By: Sean Crose
The World Boxing Council introduced at its conference in Acapulco Wednesday that Errol Spence, who holds the Council’s welterweight title, is to face veteran welterweight – and former world title holder – Keith Thurman, with Spence’s WBC title belt being at stake. This is an attention-grabbing battle to say the least, although Thurman is now basically a component time fighter. While followers had hoped that Spence, who additionally holds the WBA and IBF welterweight straps would battle WBO titlist Terence Crawford for the undisputed welterweight championship, that combat fell by means of and Thurman has a reputation and report that followers know.
The reality is that Spence, a minimum of at instances, hasn’t had a want to combat Thurman as Thurman pointedly wouldn’t take into account him an opponent again when the fighter referred to as “One Time” was on high of the division and Spence was nonetheless a younger fighter on the rise. Should Spence resolve that he doesn’t need to combat Thurman even at this level he must surrender his WBC title, which would appear considerably drastic, particularly now that the hoped for combat with Crawford has fallen by means of. What’s extra, each Thurman and Spence combat underneath the PBC banner, so there theoretically shouldn’t be too many obstacles in the way in which of a clean negotiation course of.
Spence final noticed motion final spring when he bested Yordenis Ugas by stoppage within the tenth spherical. Spence had hoped to combat Manny Pacquiao again in 2021, however an harm prevented him from making that combat a actuality. Ugas stepped in as an alternative and upset Pacquiao, main the Filipino legend to retire. Spence then needed to face Ugas reasonably than having a extra notable bout with Pacquiao. While Spence has nonetheless definitely confronted his share of huge names, Thurman can be one other spectacular win on the resume ought to he combat and defeat the Florida native.
Thurman himself has had what’s amounted to a reasonably unusual profession. After a stellar rise to the highest of the welterweight heap, the person started spending massive swaths of outing of the ring, some however definitely not all attributable to accidents. Thurman’s final main bout was a loss to Pacquiao again in 2019 in a combat many, if not most, believed he would win. Thurman has fought lower than annually since 2015. Once one of many hottest names within the sport, the now 33 yr previous Thurman nonetheless stays a giant title opponent for Spence. It could also be value questioning, nonetheless, whether or not Thurman himself would want to combat Spence presently. Thurman’s final combat was a UD win over Mario Barrios final February.
