By the end of 2022 Errol Spence Jr believes he will have become one of the greatest welterweight fighters of all time.
“That means you would probably have to be undisputed,” said Brian Custer who interviewed the unified 147lbs champion for his show The Last Stand.
Earlier in their conversation Spence Jr had been asked about fighting Terence Crawford who holds the WBO title. The two all-star welterweight rivals are the top men in their division and the prospect of them in a ring together is a tantalising prospect. But at one stage, due to different promoters and TV networks, it seemed highly unlikely the fight could get made. The landscape has now changed as Crawford is a free agent after parting ways with Top Rank.
Custer asked Spence Jr if we will get one of the biggest matchups in boxing this century taking place this year.
“It should be,” replied the WBC and IBF champion.
“It’s something I’m definitely looking forward to and it’s something that we’re working towards and after I get past Ugas it could be an easy fight to make.”
Spence pointed out that as much as he wants to become undisputed and fight Crawford it doesn’t mean he will simply give in to demands from the other side.
“It just depends on stipulations between me and him. I’ll bend but I’m not gonna break. I’ll take off my coat but I’m not gonna give it to you.
“I’m looking forward for that fight. I think it’s a legacy fight for him and myself. And it’s a great fight, I think. The people want that fight, it’s the fight that they really want. I think it can happen.”
Yordenis Ugas will be doing his best to ensure he is in the running to become undisputed welterweight champion after April 16. The WBA title holder goes into the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas looking to upset the applecart, dethrone the home favourite and back up his win over MannyPacquiao last year. Spence believes he has the beating of him in every department.
“I feel like I’m the better fighter, I’ve got the better skills, the better talent and I got the better coach,” said the Texan resident who now has his own ranch.
“There’s going to be fireworks. I’m not the guy to get backed up or pushed around. It’s going to be a
very entertaining fight.”
The April 16 tussle will be Spence’s first fight since receiving surgery for a detached retina which forced him out of the August 21 date against Pacquiao. Ugas stepped in as the replacement opponent and the rest is history.
The 2012 U.S Olympian also survived a horrific accident in October 2019 when he crashed his Ferrari.
Fourteen months later he successfully defended his two welterweight titles against Danny Garcia.Custer asked Spence if he had any doubts or worries about the surgically repaired eye going into the Ugas fight.
“No doubts. I’ve been sparring, got hit in the eye, got hit in the other eye with flush shots, nothing happened so I’m pretty sure it’s going to hold up against Ugas.”
The unbeaten 32-year-old then described the moment he was told he would not be able to fight Manny Pacquiao.
“We went to Vegas and seen the Commission’s doctor and [he] looked at my eye for a minute and he’s like I’ve got some good news and I’ve got some bad news. The bad news is there’s no way you can fight, the good news is it’s partially detached so we can put it back on but there’s no way you can be able to fight. There’s a possibility you might lose your eye. I can’t let you fight.
“In my head, I was like I got another eye, I got two eyes, I can see out the other eye! Looking back at it now I’m glad I didn’t take the fight because it could have been my last fight and messed me up permanently.”