By Keith Idec
Errol Spence Jr. will fight outside of the United States for just the second time Saturday since he was eliminated from the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.
Spence will encounter a soccer stadium full of Kell Brook supporters, a crowd that should swell beyond 30,000 at Bramall Lane in Brook’s hometown of Sheffield, England. The confident southpaw from suburban Dallas didn’t look the least bit affected by fighting far away from home Wednesday, when he participated in a public workout in Sheffield to promote their fight for Brook’s IBF welterweight title.
Spence (21-0, 18 KOs) told Sky Sports following the workout that he is more than prepared to be booed loudly Saturday.
“Definitely,” Spence said. “It’s expected, but I can’t let that get to me. I’ve been getting a lot of support out here. A lot of people have been supporting me and telling me they’re rooting for me. So I’m not worried about it at all. He’s gonna have his hometown fans, and I’m gonna have some of my fans. But eventually, everybody will be my fans at the end of the night.”
Spence expects to completely block out the pro-Brook crowd once their scheduled 12-round fight starts, no matter how loud they boo him.
“You’ve just gotta handle it,” Spence said. “It’s gotta be in you. You’ve just gotta have that ‘it’ factor, and I think I have it. And I’m not worried about the crowd. I’m not worried about the boos or anything like that.”
The 27-year-old Spence feels relaxed, despite that he is just three days away from by far the biggest fight of his professional career. The powerful southpaw, Brook’s mandatory challenger, isn’t so sure Brook (36-1, 25 KOs) feels the same way.
“I don’t feel the pressure at all,” Spence said. “You know, I feel like there’s more pressure on him because he’s fighting at home. You know, he has to please his family, his friends and all the hometown people that are coming to see him fight. But of course there’s pressure on me to win. But I welcome that pressure, because it’s gonna do nothing but motivate me, and make me more hungry and make me want the win even more.”
Sky Sports Box Office will broadcast Brook-Spence on pay-per-view in the United Kingdom (6 p.m. BST; £16.95 in HD).
In the United States, Showtime will air their welterweight showdown. Showtime’s coverage will start at 5:15 p.m. ET/2:15 p.m. PT.
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.