By Tim Royner: Errol Spence Jr. (22-0, 19 KOs) surprised a lot of fans on Wednesday when he said Lamont Peterson (35-3-1, 17 KOs) is a better fighter than former IBF welterweight champion Kell Brook. Spence is coming off of a hard fought 11th round knockout victory over Brook from earlier this year on May 27.
(Photo credit: Amanda Westcott/SHOWTIME)
That fight was anything but easy for Spence. Things looked bad for Spence until Brook suffered an eye injury in round 7. If not for the eye injury, it’s possible that Spence would have lost the fight. That’s why it seems strange that Spence is taking a shot at Brook while paying a compliment to Peterson.
Spence and Peterson will be fighting on January 20 on Showtime Championship Boxing at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
”I feel like he is a better fighter than Kell Brook and has even more heart than Kell Brook and he can bring out the best in me,” said Spence.
If Peterson is better than Brook, it could mean we’ll be seeing Spence taste defeat for the first time in his still early 5-year-old pro career. If Peterson is even a little bit better than Brook, then it could be one of those really tough struggles in which we see a young champion get beaten. Spence had better have a good Plan-B for this fight, because it not work out for him if he chooses to slug with Peterson from the outset.
Spence says Peterson was one of the guys that were willing to fight him. There wasn’t much to choose from, however. Shawn Porter is already in line for a rematch with WBA/WBC welterweight champion Keith ‘One Time’ Thurman, as is Danny Garcia. Once you get past those 2 fighters, there isn’t a lot of options in the welterweight division.
”Not a lot of people wanted to fight me. The big names shied away from me but Lamont stood up and said he’d fight me. This is going to be a hard fight,” said Spence.
Spence is going to have to be a lot busier in 2018 than he was in 2017 if he wants to become popular enough for the best fighters in the welterweight division to want to fight him. The best guys are going after Thurman, because he’s now the most popular fighter in the 147 lb. division now that Floyd Mayweather Jr. is gone, and Manny Pacquiao is pretty much gone as well. Thurman is also perceived as the best fighter in the welterweight division. Thurman got that status by proving himself by staying active. If Spence wants to have the top fighters agree to fight him, then he’s going to need to stay busy.