Errol Spence Goes To Brook's Backyard With Plans On Bringing The IBF Welterweight Title Back To
- Hector Sanchez
- May 26, 2017
- 3 min read
On May 27, 2017, Errol Spence (21-0, 18 KO's), Dallas' top world welterweight contender, has plans on taking the IBF welterweight championship belt from Kell Brook (36-1, 25 KO's). But he he is not fighting on American soil, he will be fighting in Brook's backyard and hometown of Sheffield, England. According to Spence, it doesn't matter to him where it is, and if he wins, he will have done the same thing Brook did three years ago when he came to the states and took the belt away from Shawn Porter (27-2-1, 17 KO's). Which by the way, will be something that his mentor Mayweather never did.
That in itself, makes the difference between many of the present champions and the future welterweight champions to come. Their are some who feel it is dangerous for him to fight for a title and too early to take this supposed chance. But again this makes the difference between Spence and other fighters. He knows that to be great he must do great things, which includes fighting a current champion like Brook in his home country to begin his own legacy.
Brook is a world champion, but instead of fighting other welterweight champions like Keith Thurman, Danny Garcia, and even Manny Pacquiao, he fought the likes of Ionut Dan Ion, Frankie Gavin, and Kevin Bizier. Although these fighters have somewhat good records, and with all due respect, most people have never heard of them. Although it is easier said than done when trying to get a matchup between world champions.
So, instead of waiting around, Brook is given the chance to fight the Kazakhstan KO king, Gennady Golovkin (37-0, 33 KO's), the baddest middleweight in the world. Unfortunately, and to no surprise, the fight was stopped after his corner threw in the towel after he was being pummeled in the fifth round. He not only suffered his first loss, but Golovkin broke Brook's eye socket, an injury that his own trainer said is similar to one which happens in a car accident. Brook has since had surgery and has been given the green light to fight, but common sense tells you that he is already at a disadvantage going into this fight.
Spence, on the other hand is considered to be the top welterweight contender in the world, but some boxing trainers such as Abel Sanchez, the trainer for Golovkin, feels he is several fights away from a title shot. That will be answered on Saturday night in front of 27,000 Englanders cheering for the current champion, Brook.
Yes, Errol Spence has fought some good fighters recently such as Leonard Bundu (33-2-2, 12 KO's), but he is 42 years old, and Chris Algieri (21-3,8 KO's), who some feel was carried for 12 rounds by Manny Pacquiao.
There have been rumors for some time about Spence clocking Adrien Broner in a sparring session and putting him out on his feet, and of him making Mayweather look bad in another sparring session as well, but I have yet to see the videotape.
Nevertheless, Spence is a 2-1 favorite against Brook but according to the Britain, “I feel good. I’m on edge. I’m ready to fight. I’ve done the work and now it’s time to play,” he said. ”I think we’ve got it right. I feel brilliant in training I feel good at these light weights. Time will tell. I think I’m going to be strong, fast and I’m going to be alert. I think we got it right.”
As for Spence, he said today, “This is my time, this is my era.” “You know, this is my time to shine, this is my time to get the belts, this is my time to unify and become the undisputed welterweight champion of the world. So this is just another steppingstone to get to where I wanna be and my ultimate goal.”
At Spence' last media conference, his workout included loading shots on the heavy bag, but the most impressive work was when he did his mitt work. His punches landed with accuracy and speed including power from both hands. The following is a video by INTHERING.net showcasing Spence's ring work, a preview of what Brook will taste when they meet on May 27, 2017 at Bramall Lane, Sheffield, England.
The WEIGH-IN can be seen live Friday, May 26, 2017 at the following websites:
The Brook-Spence showdown will air on Showtime in the United States (5:15 p.m. ET/2:15 p.m. PT). In the United Kingdom, Sky Sports Box Office will televise Brook-Spence on pay-per-view (6 p.m. BST; £16.95 in HD).