Top 5 Errol Spence Jr. Fights
Previously on Big Fight Weekend, we presented the top five fights of Terence Crawford’s (39-0, 30 KOs) career. On July 29, he will take on Errol Spence Jr. (28-0, 22 KOs) in what is one of the most anticipated matchups in combat sports. The bout between the two will be for the undisputed welterweight championship of the world. With this in mind, we present Spence’s top five fights. Be sure to follow Big Fight Weekend for more on Spence-Crawford.
Spence’s Top Five Fights
5. Danny Garcia
When Spence entered the ring to face Danny Garcia, it marked the end of a 15-month layoff. One of the reasons for the time away was due to a car accident that took place in October 2019. Garcia, who held the WBC mandatory position, got the call for the bout. The fight was held at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, Spence’s home state. Despite the time away, he won a comfortable unanimous decision. Two judges scored the bout 116-112 while the third had it 117-111.
4. Lamont Peterson
After becoming the IBF welterweight champion, Spence’s first defense of his title came against Lamont Peterson at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. Spence dominated the fight from the very beginning, knocking Peterson down in round five. At the end of the sixth round, Peterson understood that he was behind on the scorecards and asked his corner to let the bout continue for a few more rounds. Before the eighth round could get underway, Peterson’s corner put a stop to the contest, thus giving Spence his first successful defense of his welterweight title.
3. Yordenis Ugas
Spence returned to the AT&T Stadium to take on fellow welterweight champion Yordenis Ugas. The bout saw the WBA, WBC, and IBF titles put at stake. For Spence, this was his first fight in nearly 16 months, a period of time that initially saw him scheduled to face Manny Pacquiao. That clash fell through due to a retinal tear to Spence’s left eye. As a result, Ugas took on Pacquiao and won a unanimous decision, claiming the WBA title in the process. When Spence took on Ugas, he dominated nearly every round and won by tenth-round technical knockout. This was due to swelling on the right eye of Ugas which a ringside physician deemed to be quite severe. Watch Spence’s work here:
Despite the victory, Spence did experience some adversity. In round six, his mouthpiece was knocked out by a punch and Ugas was able to stun Spence before time was called.
2. Kell Brook
In May 2017, Spence travelled to Sheffield, England to challenge Kell Brook for the IBF welterweight title. In a brutal fight where mostly power shots were landed, Brook was dropped in round 10 with a barrage of punches. Throughout the eleventh round, Brook indicated that he was unable to see through his left eye. As such, he voluntarily took a knee and stayed down for the entire count. At the time of the stoppage, each judge had very different scores. One judge had Spence well ahead with a score of 97-92 while another had it 96-93. The third judge had the bout 95-94.
1. Shawn Porter
In one of the best fights of 2019, Spence took on Shawn Porter to unify the IBF and WBC welterweight titles. It was a fight where Spence showed that he has an incredible chin and that he can deal with a rugged opponent who brought his A game. Going into the eleventh, the fight felt fairly close. However, Spence was able to drop Porter in round 11 and win a split decision. While one judge had Porter winning with a score of 115-112, the other two judges had Spence winning by scores of 116-111.
