By Jake Donovan
Errol Spence promised to deliver big news and lived up to his word.
The unbeaten welterweight contender appeared as a guest commentator during Saturday’s edition of Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) on NBC in primetime. Topping the bill was a major upset with unheralded Joe Smith Jr. scoring a stunning 1st round knockout of Top 5 light heavyweight contender Andrzej Fonfara in front of a hostile crowd at UIC Pavilion in Chicago, Illinois.
Also on the show was Spence’s teammate from the 2012 London Olympics, Rau’Shee Warren becoming the first from that squad to win a major title. The only three-time U.S. Olympic boxer in history got it right the second time around, claiming a 12-round majority decision win over previously unbeaten Juan Carlos Payano in their bantamweight title fight rematch, avenging a disputed split decision loss from last August.
Spence had some big Olympic-themed of his own. His next fight will come on August 21 in a special Sunday early evening edition of PBC on NBC. The event will air live immediately following coverage of the 2016 Rio Olympics.
“I’m back on August 21,” Spence (20-0, 17KOs) said of his next ring appearance. “The world title chase continues.”
A site has yet to be determined, although promoter Lou DiBella presently has a hold at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, which housed Spence’s NBC-televised knockout win over Chris Algieri this past April. The unbeaten Texan is quickly becoming “Mr. NBC”, having also scored knockout wins over Alejandro Barrera, Phil Lo Greco and Samuel Vargas in previous bouts either on the network or its NBC Sports Network cable affiliate.
As for the opponent, one has yet to be confirmed but Italy’s Leonardo Bundu is the likely candidate for a fight that would serve as the final eliminator to establish a mandatory challenger for unbeaten titlist Kell Brook.
Jake Donovan is the managing editor of BoxingScene.com. Follow his shiny new Twitter account: @JakeNDaBox_v2
