By Andreas Hale
Ever since he made his professional debut in 2012 after failing to medal at the London Olympic games, expectations have been sky high for “The Truth.” Actually, scratch that. The day that Errol Spence became a big deal was when he allegedly dropped Adrien Broner during a sparring session in 2014. It was the dirty little secret that Broner didn’t want to get out there. However, it eventually did and the legend of Errol Spence was born.
Or, maybe it was that time when Spence allegedly was the one who gave Floyd Mayweather a black eye in 2015 when this legend was born.
Who knows? But the hype train has been barreling down the tracks ever since. However, he has yet to face a quality opponent in the ring that will legitimize the hype. Although he remains unbeaten with a 21-0 record and has stopped his last eight opponents, there are still questions regarding his potential and ability to deal with adversity.
Those questions will likely be answered when Spence challenges Kell Brook with the IBF welterweight on the line on May 27th in England. Brook is obviously Spence’s toughest test to date. Granted, there will be those who are skeptical about Brook after being stopped against Gennady Golovkin in a middleweight bout last September and suffered a damaged eye socket. Perhaps that loss – which was the first of his career – damaged him in ways that we’re not aware of and Spence will pick apart what’s left.
Either way, this is Spence’s opportunity to break through and prove to everyone who crowned him as the next pound for pound talent that he is worthy of the title. For most, he passes the eye test in the ring. His offense is dynamic and his skill appears to be on par with some of boxing’s best. He finished Chris Algieri and Leonard Bundu when Manny Pacquiao and Keith Thurman couldn’t. The fact that he’s willing to face Brook on his turf means that Spence is daring to be great and ready to make that next step in his career.
But we have yet to see what happens when Spence gets punched in the mouth, hard. Nobody is quite sure how the 27-year-old will react to an opponent who has the ability to force him to deal with adversity. Perhaps Brook is not that opponent. He’s not a devastating puncher but he has proven to be skilled and fared well for a few rounds until GGG’s power eventually wore him down in the fifth round. He does hold a victory over Shawn Porter. But there are those who claim he escaped with a victory and would have likely been docked a point for the constant holding that kept the physical Porter tied down when the met in 2014.
Maybe the adversity that Brook will need to deal with comes in the form of the thousands of fans who will fill up the Sheffield United Stadium and cheer their countryman on. Spence has been on foreign soil before, but not as a professional. Perhaps hearing the support that the UK will have for Brook will rattle the unbeaten talent.
Or, maybe not.
For lack of a better term, Brook is viewed by most as a stepping-stone that happens to be able to fight back. A victory will immediately thrust Spence into the conversation with fellow welterweights that are hovering around in the top of the 147-pound division. Boxing fans will immediately salivate over possible showdowns with Keith Thurman, Shawn Porter and Danny Garcia. Others will wonder aloud how Spence would fare against a Manny Pacquiao, Amir Khan or Timothy Bradley. One thing is for sure, there will be options for Spence moving forward and he’ll be tapping on the door to mainstream attraction.
We’ve heard these stories before and been sold on fighters with a ton of hype but get broken when they end up facing quality opposition. Adrien Broner bit off more than he could chew against Marcos Maidana and watched his stock come tumbling down. Remember Yuriorkis Gamboa and how he was supposed to be the next big thing? What about Juan Manuel Lopez? It’s always somebody that you don’t necessarily expect, but should have seen coming, that effectively derails the hype train.
Could Kell Brook be that guy? Can he do what Joe Calzaghe did to Jeff Lacy in Manchester eleven years ago and prove that his opposition wasn’t worthy of the hype?
This is what makes boxing so interesting. Sooner or later, every boxer has his moment of truth. Some pass with flying colors and go on to become stars while others crash and burn and are left as Trivial Pursuit questions.
Which one will Errol Spence Jr. be?