his expert opinion on many of the boxing bouts, is now pumped up for his own upcoming fight. Eddie Hearn has announced how the IBF heavyweight champ will fight on November 26th; the venue and opponent will be announced in the coming days. But for the first time in quite a while, Joshua will not be fighting at The O2 in London.
The upcoming venue is interesting, maybe it will be Manchester, maybe Liverpool (“We are changing city,” Joshua said), but the main thing that interests fans is who the challenger will be.
“No Mas,” still the biggest mystery in boxing history
Who killed JFK?
Whatever happened to Lord Lucan?
Where did Jimmy Hoffa go?
The above mysteries of history are likely to never, ever be solved and we are destined to be at the mercy of the conspiracy theorists when it comes to answers. But in the sport of boxing there are arguably two fights /events /strange endings that continue to top the list when it comes to asking, what really happened? These two fights are the Ali-Liston fights of the mid 1960s, and the second Roberto Duran-Sugar Ray Leonard fight of 1980 (okay, that’s actually three fights).
Errol Spence obliterates Leonard Bundu in 6th round KO
Undefeated rising star Errol “The Truth” Spence Jr. (21-0-, 18 KOs) moved one step closer to a world title as he delivered a thunderous sixth-round knockout of tough Italian contender Leonard “The Lion” Bundu (33-2-2, 12 KOs) Sunday afternoon in the main event of Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) on NBC from Ford Amphitheater at Coney Island Boardwalk in Brooklyn.
With the knockout, Spence Jr. becomes the mandatory challenger for undefeated welterweight Kell Brook and showed his willingness to step in the ring with Brook.
Errol Spence KOs Leonard Bundu
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.
The boxing greatness that can await an Olympic gold medal winner (or a silver or bronze medal winner)
Cassius Clay, 1960: he (allegedly) threw his gold medal into the river.
George Foreman, 1968: he captured the heart of a nation by waving a tiny American flag.
Sugar Ray Leonard, 1976: he taped a photo of his girlfriend to his sock.
Oscar De La Hoya, 1992: he dedicated his Olympic triumph to his late mother.
Joe Frazier, 1964: he fought with a broken thumb.
Adrien Broner feeling mean, says anyone he gets in the ring with he’s going to “do damage to”
Former four-weight titlist Adrien Broner, who recently spent 30-days in his own company and pretty much nobody else’s as he served time in jail for contempt of court, is feeling pretty mean right now. Having been released just days ago, “The Problem” is already thinking about fighting again. And AB said to ES News that he is aiming high; he still wants Manny Pacquiao and he says that if he ever does face Pac-Man, he will “f**k him up.”
Broner seems desperate to fight and he warned whoever his next opponent might be how he aims to “do damage.”
Errol Spence vs. Leonard Bundu: How will Spence measure up?
Errol Spence measures himself against Leonard Bundu this Sunday afternoon in a great lead-in slot on NBC. Pretty much everyone thinks the outcome is all but written in stone. This scribe will even admit the venue, the newly constructed Coney Island outdoor amphitheater, may be just as intriguing as the matchup. Either way it’s a great look for boxing and Errol Spence, nuzzled in a tight-window between the Olympic basketball gold medal final and the closing ceremony in primetime.
Anything Keith Thurman can do Spence can do better is Errol’s motto and the main storyline to peak interest amongst the loyal fan base. If Spence is able to do what no man has, by stopping Bundu, he would once again send a clear message to the top welterweights. The same top-flight welterweights who are in no rush to face the young Texan until the reward balances out with the risk.
Shakur Stevenson loses out on Olympic gold – but he can still become “The next Floyd Mayweather!”
Ultra-talented bantamweight Shakur Stevenson, one of the best boxers to have represented America in the Olympics for a number of years, lost out on a gold medal in Rio – dropping a close split decision to Cuban Robeisy Ramirez. Scores were 29-28 twice for Ramirez, now a two-time Olympic gold winner, and the same score on the third card for the 19-year-old.
Spence vs Bundu official weights
With one day to go before his important IBF welterweight eliminator bout, undefeated Errol Spence Jr. (20-0, 17 KOs) weighed in at 146.2 pounds on Friday for his fight against 41-year-old Leonard Bundu (33-1-2, 12 KOs) on Sunday on Premier Boxing Champions on NBC at the Ford Amphitheater in Coney Island, in Brooklyn, New York.
Bundu weighed in at 146.2 pounds as well. The two fighters looked like they didn’t belong in the same weight class when they stood side by side by side after weighing in. The 5’9 ½” Spence looked much taller than the 5’6 ½” Bundu. It’s hard to imagine Bundu being able to win this fight by looking at the two fighters stand next to each other.