By Jim Dower: IBF welterweight champion Errol Spence Jr. (23-0, 20 KOs) sees it as no point in trying to impress anyone tonight when he defends his title against the unbeaten Carlos Ocampo (22-0, 13 KOs) when they face each other at The Ford in Frisco, Texas. Spence already sees himself as the best fighter in the welterweight division, and if anything, it’s the other fighters (Keith Thurman, Danny Garcia, Shawn Porter, Terence Crawford and Lucas Matthysse – in the 147 lb. weight class that need to prove themselves as being in the same class as him.
“I’ve been sending messages,” said Spence via Fight News. “I don’t have to send any more. I’m the best welterweight in the division and the most feared welterweight in the division. So they have to send a message to me since I’m the top dog.”
Spence’s main competition for the top spot in the welterweight division is WBO 147 lb. champion Terence Crawford, but it’ really hard to know how good he is because he’s never faced anyone good during his career other than much smaller and older Yuriorkis Gamboa. Looking at the size, the lack of combination punching and his less than the best competition during his career, it’s impossible to rate Crawford in the same class as Spence. The two fighters are far apart at this point. Crawford’s lack of a chin prevents him from being put on the same pedestal as Spence.
Here are my ratings of the best fighters in the welterweight division:
1. Errol Spence Jr.
2. Keith Thurman
3. Terence Crawford
4. Shawn Porter
5. Danny Garcia
6. Lucas Matthysse
For a brief time, Thurman was seen as the best fighter in the welterweight division after Floyd Mayweather Jr. retired from the sport. Thurman was the one calling out all the top fighters, but that has all changed in the last year after grueling fights against Shawn Porter and Danny Garcia. Thurman is no longer calling out anyone. If anything, he’s the one that seems to be stalling from fighting the top guys. Spence, Garcia, Porter and Danny Garcia are the ones calling out the 29-year-old Thurman. The southpaw Spence has slid into the No.1 spot in the welterweight division by default, and tonight he’ll be looking to solidify his position as the best guy in the weight class.
Spence will be making only his second title defense of his IBF belt tonight against the 22-year-old Ocampo. Spence won the IBF title last year in stopping Kell Brook in the 11th round in Sheffield, England. Spence was then out of the ring for 8 months before making his first defense of his IBF title in beating former light welterweight champion Lamont Peterson by a 7th round knockout on January 20th. It was a good performance by Spence with the way that he easily dispatched a very good fighter in Peterson. Spence was hoping to face Thurman in his second fight of 2018, but he’s been out with injuries and he’s been talking about using the entire years as a “get back year” to recover from his nagging injury problems. The IBF ordered Spence to defend against Ocampo rather than allow him to take on a better contender in the weight class.