Errol Spence: I’ll be back in July

By Boxing News - 03/11/2020 - Comments

By Kenneth Friedman: Errol Spence says he’s on course for a July return to the ring, and he just needs to take the weight off that he’s gained. Spence (26-0, 21 KOs). IBF/WBC welterweight champion Spence put a lot of weight since his last fight against Shawn Porter in September and needs to trim that off before he potentially fights in July.

Spence says he’d like to fight Manny Pacquiao, and he believes that’s a fight that can happen. As far as Keith Thurman goes, Spence says he no longer wants that fight. He tried chasing Thurman for a number of years without any luck, so he’s given up on a fight against him.

Spence doesn’t look damaged from his car crash from last October, and he appears to be physically the same person he was before the accident. The 29-year-old Spence was ejected from his Ferrari Spider in a terrifying car crash in Dallas, Texas, but he escaped the accident without suffering major injuries.

Although some boxing fans still suspect that Spence suffered permanent damage, that may not be the case.  We have caution that’s too early to know for sure.

Spence training for July bout

“Everybody tune-in. I’ll be back real soon, hopefully in July,” said Spence to esnews. “We’ll see. I’m in the gym, training hard, staying in focus and getting my weight down. It’s a big difference it makes.”

Given Spence’s weight problems at the moment, it’s impossible to pin down an exact date for his return. Beyond the weight issue, Spence still needs an opponent, and that could prove to be difficult to find.

Spence wants a fight with Pacquiao, but the uncertain prognosis for his return makes him an unlikely option for the Filipino superstar’s next fight in July. For Spence to have a shot at fighting Pacquiao, he would need to show the media that he’s 100% healthy, and definite about his return to the ring in July.

Spence saying that he’ll “hopefully” fight in July, that doesn’t instill confidence in him.

Pacquiao fight can happen – Errol

It can happen,” said Spence of a fight between him and Manny Pacquiao. “We got the same people. We could make it happen. He got two wins against Adrien Broner and Keith Thurman,” said Spence.

For Spence to have a realistic chance to fight Pacquiao in July, he would need to do something to show him that’s he’s healthy and ready to go. Pacquiao has his sights set on facing Mikey Garcia, considering that’s a big money fight that involved less risk than a match against Spence.

There is a chance that Spence can face Pacquiao in 2021 if he returns to the ring this year, and looks good.

Thurman not in Spence’s plans

“I never fought Thurman. I also never fought Danny Garcia. Thurman, Nah,” said Spence when asked if he’d like to fight Thurman. “How long have I been calling Thurman out? Four years now? That’s old news. I don’t want to fight him.

“There’s a lot of options. There’s a lot of stuff out there. Thurman’s not one of them,” said Spence.

Thurman has been putting off a fight with Spence since 2016, and too much time has elapsed for him to be taken seriously. Now that Thurman is starting to look a faded fighter, it’s not as compelling a fight as it once was.

Had Thurman agreed to fight Spence back in 2017 when he was in the zenith of his career, boxing fans would have been eager to see that match. Things have changed. Thurman has looked past it in his last two fights against Pacquiao and Josesito Lopez, and it’s no longer worth it for Spence to put energy into trying to make the fight. Even now, Thurman doesn’t mention Spence’s name when talking opponents, and that indicates that he still wouldn’t fight if Errol renewed his interest.

Spence wants $10 million for Kell Brook rematch

“I already told them what they got to pay me. I’ll take half of 20 [million],” said Spence when asked about a rematch with Kell Brook.

Former IBF welterweight champion Brook is a potential option for WBO welterweight champion Terence Crawford’s next fight in 2020. Brook’s promoters at Matchroom wouldn’t be able to meet Spence’s asking price of $10 million for the fight. The lack of a huge fan base for Brook would make it impossible for Spence to get the $10 million that he wants for a second fight against him.

If Brook had a huge fan base like IBF/WBA/WBO heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua enjoys in the UK, he could ask for and possibly receive $10 million to fight him.

Unfortunately, Brook’s career has been stunted by injuries suffered in his losses To Gennadiy Golovkin and Spence, and that’s kept him from being a bigger star.

Brook has made things worse for himself by electing to stay out of the ring for extended periods of time and taking too many tune-up fights. The first 9 years of Brook’s career was largely spent on taking tune-ups. So much wasted time. It’s a pity.