DeSoto native and former unified 147-pound world champion Errol "The Truth" Spence is rumored to return to the ring at AT&T Stadium in Arlington against unified Jr Middleweight champion Sebastian Fundora of Coachella, California. Fundora captured the WBC and WBO belts when he narrowly outpointed Tim Tszyu back in March. He was immediately linked to a fight with the Desoto native. That seems to be the next stop. The promoter of Fundora, Sampson Lewkowicz, acknowledged they preferred a fight with Spence, as opposed to the former undisputed welterweight champ Terence Crawford, who badly beat and stopped Spence last July. Lewkowicz acknowledged that despite the loss Spence is a better ticket seller than Crawford, and the Spence fight at AT&T Stadium is a larger event. The fight is being rumored to be held in the fourth quarter of this year, which aligns with Spence's fight schedule of fighting once every year and a half or so. Spence fought in September of 2019, then again in December of 2020. He then fought in the Spring of 2022,before returning to the ring in July of 2023, when he was stopped by Crawford. So Q4 of 2024 would make a lot of sense for his return.
Spence vs Barrios? Would Be Great for Texas According to Trainer
Could an All-Texas shootout be on the horizon for fight fans from the Lone Star State? Former WBA 140-pound world champ, 28-year-old "El Azteca" Mario Barrios of San Antonio, is fresh off the best win of his career, a 12-round beat down of former welterweight champion Yordenis Ugas. Ugas lost his claim to the welterweight championship to Errol Spence of DeSoto in his previous bout, in April 2022. Spence went on to lose three of the four straps at the 147-pound title to Terene Crawfordin July. 33-year-old Errol Spence, 28-1 (22), and El Azteca seem to be heading in different directions, and it could easily be argued that Barrios handled Ugas better than Spence did. Ugas had Spence in serious trouble before, Spence got the stoppage in the 10th round.
A fight between the two would have seemed like one-way traffic just a year ago. However, with Barrios surging under new trainer Bob Santos and Spence having gotten beaten down by Crawford, plus all of the outside-of-the-ring issues seem to be heading in completely opposite directions. The fight now seems like a much more competitive affair. The Alamo City and his trainer are now calling for the all-Texas shootout. A fight that could pack out either AT&T Stadium or the Alamodome.
Barrios's trainer said in an interview with 210Boxing, a San Antonio-based YouTube channel, that he wouldn't mind a fight between Barrios and Spence and that "it would be great for Texas." It certainly would be and would have a chance to set all types of attendance records. However, there are some obstacles that could hold up the fight. Spence has activated his rematch clause to fight undisputed champion Crawford, that fight appears to be in the works for February. There's also the issue of weight. Spence seems set on jumping from 147 to 154 and can no longer make the 147 comfortably. Barrios, who started his career a decade ago as a 122-pounder, is having a resurgence in his career and looks sensational at 147, so it seems like he would be unlikely to move off of the weight class in the foreseeable future.
Spence Activates Rematch Clause. Will Fight Crawford a Second Time
Desoto native Errol "The Truth" Spence, 28-1 (22), has officially activated his rematch clause with the undisputed welterweight champion and the man who took the "0" from his L column last month. According to Crawford's trainer, Brain Mcintyre (Bo Mac) Spence has activated the rematch clause, and the pair of future first ballot hall of famers will run it back. The date, venue, and even the weight have not been confirmed. According to the trainer, his fighter "texted me yesterday and said that Spence activated his rematch clause. The rematch is confirmed, but we don't have any date and stuff like that yet."
There was a two-way rematch clause, meaning the loser had the first right of refusal and could run it back if they chose. Everything went wrong for Spence in the ring on July 29th. He was knocked down in the second round and got worse from there on out things got far worse for the North Texan, who was knocked down a total of three times before having the bout waved off for good in the 9th round by referee in charge Harvey Dock. A humbled Spence never made a single excuse, which has become unheard of in the boxing world. Things started going poorly for the DeSoto High School project long before he stepped in the ring on July 29th. Spence was in a fairly bad car wreck in December of 22, and camp did not go well into the lead-up of the biggest fight of his career. The World Class Boxing Gym where Spence trains with Derrick James was loaded with big fights all in the same time span. In addition to the Jermell Charlo fight with Canelo in a month, James was working with Ryan Garcia, who was in Dallas house shopping, plus the biggest, most valuable name in his stable, two-time former unified heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua fought, just two weeks later in the UK and two weeks before Spence-Crawford, James's hottest young prospect Frank Martin headlined the Cosmopolitan, Las Vegas, in a harder than expected contest with Artem Harutyunyan in which Martin rallied late to secure the victory. All three of the James' trained fighters had subpar performances, and on top of that, Garcia and Charlo were preparing as well. It may have simply been too much plate of the plate of the trainer of the year.
Spence will however get a chance to turn that all around and exact revenge on Crawford.
Errol Spence Looks to Become Undisputed Welterweight Champion Tomorrow in Vegas
Desoto native and undefeated unified welterweight world champion Errol "The Truth" Spence, 28-0 (22), looks to join his stablemate Jermell Charlo as an undisputed champion in his weight class. The feat has been accomplished nine times in the four-belt era. It was last accomplished by Japanese KO artist Naoya Inoue, in the Bantamweight division in late 2022. Charlo, a Houston native, captured all four belts in the 154-pound division in May, 2022 by stopping Brian Castano in the 10th round of their rematch.
Spence, who currently holds three of the four welterweight belts (WBA, WBC, IBF), will step into the ring with WBO title holder Terence "Bud" Crawford, 38-0 (30), of Omaha, Nebraska, in what is being-touted as the biggest fight of the year. Crawford is also one of the nine men who held all the straps in the four-belt era. He accomplished the task when he stopped Julius Indongo in the third round of their 2017 showdown. Crawford will look to be the first-ever man to hold the undisputed crown in multiple weight classes. Evander Holyfield accomplished the feat in the three-belt era.
If Spence, who is a slight betting underdog, +120 according to DraftKings, can pull the minor upset, that will mean all eight world title belts from 147 to 154, will not only be held in the great state of Texas, they will be held in the same gym. Both fighters train with Derick James at his World Class Boxing Gym in Dallas. Additionaly, Charlo will have a unique opportunity to hold all four belts in two separate weight classes when he steps into the ring with legendary Mexican champion Canelo Alvarez who holds all the belts at 168 on September 30th in Las Vegas. If both Texans are successful, all of the world titles in the 147, 154 & 168-pound divisions will all be held by Texans.
Spence- Crawford! Finally!! It's Officially, Official
We have not reported on rumors and played it low-key until everything was officially, official. That time is now. DeSoto native and WBA-WBC-IBF Welterweight champ will battle WBO title holder Terence Crawford on July 29th in Las Vegas at the T-Mobile Arena. The fight has long been anticipated. Additionally its was very close to being made last summer, allegedly. Crawford told the mostly Dallas-based media during the lead-up to Virgil Ortiz-Michael McKinson to, "wait till November." November came and went, and nothing happened, and so did about six more months. However, a deal is now in place, and the fight looks like it will finally happen. It has an official date and venue. “The wait is over...It’s game time. Errol Spence-Terence Crawford, July 29th, Las Vegas, Nevada. Everybody come out, show support and watch me fry this fish.” Crawford said on Social Media, and the North Texan clapped back writing, “Finally giving the fans what they want!.. This one a throwback fight on paper, but it could be a one-sided ass-whooping."
Both fighters are undefeated. Terence Crawford, 35, is 39-0 (3) and has held the WBO welterweight title since knocking out Jeff Horn in June of 2018. Spence captured the IBF Welterweight title by stopping Kell Brook all the way back in May of 2017. He added the WBC belt in 2019 by outpointing Shawn Porter. He added the WBA strap by stopping Yordenis Ugas last year at AT&T Stadium. Spence has not fought since stopping Ugas. Crawford last fought in December and stopped Avanesyan in six rounds.
Barrios Likely To Face Ugas This Summer
"El Azteca" Mario Barrios, of San Antonio, will likely be back in the ring this summer. July is being targeted for a showdown with former WBA champ Yordenis Ugas of Cuba. Ugas is coming off a 10th-round stoppage loss to Errol Spence of DeSoto last April at AT&T Stadium in Arlington. The Ugas-Barrios bout will be for the WBC interim title, meaning the winner would likely be slated to fight the WBC World Champion. That champion at the moment is Errol Spence of DeSoto.
Ugas is currently ranked number two by the WBC, while Barrios is ranked fifth by the same organization. Typically the bout would be between the two top-ranked fighters in the weight class. However, Keith Thurman is currently ranked one by the WBC and is still expected to fight Spence in a non-title fight at 154 pounds. However, nothing on that fight has been made official, and Spence is still negotiating with WBO champ Terence Crawford.
Alternatively, the winner of the Ugas-Barrios interim title bout could also be ordered to fight the winner of the other WBC eliminator between Cody Crowley and Abel Ramos. That bout is scheduled for next week on the Plant-Benavidez card at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
Barrios sports a record of 27-2 (18), and bounced back off of his two consecutive losses last month in very impressive fashion. He stopped Jovanie Santiago in the eighth round of a one-sided bout. It was his first camp with trainer Bob Santos. Barrios previously held a 140-pound title from 2019 to 2021.
Spectrum Cable Sharing Blind Spence-Crawford Optimism
Spectrum is the trade name of Charter Communications, which is used to market consumer and commercial cable television, internet, telephone, and wireless services provided by the company. Spectrum has officially listed Spence VS Crawford as a PPV for purchase for $74.99 in June. However, there s no specific date beyond June. Unfortunately for fight fans who have been salivating for Spene-Crawford for years, this is pure optimism from the digital cable provider. Sources close to Spence have said "there is nothing signed or in the works to be signed" and that "there are ongoing negotiations with Crawford and others." The other is likely Keith Thurman. The two fighters were rumored to be closing in on a deal to meet up at 154 in a non-title fight. That fight was rumored for April. However, it is already late February, and no deal is in place. So if that fight is to happen at all, it will certainly not take place in April. Spence has been out of the ring since last April when he unified his third strap at 147 pounds by stopping Yordenis Ugas in the 10th round of their fight at AT&T Stadium.
Spence and Crawford were allegedly close to a fight in 2022 when talks broke down after Crawford alleged PBC wouldn't open the books for the Crawford team to see what expenditures were being deducted from the bottom line. That's a bigger deal than it may appear to be. There were no guaranteed purses for the fighters. Each fighter was to get a portion of the total PPV revenue. If PBC is spending money without Crawford knowing, that directly impacts the gross revenue, thus increasing Crawford's bottom line. Crawford opted to fight with David Avanesyanz, a fight that was a PPV bust. Highly contradicting numbers have been reported. Reports ranged anywhere, from 5,000 to over 100,000 buys, depending on who you asked. Either way, none of those would be good for team Crawford if they wanted to renegotiate a better deal with Spence.
Errol Spence to Return in April Against Keith Thurman
It looks like Errol "The Truth" Spence may be back in the ring as soon as April. Spence, of DeSoto, holds three-quarters of the world titles at 147 pounds. He was scheduled to fight WBO welterweight Champ Terence Crawford in the fourth quarter of 2022 before that fell through over contractual disputes on Crawford's side.
Multiple sources have reported that the champ from North Texas will take on former unified welterweight champ Keith "One Time" Thurman. The pair have been linked together for years when both held world titles in 2017. Due to injuries, accidents, and perhaps ducking on Thurman's part, the two never squared off to determine dominance in the welterweight division.
It's unclear at the moment, as to why, but the fight is expected to take place at the 154-pound limit. Opposed to 147, where Spence holds his titles. Meaning it will be a non-title fight, and the combatants will have to wear 10-oz gloves instead of 8-oz gloves which are used for up to 147 pounds. A small but important change for each man.
WBA President Gilberto Mendoza said Spence will have 60 days from the fight with Terence Crawford for undisputed supremacy. Or he must defend his 147-pound title against the winner of the postponed WBA "regular" title fight between Vergil Ortiz Jr. and Eimantas Stanionis.
Spence, 32, could also decide to fight at 154 moving forward. It is unclear if the move up to 154 for the Thurman fight has anything to do with Spence being unable to make the welterweight limit. Spence is considered a massive welterweight and has flirted with the idea of moving up for a few years now.
Inactivity has stifled both fighters and Spence will have been out of the ring for a year when he squares off with Thurman. He last fought in April at AT&T Stadium and stopped Yordenis Ugas for his WBA Belt. Thurman has fought just three times in six years and ended a nearly three-year layoff when he stopped Mario Barrios of San Antonio last February. So it will be another 14 months outside the ring for "One Time".
Spence No Interest In Pacquiao Fight
DeSoto native and unified Welterweight world champ "The Truth" Errol Spence is regarded as one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world, is one of the longest reigning world champions, and one of the sport's most lucrative stars. He was starting a potentially massive payday and mega-fight with former seven-division world champion Manny Pacquiao, which would likely be the biggest payday of his career. A fight that would certainly not go well for the 44-year-old legend. However, Spence expressed no interest in a fight with the Filipino Icon saying “I wouldn’t fight him. Larry Holmes is one of the greatest heavyweights. He doesn’t get respect. How he beat Muhammad Ali – he f***ed him up. I think it’s because of that.”
A
A respectable decision from the north Texan. Spence was scheduled to face Pacquiao in August of last year when he was forced to pull out from the fight due to suffering a retinal detachment. The Texan was replaced by hard-hitting Cuban Yordenis Ugas. Ugas went in and outpointed Pacquiao to capture his version of the WBA welterweight strap in fairly dominant fashion. Ugas would meet up with Spence just eight months later. Spence would dominate the Cuban and capture his WBA strap in addition to defending his IBF and WBC versions.
A year and a half later and another brutal defeat for Pacquiao combined with being 44 years old would likely not bode well for the legend and Spence doesn't want to be known as the man that beat the former legend into permanent retirement. With the Pacquiao fight not going to happen, Spence continues to look for another opponent while recovering from another scary car accident. He had previously agreed to terms in principle to battle Terence Crawford. That fell through over financial concerns. Crawford chose to battle with David Avanesyan, a PPV event that is rumored to have sold a total of 5-15K PPV sales in the US. Crawford remains the main target for Spence however if that again falls through, rumors to face unbeaten contender Jaron "Boots' Ennis are also heating up. Ennis is currently ranked number one by the IBF and submitted a request to the IBF for them to order Errol Spence Jr to defend his IBF title. Spence would have to face him or risk losing his IBF title.
Spence Vs Thurman Possible for December 17th
DeSoto's favorite son Errol Spence Jr will reportedly defend his WBC/WBA/IBF Welterweight titles against Keith "One Time " Thurman. Errol Spence tweeted on Sunday, "announcement coming soon" that news appears to be a Thurman fight. The possibility of a battle for undisputed welterweight supremacy with WBO champ Terence Crawford hit a snag, when allegedly PBC, would not open the books and disclose the expenses for the fight.
Crawford had agreed to a 35% split with no guaranteed purse. The percentage was to come off the net, not the gross revenue, so every dollar spent would be a direct hit to the fighter's end check. With that fight now off, Crawford went on to agree to terms to a fight with David Avanesyan on December 10th. That left Spence without a fight, and the rumors began circulating.
It appears, and the fight should be formalized, and announced later this week, that the north Texan will fight Keith Thurman on December 17th with a location to be confirmed, possibly AT&T Stadium! The two have been linked for years. Going all the way back to 2017 when Spence won the IBF title, and Thurman held the WBA/WBC belts, which now are all held by Spence. Thurman has fought just three times since the end of 2017. Going 2-1 with a split decision loss to Manny Pacquiao and a win in his most recent fight with San Antonio's former 140-pound world champ Mario Barrios back in February. Thurman won a wide but competitive decision of the Alamo City native. It's long been rumored and talked about in boxing circles that Thurman ducked the DeSoto native.
Spence last fought in April and scored a 10th-round TKO of Yordenis Ugas to pick up the WBA belt, his third belt in the weight class.
Spence may be Looking at Multiple Mandatory Defenses with Crawford Fight Off
With the undisputed welterweight showdown between WBO champ Terence Crawford and WBA/IBF/WBC Champ, Errol Spence Jr of DeSoto seems to have been scrapped, at least for the foreseeable future. Spence and Crawford agreed to a 65/35 split in favor of the North Texan. However, there was no guaranteed purse. The entire split was based on the net revenue of the PPV's back end. A unique contract for a fight of that magnitude. Crawford asked PBC to open the books. After some dispute and controversy, the mega-unification fight fell out. Crawford has agreed to fight David Avanesyan in December. That leaves Spence, who has been inactive since April, without a fight. He is now under pressure to face two of his mandatory challengers.
The first up appears to be a 28-year-old Lithuanian Eimantas Stanionis, who holds the WBA ‘regular’ title. Stanionis is in line for Spence's super belt in the WBA's consolidation effort. Stanionis is 14-0 (9) and won the 'regular' by outpointing Radzhab Butaev at AT&T Stadium on the undercard of Spence-Ugas.
Spence could take that fight or vacate the belt and potentially fight his IBF mandatory challenger Jarron "Boots" Ennis of Philadelphia. Ennis won a final eliminator in May to put him in a position to fight Spence and is now petitioning the sanctioning body to make the fight ASAP. The Ennis defense is much more intriguing and competitive and would likely be a bigger money fight for Spence.
Spence will have a couple of options with the Crawford fight shelved for now. He could fight Stanionis and then Ennis, and should he win both, then look to make Crawford fight after that. However, that fight would likely be more than a year out. Anything could happen in such a long-time span, including one of, if not both fighters, moving up to the junior middleweight division. The next option Spence could explore is to vacate one of the two belts and then fight either Stanionis or Ennis. Should he win then he could look to make the Crawford again, should each man win. However, that would only be for three of the four welterweight straps. So, the winner of that fight would not be undisputed. The likelihood of the DeSoto native unifying all four belts has taken a major hit. Look for Spence to potentially move from 147 to the 154-pound weight class in 2023.
Spence-Crawford fight in Jeopardy Again
DeSoto native and Unified welterweight champion Errol "The Truth" Spence's unification and mega-fight with WBO Welterweight Champ Terence Bud Crawford is again in jeopardy. Small details which were not ironed out are currently holding the fight up. The major tipping point for Crawford seems to be transparency. The WBO champ wants access to event expenses since the contract contains no guaranteed purse. Both fighters will earn a percentage of the total revenue. Crawford wants the ability to approve expenses. The fight was agreed upon but never finalized for November 19th in Las Vegas. If the fight does not come off on the 19th it is unlikely the fight will happen at all in 2022. If that is the case the two world champions would have combined for just one title fight in 2022. Spence fought back in April and stopped WBA champ Yordenis Ugas in 10 rounds to collect the Cubans WBA belt that Spence added to his WBC and IBF straps. Crawford has not fought since November of 2021 when he stopped "Showtime" Shawn Porter in the 11th round of their classic scrap. Crawford and Spence are both undefeated. Crawford sports a 38-0 (29) and has won every fight at 147 via stoppage, the north Texan's perfect record stands at 28-0 (22).
Ortiz vs McKinson Now a WBA Title Eliminator
The stakes just got higher for Vergil Ortiz of Grand Prairie and Mikey "The Problem" McKinson of Portsmouth, England. Saturday's main event at the Dickies Arena in Fort Worth between unbeaten welterweight prospects is now a WBA title eliminator. Meaning the winner will be the mandatory challenger for the WBA world title. Ortiz is ranked highly for the WBA and WBO world titles. A win for Ortiz will mean he will be ranked number one in the WBO, a belt held by Terence Crawford, and the mandatory challenger for the WBA held by Errol Spence of Dallas. McKinson said he "found out 5 or 10 minutes before they announced it." Mckinson added he "was not surprised" and that he'd be happy to return to Texas to fight Spence, should he beat Ortiz on Saturday night.
Ortiz is considered by many to be the best young prospect in the sport, and an all-Texas shootout with Spence has long been dreamed of by Texas fight fans, with AT&T stadium being the absolutely ideal home for the fight. Spence, who also holds the WBC and IBF titles, is rumored to be in heavy discussion for a unification bout with Crawford. Unifications typically take precedence over mandatories. However, that fight is far from being made. If that fight does not come off, Ortiz will be in a position to possibly pick which of the belts he wants to fight for. He'd be ranked in the top spot by both organizations. Ortiz and trainer Manny Robles both expressed no preference and were more than open to fighting either of the two welterweight champions.
Spence and Crawford in Advanced Talks for Undisputed Showdown
The welterweight division is the most star-studded division and the two biggest stars in the division who happened to hold all four major world titles are in advanced talks and it does appear the fight may finally happen. AFight between WBA/WBC/IBF Welterweight Champ Errol Spence Jr of DeSoto and WBO champ Terence Crawford has been on the top of fight fans' wish list since Crawford moved up to welterweight in 2018 and captured the WBO belt by stopping Jeff Horn.
For years the excuse of the two being on upside sides of the street was used, Spence is with PBC, and Crawford was with Top Rank, and fighting the fighters in their own stable, is typically easier to make and more profitable for the promoters. Crawford is now a promotional free agent. The fight appears to be on the verge of finally getting done. The winner will be the first undisputed welterweight champion in the four-belt era.
Crawford spoke during a DAZN interview saying "Hopefully (the Spence fight gets made), that’s the plan, for us to get the job done on the business side and to be able to share the ring and put on a great performance for each and every one of you guys who want to see us share the ring together...I think the time right now is the best time because it’s for all the marbles. You got Errol Spence got three of the titles, I got one, it would be for undisputed. There wouldn’t be no other champion in the division and I feel like this is the biggest moment for us to fight."
Spence Shines in Unification Bout
Errol "The Truth" Spence Jr seems to save his best performances for his homecoming fights at AT&T Stadium, back in March of 2019 he threw a virtuosos performance against Mikey Garcia, shouting out the four-division world champion, then in his last fight came back and defeat Danny "Swift" Garcia in December of 2020, coming off of the horrific car accident. He pulled off the trifecta and stopped Yordenis Ugas via 10th round TKO when referee Laurence Cole waived the fight off due to Ugas having his right eye swollen completely shut and later admitted he could not see out of the eye.
After an epic ring walk accompanied by Southside Da Realist the night got off to a less than spectacular start for the South Dallas native he seemed hurt by a body shot and likely lost the first round to the fired-up Cuban world champion. However, the momentum quickly shifted, as a motivated and courageous Ugas took a stylistic risk by standing in with the hard-hitting and freakishly strong Spence Jr. Ugas battled valiantly and had plenty of moments but it was the southpaw from Texas who was clearly getting the best of it as he opened up a lead on the scorecards going into the sixth round. The round in which Ugas did his best work Errol Spence Jr. Stunning the Texan multiple times a right hand from Ugas knocked Spence's mouthpiece, Spence after having his bell rung by the shot looked for his mouthpiece as Ugas guy in landing left hand followed by a right that sent the Spence reeling into the ropes and perhaps could have ruled a knockdown as it did appear that the ropes helped keep Spence on his feet. The sequence of events appeared to wake Spence up who rallied late in the round and then regained control of the fight the next round and put together a dominant round in the eighth banging away on the inside and rocking Ugas with uppercuts and left hands a round so one-sided two of the judges scored it 10-8 in favor of Spence without a knockdown. The now brutal one-sided beatdown came to an end at 1:44. Cole sent Ugas to the corner to be examined by the doctor for a second time and this time the doc instructed Cole to waive the bout off.
It was the first fight back for "The Truth" after a 16-month layoff due to an eye injury that forced him out of a mega-fight with Manny Pacquiao last summer. Ugas's trainer Ismael Salas claimed Spence wasn't the same fighter following the car wreck and the injury. Salas was correct it wasn't the same Spence, it was actually a much better Spence and Spence is going to have to be this version if he is going to fight WBO champ Terence Crawford next who he directly called out following the Ugas victory. A victorious Crawford explained “I want Terence Crawford next. That’s the fight I want, that’s the fight everybody else wants. I’ve got these straps, I’m gonna go take his s**t, too.”
No Sweat Spence and Ugas on Weight
No Sweat Spence-Ugas are on Weight
We've got ourselves a fight WBC/IBF Welterweight kingpin Errol "The Truth" Spence of Desoto, and WBA crown holder Yordenis Ugas from Miami, Florida by way of Santiago de Cuba, Cuba, both easily made weight ahead of Saturday's unification fight that takes place at World AT&T stadium. The fight will unify three-quarters of the welterweight gold with just the WBO belt outstanding which is held by Terence Crawford and has been since 2018.
The weight went smoothly no major outbursts, no major trash talking, no pushing or shoving just two, toned and calmed professionals who take care of business made weight and faced off, and appear in outstanding shape. The fight will be aired on Showtime PPV and PPV.com for the price of $74.99 and starts at 8PM CST.
The South Dallas native will enter the fight a massive betting favorite. Errol Spence Jr he will be a -450 favorite while Ugas will enter the ring roughly at +350. Meaning a $100 bet on Ugas to win will make you $350 and it will take a $450 bet to make $100. The oddsmakers are extremely confident that Spence will unify the belts and pick up the victory in front of his home crowd tomorrow night. Spence repeated that confidence saying “I’m the best in the division. I’m making a statement come Saturday night. I want the knockout. I’m gonna get the knockout. I’m gonna get his belt and after that, it’s time to be undisputed champion of the world and I’m going after (WBO titleholder) Terence Crawford after I get through Ugas.”
Suggesting that a long-awaited Spence-Crawford showdown could be realistic for later in 2022. It has long been one of if not the most demanded fight on boxing since 2018. A fight Spence appears to want. saying “It’s something that I’m definitely looking forward to and it’s something that I’m willing to work towards,” Spence said. “After I get past Ugas, it could be an easy fight to make. It just depends on stipulations between me and him. I’ll bend but I’m not going to break. I’ll take off my coat but I’m not going to give it to you. So, I think it could happen and I’m looking forward to that fight. I think it’s a legacy fight for him and myself.”
Errol Spence Media Day Workout
Desoto native and undefeated WBC/IBF Welterweight champ Errol “The Truth” Spence Jr worked out in his home gym for the boxing media, World Class Boxing Gym which is owned by Spencer trainer Derrick James of Dallas. The media workout was to promote his April 16th fight at AT&T Stadium against WBA welterweight champ Yordenis Ugas . The fight is just over two weeks out and Spence said “I’m feeling good. I’m ready to go. This layoff was easier for me after the injury than after the accident because it was a lot less stress on my body. The fight will be shown live on Showtime PPV and will unify three-quarters of the welterweight brass. The one belt outstanding is the WBO belt that's owned by Terence Crawford. A fight between the long-reigning champ has long been demanded by the boxing world and is long overdue. With Crawford now a promotional free agent a fight seems very makeable. A fight that Spence said "I am trying to get that fight done, but that only way could be done is if I beat Ugas, and that's why I am 100% focused.
This is the first fight back for the Desoto native since he had surgery to repair a retinal detachment/break. He was scheduled to fight Pacquiao at the time of the injury and was forced to pull out of the fight. Ugas was plugged in as the replacement and he upset the legendary former eight-division world champion. So eight months later Spence gets to fight for the same belt but against a different champ. Spence's trainer, Derrick James suggested Ugas may bring an even bigger challenge than Pacquiao citing his intelligence. "His athleticism, but he's really intellectual he's a very smart fighter: and saying "he's a mixture of old school boxing, which is counter punching and slickness and also has skills and athleticism"
This will be the second consecutive time that Spence will be fighting in AT&T Stadium and the third time in four fights. He fought Danny Garcia at the Stadium back in December of 2020 and fought Mikey Garcia there in March of 2019. He has fought in Texas a total of seven times and this will be his sixth time-fighting in the DFW. For Ugas it will be the second time fighting in the Lone Star State. His only other time fighting in Texas was back in 2018 when he fought at The Star in Frisco. He scored a second-round TKO over an overmatched Jonathan Batista in what amounted to a tune-up fight on the undercard of Spence-Ocampo.
Spence to return home; takes on Ugas
The long-running rumor is indeed true. WBC & IBF welterweight champion Errol Spence Jr. and WBA kingpin Yordenis Ugas will unify three-quarters of the 147-pound gold in Spence's backyard, AT&T Stadium in Arlington, on April 16th. Spence hails from DeSoto in Dallas County. The unbeaten Spence,27-0 (21) confirmed the fight and location through his various social media accounts. Spence's last fought at AT&T Stadium was three-years-ago and unanimously outpointed Mikey Garcia in front of nearly 50,000 fans.
In the last three years, Spence has battled major outside the ring issues including a horrific car crash and a detached retina. He has fought just twice since that Garcia fight. He outpointed two former world champions in Shawn Porter and most recently Danny Garcia back in December of 2020.
Yordenis Ugas put the welterweight division and the boxing world on notice when he retired the legendary eight-division world champion, Manny Pacquiao, back in August. He was scheduled to fight on the undercard of Pacquiao-Spence, but when the Texan had to pull out of the fight due to the retina issue, Ugas stepped in and scored a career-changing 12 round unanimous decision. Ugas sports a 27-4 (12) record and has won four in a row since losing a controversial split decision to Shawn Porter back in 2019 including a win over Brownsville native Omar Figueroa a former world champion.
Spence has since recovered from the retina injury and was cleared to return to the boxing activity in late in 2021. He has had a full recovery. The 12-round, 147-pound unification bout will headline a four-fight pay-per-view event that either FOX or Showtime will air. Fight night is officially less than 10 weeks away.
Spence out of Pacquiao Fight with Detached Retina
The highly anticpated showdeon between IBF/WBC unified welterweight champ Errol "The Truth" Spence of Desoto, and legendary eight-divison world champ Manny Pacquiao is offically off. The Texan was forced to pull out with detached retina. A detached retina or retianl detachment is "an emergency situation in which a thin layer of tissue (the retina) at the back of the eye pulls away from its normal position. Retinal detachment separates the retinal cells from the layer of blood vessels that provides oxygen and nourishment. The longer retinal detachment goes untreated, the greater your risk of permanent vision loss in the affected eye." according to the Mayo Clinic. Typical recovery time is 2-4 weeks according to multiple medical sources. Spence, 31, said on Twitter that he has seen three different doctors and all have said the same thing.
The fight was scheduled for Saturday, August 21, at the T-Mobile Arena and is still going off. Spence we be replaced by WBA champion Yordenis Ugas. Ugas (26-4) is a quality replacement and has won three consecutive fights since a close and very controversial decision loss to Shawn Porter in 2019. He was upgraded from "Regular champ" to "Super Champ" due to the extreme inactivity of Manny Pacquiao or won the super designation from Keith Thurman in July of 2019 but has not fought since. Back in January Pacquiao was designated as "champion in recess" by the sanctioning body.
Spence, took to Twitter and said "I came back from worse" perhaps referring to a horrific car wreck he suffered back in the fall of 2019. Spence has fought just once since the accident a 12-round unanimous decision victory against former two-division world champ Danny Garcia. Pacquiao responded on Twitter saying " I pray for a full and complete recovery for @ErrolSpenceJr"