FROM PRINCE TO KING
Spence is ready to defend his crown for the first time, writes Chris Walker
THE prince of American boxing for far too long, Errol Spence Jnr finally received his longawaited coronation in May when he travelled to the home of Sheffield United FC, Bramall Lane, to dethrone home favourite Kell Brook. The 11th-round stoppage, one of the performances of 2017, finally confirmed the promise surrounding the fresh-faced Texan since his 2012 debut, and Spence will want to build on that breakout showing when he makes the first defence of his IBF welterweight crown against hardened veteran Lamont Peterson this Saturday ( January 20) at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center (Dibella Entertainment promote, while Showtime televise in the US).
Peterson, a former world ruler one division south, enters this contest as a significant underdog. It is a role with which he is familiar, a part he has mastered, but the tag will not deter him when attempting to overcome the odds yet again. Peterson’s beginnings in life, told on pages 18-21, overshadow any disadvantageous starting position in boxing, and this is not the first time that hopes for him have been slim.
Disastrous starts against Victor Ortiz (draw 10 – December 2010) and Amir Khan (w sd 12 – December 2011) were rescued in the second halves, and against Danny Garcia (l md 12 – April 2015), Washington’s Peterson displayed brilliant courage to persuade some within the boxing community that he should have been adjudged the victor against the heavy-handed Philadelphian. Now 33, Peterson can pretty much do it all without excelling in a specific area. The peak showing of his career, when defeating Khan, was achieved with pressure-fighting. Fans of Peterson have not seen that tactic enough.
Against southpaw Spence, Peterson, a relative newcomer to the division, is facing the toughest assignment of his career in what will be his 40th outing. That is a fine compliment to the 2012 Olympian, who will surely go on to have a more stellar career than some of the illustrious characters on Lamont’s ledger.
Spence, 27, has been a valuable name since his exit from the London Games, a reputation only enhanced when footage
of him sparring with Floyd Mayweather surfaced. He is currently on a run of nine successive stoppages, and among that victim list are fighters renowned for durability, such as Chris Algieri (w rsf 5 – April 2016) and Leonard Bundu (w ko 6 – August 2016), who heard the final bell against Manny Pacquiao and Keith Thurman respectively. Spence obliterated them like they were novice professionals.
Against Brook, Spence was more patient. There was more respect from Brook, and the occasion might have urged caution, so it was body attacks, precise and painful, that did the trick in the fight’s early going. It was closely contested in the first half, but it seemed only one man had a plan, and that was Spence. He found the target far more frequently in the contest’s last quarter, ultimately forcing Brook to stay on his knees in the penultimate session. Brook, complete with broken eye socket, was Spence’s most recent stoppage victim. It was a clinical, punishing display.
How much of a threat Spence perceives in Peterson is the deciding factor regarding how long this fight goes. Peterson, despite being mightily resilient, is a notoriously slow starter, evidenced versus Ortiz and Khan, and emphatically when he was destroyed by Lucas Matthysse in three rounds in May 2013.
Spence, at welterweight, is far more threatening than the aforementioned names, and if he starts quickly against Peterson then this one might not last very long. Spence’s stock is increasing at a rapid pace, and it will soar even higher as he stops Peterson around the halfway mark.
Chief support sees Robert Easter defend his IBF lightweight title against
Javier Fortuna, 33-1-1 (23). The latter, a portsider from the Dominican Republic, has rebounded brilliantly since suffering his sole career defeat (via 11th-round stoppage) to Jason Sosa back in June 2016, with four straight wins, but he is back among the highest level again in facing the undefeated Ohioan.
Easter has barely put a foot wrong in amassing a flawless 20-0 (14) record, and with the likes of Jorge Linares, Vasyl Lomachenko and Mikey Garcia lurking around his premises, he knows he has to maintain that standard to attract more lucrative fights. He should do that via a wide points decision against Fortuna.
2018 could potentially bring a world title fight for Staten Island’s left-handed light-heavyweight Marcus Browne, 20-0 (15). Some cast doubts on his potential, but recent inside-schedule victories over Thomas Williams and Seanie Mongahan have kept him on track. He should have too much for Congolese-canadian Francy Ntetu, 17-1 (4), in their 10-rounder.
THE VERDICT Mouth-watering matchups against the welterweight elite await Spence, as long as he gets past Peterson.
IN SPENCE, PETERSON IS FACING HIS TOUGHEST ASSIGNMENT IN THE RING