By Keith Idec
Errol Spence Jr. isn’t intimidated in the least by what awaits him Saturday night in Sheffield, England.
The powerful southpaw patiently waited for his title shot and wasn’t about to allow a trip overseas to prevent him from trying to capitalize on the biggest opportunity of his four-year pro career. The way Spence sees it, beating Kell Brook in the defending champion’s hometown can only enhance his reputation.
The 27-year-old Spence (21-0, 18 KOs), of DeSoto, Texas, will challenge Sheffield’s Brook (36-1, 25 KOs) for his IBF welterweight title at Bramall Lane, a soccer stadium that can hold 30,000 for boxing.
“I’m excited to fight for my first world title,” Spence said during a recent conference call. “It’s something I’ve been waiting for for a long time now, something that I knew was gonna happen, but I had to wait nine, eight months [to get it]. I’m excited that it’s finally here and I’m finally getting the opportunity to prove myself and prove that I am the best welterweight in the division. Fighting Kell Brook, who’s a good fighter, has great skills and he’s a strong fighter, too, and he can fight.
“I know it’s not gonna be an easy fight for me and it’s gonna be a real test, to go to his hometown and to take his title from him. But it’s something that I’m willing to do and it’s something that real fighters do. They go to other people’s towns and fight the champion. That’s what he did. He came to America and that’s what I’m gonna do. … I’m gonna come to his hometown and take the title. I know it won’t be easy, but I’m 100-percent ready for this fight.”
Spence referenced Brook’s majority-decision victory over then-unbeaten Shawn Porter (27-2-1, 17 KOs). Brook narrowly won their 12-rounder in August 2014 in Carson, California, where he won the IBF 147-pound championship from Porter, a Las Vegas resident raised in Akron, Ohio.
Eddie Hearn, whose company promotes Brook, commended Spence for his willingness to come to England to battle Brook. They came to an agreement three months ago, just before a scheduled IBF purse bid for Brook’s mandatory title defense.
“I think that this is a fight that perhaps promoters and advisers of another time might’ve swerved,” said Hearn, managing director for Matchroom Sport. “You know, Errol Spence has looked sensational. Why go to the UK and gamble against Kell Brook? Because they believe he can win. Because he wants to be the best.
“Kell Brook, coming off a Triple-G fight, why fight a young, dangerous contender? The answer is because he believes he can beat him, because he doesn’t want to shirk a challenge. He wants to be the best as well. And I think here, in my opinion, you have the No. 1 and No. 2 welterweights in the world. And that’s no disrespect to the likes of Keith Thurman. He’s a wonderful fighter. But for me, this is the fight of the year in the welterweight division. I think this could be the fight of the year.”
Showtime will broadcast Brook-Spence on Saturday in the United States (5 p.m. ET/2 p.m. PT). Their highly anticipated welterweight showdown will air via Sky Sports Box Office in the United Kingdom (6 p.m. BST; £16.95 in HD).
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.