REGARDLESS of his defeat at the hands of Terence Crawford there are still several big fights available for Errol Spence Jr without the need for an immediate rematch.
A crowd of 20,000 people at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas witnessed ‘The Truth’ dealt at harsh lesson by the wizardry and weaponry of Terence Crawford on Saturday night.
The 33-year-old confirmed in the post-fight press conference that his days in the welterweight division are now over. Now, he can look forward to allowing himself another seven pounds of comfort with a move up to super-welterweight.
Spence now deserves a long rest, but you can bet it won’t be long before he and his team are thinking about the future. For a man who is more about pride than ego Spence will want to quickly remind people why he is still one of the best fighters in the world. But who should he face next? Boxing News looks at five possible options for the Texan.
- Terence Crawford
A rematch clause allows Spence to go straight back in against. The two are happy to run it back and in their separate post-fight press conferences Spence reiterated his wish for it to take place at 154lbs. Crawford said he had no problem with that and revealed making 147lbs was getting hard for him, too. The sell will be the tough part. Will fans really believe that an extra 7lbs can help transform Spence into someone who can completely close the gap on Crawford and beat him? Last night’s winner believes fans will show their support for a rematch. I’m not so sure.
- Tim Tszyu
The Australian is patiently waiting on what the sanctioning bodies will decide in regard to Jermell Charlo. He currently holds all four belts at 154lbs but his next fight is at 168lbs against Canelo Alvarez. Tszyu is the WBO mandatory challenger and Interim belt holder. The titles should be made vacant for the sport’s benefit. Tszyu and Spence would create a spectacle filled with action, accuracy, and drama. Last man standing.
- Brian Mendoza
Beating Jeison Rosario and ‘The Towering Inferno’ Sebastian Fundora in impressive fashion has brought Mendoza into the mix for bigger fights. The 29-year-old is full of confidence and momentum and his is another all-action style that would blend nicely with Spence. Both fight under the Premier Boxing Champions umbrella meaning a deal shouldn’t prove difficult. Spence’s team may prefer him to face a fighter like Mendoza for a 154lbs debut before a Crawford rematch. Mendoza would be dangerous but could also make Spence look good, too.
- Erickson Lubin
Another PBC matchup where Spence can get his teeth into super-welterweight against a man once tipped for great things but is now rebuilding for a second time. Starched in one round by ‘Mell Charlo six years ago Lubin then went on a run of six wins, including Terrell Gausa and Jeison Rosario. Fundora was too much to handle for Lubin 15 months ago, but he got back to winning ways against Luis Arias last month. ‘The Hammer’ may fancy putting another hole in Spence’s record but his chin is bait for a man who likes to hook.
- Sebastian Fundora
The loss to Mendoza was a damaging one for Fundora but perhaps had been on the cards. His edge of the seat style and vulnerabilities would be perfect for Spence. But if Crawford did take a piece of Spence with him in Vegas, then Fundora’s freaky attributes may give him enough belief to cause an upset. A lot will come down to how PBC view the future of the Coachella crowd favourite. If a move to middleweight is on the cards, then maybe a fight against Spence could be made at 156 or 157lbs.
