Errol Spence fighting in April against TBA

By Boxing News - 12/30/2022 - Comments

By Craig Daly: Errol Spence Jr has revealed on Twitter that he’ll be fighting in April against a still-to-be-determined opponent. The opponent is rumored to be former WBA/WBC welterweight champion Keith ‘One Time’ Thurman, who will be coming off a long 14-month layoff if he’s the one that faces IBF, WBA & WBC 147-lb champion Spence (28-0, 22 KOs).

If it’s not Thurman (30-1, 22 KOs), there’s an outside possibility that Spence will be defending against his IBF mandatory Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis.

There’s a lot of pressure on Spence to defend against the unbeaten Boots (29-0, 27 KOs) because he’s considered by many to be the best fighter in the division, apart from Errol and Terence ‘Bud’ Crawford.

Some believe that the 25-year-old Boots Ennis is already the best fighter in the 147-lb division, as he’s a lot younger than the aging Spence & Crawford, and he’s just waiting for his opportunity to dethrone both of those aging champions, who have failed to make a mark during their reigns as belt holders.

It’s vital that Spence at least fight Thurman and not go any lower than that when choosing an opponent for his April fight. Spence coming off a twelve-month layoff since his last fight against Yordenis Ugas in April of 2022.

Spence needs to raise the level of his opposition because he’s been fighting a lot of old guys lately, and fans want to see him face youthful fighters.

Spence’s last three opponents:

  • Yordenis Ugas – 36-years-old
  • Danny Garcia – 34
  • Shawn Porter – 35
  • Mikey Garcia – 35
  • Lamont Peterson – 38
  • Kell Brook – 36
  • Leonard Bundu – 48
  • Chris Algieri – 38
  • Alejandro Barrera – 36

If Spence faces the 34-year-old ‘One Time’ Thurman, he would fit in with the above old timers that Spence has been feasting on in the last eight years as a pro.

It would be better for Spence to go straight into the fight with Boots Ennis rather than fighting only once in 2023 and waiting until 2024 before facing him.

Now that Spence is fighting only once a year, we probably won’t see him back in the until the first quarter of 2024 after he deffends his three belts in April 2023. If this is going to be the only fight of the year for Spence, he should skip the tune-up againt the past his best Thurman and go straight to Boots.

Trainer Derek ‘Bozy’ Ennis believes that Spence Jr is just trying to get as much money as possiblle before he retires from the sport. If that’s the situation, he’ll probably take the tune-up against the washed up Thurman, and then look to revisit negotiations with Crawford.