By Donavan Leonard: Yet another great weekend for boxing with the Errol Spence Jr. win over Kell Brook. Though not as jam-packed with big bouts as last weekend, it could hardly be called disappointing when the “main event” of the weekend drew over 27,000 fans to Sheffield, England. Kell Brook (36-2, 25 KOs) lost his IBF welterweight title via eleventh-round TKO to Errol Spence, Jr. (22-0, 19 KOs) in a great matchup that featured high-level boxing, a tremendous atmosphere, and a clear ending.
Biggest Winner–without a doubt, Errol Spence, Jr. His win over Brook solidified his position as the fighter to watch in the welterweight division. The win was dominant, with Spence showing good defense, a solid chin, and a wheelbarrow full of poise. His demeanor didn’t appear to change whether he was absorbing a sneaky left uppercut from Brook or if he was delivering a powerful left hand to Brook’s midsection. With Manny Pacquiao on the downside of his illustrious career and Keith Thurman looking less and less impressive with each outing, Spence’s performance has placed him at the top of the class. Unification with either is unlikely in the near future, so look for the next bout to be with a trial-horse such as Luis Collazo (ranked # 4 by the IBF), or a younger fighter such as Sadam Ali (ranked # 8 by the IBF) who at least has some name recognition.
Biggest Loser–Kell Brook. Despite the respect given to him for moving up in his previous bout to face Gennady Golovkin for the middleweight belts and the same respect given to him for boiling back down to defend his belt against one of the game’s most respected young fighters, a loss is a loss. That is now two in a row for Brook. Adding to his woes is the fact that he suffered yet another orbital fracture, this time to the left eye. His future in boxing now is an uncertain one. If he continues to fight, will he fight with the hesitancy that he showed in the last several rounds against Spence, or will he be able to put the thoughts of injury behind him and fight as he did in his first 32 bouts? A fighter is a fighter, so the most likely scenario is that Brook continues to fight after recovery from surgery. Perhaps now is the best time to stage the much talked-about grudge match with Amir Khan. Brook may have to give some concessions to his rival in the form of the purse split, but it is a very winnable bout that could restore both his confidence and his reputation.
Other notes… On the undercard of Brook-Spence, George Groves (26-3, 19 KOs) finally captured elusive world title on his third try. This one is dubbed the WBA Super Middleweight Super Champion, which he won over game but outmatched Fedor Chudinov (14-2, 10 KOs). The fight was stopped while Chudinov was on his feet, but he was taking punches without responding. For Groves, this could be a step toward a lucrative rematch with James DeGale, who he defeated in 2011…Orlando Salido (44-13-4, 31 KOs) was dropped in the 3rd round by Aristedas Perez (30-10-2, 16 KOs), but regained control and wore down Perez, who stayed in his corner at the end of the 7th round. Next up is supposed to be the rematch with Vasyl Lomachenko being mentioned for the end of the summer….Jose Uzcategui’s team has filed an appeal to the IBF to change the decision on the bout with Andre Dirrell. The IBF is expected to review the case this week. The most likely result is changing the result to a no-contest and ordering a rematch.
Bouts coming up this week: Chayaphon Moonsri (46-0, 17 KOs) vs Omari Kimweri (16-3, 6 KOs) for the WBC World Minimumweight championship…Will he soon be sporting a cap reading “49-0”?…Adonis Stevenson (28-1, 23 KOs) will look to repeat his 2014 win over Andrzej Fonfara (29-4, 17 KOs)…Eleider Alvarez (22-0, 11 KOs) vs Jean Pascal (31-4-1, 18 KOs), expected to be a passing-of-the-guard bout for Alvarez.
