Errol Spence buttering up Keith Thurman with compliments

By Boxing News - 03/07/2022 - Comments

By Chris Williams: Errol Spence Jr is suddenly smothering Keith Thurman with compliments, making it obvious that he’s going to be next if he defeats Yordenis Ugas on April 16th. Spence was really laying on the sweet talk of Thurman, hinting real BAD that he’s next up.

WBO welterweight champion Terence Crawford looks like he’s going to be passed over by Spence in favor of fellow PBC fighter Thurman.

For the last two years, Spence (27-0, 21 KOs) has been cool with the idea of fighting former WBA/WBC welterweight champion ‘One Time’ Thurman (30-1, 22 KOs), but after his comeback victory over Mario Barrios last month on February 5th, Spence has taken a 180-degree turn, praising the former champion.

What this change of direction by Spence means is obvious. He saw the huge interest from boxing fans in Thurman’s fight with Barrios last February, noted the network commentators bowing down to ‘One Time’ with their compliments during the fight.

The pay-per-view numbers likely from Thurman-Barrios had to have perked Spence’s interesting fighting One Time even more.

Spence complimenting Thurman

“If the opportunity comes, I definitely can,” said Spence to Yahoo Sports when asked if he can knockout Ugas. “He’s definitely vulnerable to the body, but Ugas is a guy that likes to fight too.

 

“If you catch him with a good shot, he’s going to get pumped up and sit there and fight. We’ll see if that plays into this fight,” Spence continued.

Image: Errol Spence buttering up Keith Thurman with compliments

“If he’s going to sit there after I catch him and want to trade back or want to fight back. I’ve always felt that I was in the dominant position,” said Errol when asked if he’ll be in a dominant position for a fight against Terence Crawford if he defeats Yordenis Ugas.

“Somebody else is fighting my dominance. I think it’s definitely something that can happen if everybody is realistic about certain situations and stuff like that.

“It’s not something I took off the table just yet. Hopefully,” said Spence when asked if he’s going to be knockout out Yordenis on April 16th.

“He’s always a relevant guy because he’s got a big name,” said Spence about Keith Thurman. “I thought he performed good, especially after being out for two years,” said Spence on Thurman’s win over Mario Barrios last February.

Well, now that he know what direction Spence intends on going in for his next fight after Ugas, WBO welterweight champion Terence Crawford needs to look in another direction.

It’s pretty obvious from Spence’s sweet talk of Thurman, he’s heading that way next.

Errol predicts an exciting fight

“I think it’s going to be a very exciting fight,” said Spence. “Ugas is someone that comes to fight, and I’m somebody that comes to fight and brings the fight.

“In fights, I’ve seen, he’s never in non-exciting fights, and I’m never in non-exciting fights. I think it’s going to be one for the books for however long it lasts.

Image: Errol Spence buttering up Keith Thurman with compliments

“I wasn’t too terribly disappointed that I didn’t get to fight because I knew, I wouldn’t say, an all-the-way shell of himself, but he wasn’t the same Manny Pacquiao with the furiousness that Manny Pacquiao usually brings to the fights. It wasn’t that.

“It wasn’t the same Manny Pacquiao that fought Antonio Margarito and Ricky Hatton and try to totally destroy you.

“I wasn’t too messed up about it, but I definitely wanted that fight, and it was a huge one for myself,” said Spence.

“We’ve been preparing for a long time for this fight,” said Ismael Salas, the trainer for Ugas, to Fighthype. “We were supposed to fight last year for Spence, but then it changed at the last moment to Pacquiao.

“Then he [Spence] pulled out of the fight because of his eye, and then we fought Pacquiao. We got the opportunity.

YouTube video