This Saturday night, IBF welterweight champion Errol Spence (24-0-0, 18 KO’s) makes his long awaited homecoming in front of an adoring crowd of 14,000 in Dallas, Texas.
The ‘Truth’, a former 2012 Olympian, is determined to become undisputed champion by unifying all the belts, but first must make the second defence of his title against undefeated mandatory challenger Carlos Ocampo (22-0-0, 13 KO’s).
In his first defence this January at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, Spence impressed with a typically destructive display over seasoned campaigner Lamont Peterson, who was retired by his corner after seven rounds of unrelenting punishment.
Southpaw Spence has made a seamless transition from contender to champion, maintaining his unblemished record and aggressive body-punching style in the process, and as a result he is generally regarded as one of the top pound-for-pound fighters in the world.
However, Spence’s efforts throughout the past year to secure a unification fight against similarly undefeated WBA champion Keith Thurman have been frustrated by the latter’s protracted layoff, following several injuries.
Nevertheless, a more compelling adversary has recently emerged from the light-welterweight division, as former undisputed light-welterweight champion Terence Crawford dismantled WBO welterweight titleholder Jeff Horn in nine rounds to become a three-weight world champion, last Saturday night.
Like Spence, Crawford is also widely perceived as one of the world’s best boxers, and a showdown between the two at some point in the near future would certainly constitute a ‘superfight’ by most standards.
Spence, a consummate professional, has more immediate matters to attend to. Expect the Texan native to produce a dominant performance to defend his belt, as he enthrals his hometown fans with a late stoppage over a durable opponent.
Article by: Navi Singh
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