Errol Spence Jr. (21-0, 18 KOs) hosted his final media event in his hometown of Dallas Tuesday at the R&R Boxing Club before he heads to the U.K. in a few weeks to get ready for his first world title shot and the biggest fight of his career against IBF welterweight champion Kell Brook on May 27th. But nothing seems to faze the 27-year-old southpaw from Desoto, Texas, who will fight in front of 30,000 Brits and a worldwide audience on Showtime.
He was in good spirits and looked in great shape as he answered questions about Brook, a potential matchup with Keith Thurman and his legacy in the sport. He was at ease outside the ropes just as he is inside, answering all questions with insightful thought. The only time he got stumped was when someone asked, “What is your favorite dessert,” and then he politely answered “candy.”
Many have anointed Spence Jr. as the next big star in boxing including one Floyd Mayweather and has been highly praised by and compared to another legendary welterweight in Sugar Ray Leonard.
Although Spence Jr. is soft-spoken he’s definitely not shy and will gladly share his thoughts if asked. Boxing would be in great hands if Spence Jr. emerges as the face of the sport and his fight with Brook could be the start of something special.
He’s a student of the game and wants to be great and a future hall of famer, and take on all comers and knows beating Brook is the first step in achieving his goals.
“I am going in like a gladiator. I am going into the arena, in a lion’s den. I’m trying to win. I am going in there trying to destroy my opponent and have the crowd cheer for me at the end like the Gladiator movies.”
Spence Jr. added, “They come in there as slaves, they come out victorious, they come out as the people’s champ, that’s what I’m trying to do.”
Spence Jr. knows Brook will be ready and have the big crowd behind him cheering him on.
“I expect a 100% Kell Brook. I expect Kell Brook to show a lot of heart who’s fighting at home basically willing to put his life on the line to defend his belt and to basically win in his hometown.”
Spence Jr. continued, “You stay composed but you still have to get in the ring and fight. I know he’s coming in to knock my head off so regardless of what people are saying, this dude’s fighting in his hometown in front of his family and friends so he’s going to try and knock me out. That’s why I stay focused and stay hungry and dedicated to my craft when I have somebody on the other side of the ring from me trying to beat me.”
Spence Jr. is known for his devastating knockouts and if he has you hurt is one of the best at finishing his opponent, but don’t expect him to get overanxious if the opportunity doesn’t present itself.
“I don’t think I have to win by knockout but it’s something I want. I am not going to rush it and make my style fight ugly trying to get the knockout. I am going to go by the gameplan my coach draws up and if the knockout comes then I’m definitely going to take it but not something I am going to be looking for to get.”
Trainer Derrick James is not worried about the potential hometown influence on the judges either and is ok if it goes the distance.
“I think he has to beat him, beat him up. His brother can judge the fight, I don’t care. He just has to keep winning each round, that’s all he has to do.”
Spence Jr. welcomed super welterweight champion Jermell Charlo into camp for the first time and expects it to payoff just as he prepared Charlo for his fight against Charles Hatley this past Saturday night. Charlo knocked out Hatley with a devastating right hand in the 6th round.
“He helped me a lot. I was able to thank Charlo and basically I had to give it my all because it was like a chess match in there, it was like the best sparring the best. It was great work, like a real fight in there. The intensity level was really high when we were sparring each other.”
James also believes having Charlo in camp to prepare Spence Jr. for Brook who is also a big welterweight will pay off.
“Jermell is faster than Kell Brook, he’s bigger than Kell Brook, he’s stronger than Kell Brook, he has better defense than Kell Brook, better offense than Kell Brook but at the same time people talk about Kell Brook bigger, better guy. You saw what he [Charlo] did to Charles Hatley.”
On this day, everyone wanted to talk about the potential Spence Jr., Keith Thurman match-up. Spence Jr. has been on record that he wants to fight Thurman and made it very clear again he wants him after he gets through with Brook.
“He’s trying to fight somebody like Pacquiao which is understandable but after I beat Kell Brook, I am going to be asking for that fight, demanding that fight. If he can’t get the Pacquiao fight he ought to fight me.”
But Spence Jr. will not sit around waiting for Thurman or anybody else for that matter.
“If I have to wait on him [Thurman], I’ll try to fight Pacquiao or try to fight the next big name that’s in the division, but I’m not sitting around waiting on anybody anymore. This is the first and last time that I’m going to sit around and wait on somebody. When I have the belt, I’m going to defend it, fight and stay busy.”
Spence Jr. is ready to show off his full arsenal against Brook if that’s what the fight calls for.
“There are a couple of things I’m going to do that people aren’t expecting. A lot of times in my fights there are a lot of things I don’t have to do or don’t have to show, because I don’t have to. There’s a lot of things I do in sparring that I don’t show in the ring because I don’t have to do it.”
Spence Jr. added, “There are a lot of different things I am going to show, I’m going to use. There are certain things we work on for him, but we are basically working on ourselves, trying to correct everything we’re doing wrong.”
Spence Jr. is cut from a different cloth then most. He’s a throwback to a different era of fighters and already knows what he wants to accomplish. If he becomes the undisputed welterweight champion, he plans to move up to 154 and clean out that division.
“I watch a lot of documentaries, guys like Ray Leonard, Hagler, and Tommy Hearns they moved up, Roberto Duran. Like Floyd he started at 130 and moved up. Oscar de La Hoya started at that weight and moved up. So I want to be the best. Once I do what I have to do at 147 it’s time to test the waters at 154.”
James has been with Spence Jr. since part of his amateur days and through his pro career and described him like this.
“He trains like he has nothing and he wants everything. He lives like a hermit, he’s in the gym training. We went to New York and we worked out. We came back home and went running that night after the fight. He gets inspired by his brothers, his stablemates he gets inspired. He says I have to go running after the fight in New York.”
James continued, “That’s just the type of guy he is, the tenacity, the hard-work, the hunger, he’s inspired sitting next to the guy he may want to fight, he gets inspired. He sees his brother go in there to fight, he gets inspired. He has so many things that inspire him in life, that’s what motivates him I think.”
Spence Jr. is 5 weeks away from the biggest test of his pro career. He has set high goals for himself but at the same time doesn’t let the pressure or the moment overwhelm him. He has been waiting longer than he feels he should for his first title shot, but don’t expect him to change who he is or what he’s about.
“Just how I’m built. I’m a guy who’s never too high, never too low, I’m right in the middle. Not a lot of stuff excites me, not a lot of stuff gets me going. I see a lot of stuff, Errol Spence is going to be this or he can’t do this, he’s Jeff Lacy. It doesn’t get to me. I’m never too high, never too low, that’s my motto, just right in the middle.
“Everyone got an opinion, that’s their opinion at the end of the day. I know what I’m capable of, I know I can fight, I know who I am, I’m not worried about what another person says about me at all,” added Spence Jr.
