Errol Spence Jr. announced last Friday that he will return from a one-year layoff to defend the unified welterweight belt in April, facing former WBA/WBC 147-pound champion Keith ‘One Time’ Thurman. is expected. .
Errol, 32, is adamant that he doesn’t want to throw a bone at the flute-playing Thurman because of his bitter feelings for Thurman, a Florida native who didn’t get to play him in 2017.
At this point Spence needs to grow and take a mature approach. Because if he doesn’t forget the need to shut him out and go back to Thurman, his pride will hurt his career and cost him millions of dollars.
Spence (28-0, 22 KOs) probably doesn’t like defending his IBF, WBA, WBC titles against Thurman (30-1, 22 KOs), but he wants to get a decent player. If so, I have no choice but to play against him. The number of pay-per-view purchases on Showtime.
Unless the self-promoting Thurman does all the hard work of promotion, Spence’s next PPV fight will yield anemic numbers.Bud Crawford.
Spence won’t face the unproven and dangerous puncher Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis as April’s opponent, not only because Errol could lose, but because he doesn’t know if Boots will bring in either.
Despite having plenty of talent, Boots Ennis (29-0, 27 KOs) hasn’t been around long enough to be recognized by casual boxing fans. – Buy Spence’s next fight in PPV, so Spence needs Keith his Thurman in April’s next fight if he wants his boosted PPV purchase to accompany his match.
April 20th
— Errol Spence (@ErrolSpenceJr) December 30, 2022
Thurman, 34, has been resting since his victory over Mario Barrios in Las Vegas last February. It’s unclear why “One Time” Thurman hasn’t fought since, but it’s likely he was waiting, hoping to be given the title shot offered by Spence or Crawford.
Thurman was the No. 1 welterweight in the division in 2017, but a combination of injuries, lack of ambition and enjoying the fruits of his labor has sidelined him for most of the past five years. .
Since 2017, Thurman has fought only three times, defeating Josesito Lopez and Mario Barrios and surprisingly losing to Manny Pacquiao.