Following his victory over Shawn Porter in an instant classic, Errol Spence Jr. (26-0-0) is under siege as every top welterweight wants a piece of the unified champ. He’s ready:
Once the most avoided fighter at welterweight, he’s now 147’s most wanted thanks to those two shiny world titles across his waist. Still, there are two other belts out there he’d love to collect for the title of undisputed welterweight champion. The question is who is next? Here’s who we’d love to see Spence get into the ring with:
Terence Crawford
Let’s address the elephant in the room that the good folks at Premier Boxing Champions suspiciously ignore. The boxing world needs Errol Spence vs. Terence Crawford. Pound-for-pound, the two are in their own elite class when it comes to boxing, and a super fight between the two superstars in their prime would be the biggest event in the sport since Canelo Alvarez vs. Gennady Golovkin.
Spence is a five-tool player in the ring, equally comfortable in a fight, brawl or technical masterclass. “Bud” Crawford is a grandmaster counter-puncher, with enough pop in his punches and spite behind them to put his opponents to sleep. On paper, it is a match-up for the ages.
Danny Garcia
True to his nickname “Swift,” Danny Garcia wasted no time challenging Spence. In the ring immediately following “The Truth’s” victory over Porter, the former world champion seemed under the impression that he was next in line. Garcia’s confidence was corroborated by boxing insiders.
Despite a potential match-up between two elite welterweights, fans were lukewarm towards the idea of a Garcia-Spence bout, which might explain why the talk of them fighting has cooled considerably.
Shawn Porter
Brilliant performances deserve an encore. Spence-Porter II would be an enticing follow-up to the scintillating welterweight duel we witnessed last month.
The two have proven chemistry in the ring, and a second installment between the well-documented frenemies could spearhead a legendary rivalry.
Julian Williams
With Spence’s height and reach, it’s a miracle he hasn’t fought above welterweight, yet. While Marvin Hagler cemented his legacy exclusively middleweight, all-time greats are usually fluid when it comes to weight classes, which Spence, a true student of the game undoubtedly knows.
At super welterweight, Julian Williams would be a perfect fight for Spence. Beating “J-Rock” would prove “The Truth” can check off fighting a “bigger” fighter off his hit list.
Manny Pacquiao
Ric Flair famously said, “you gotta beat the man to be the man.” Manny Pacquiao is boxing’s biggest active star by a wide mile. Schooling another undefeated welterweight stud in Keith Thurman this summer, the eight-division world champion has proven to be ageless in the ring despite recently turning 40.
Beating the biggest active name in boxing would jetpack Spence into mainstream superstardom that an American fighter hasn’t sniffed since Floyd Mayweather Jr.
