By Carlos Boogs

Unbeaten welterweight contender Errol Spence Jr. (20-0, 17 KOs) is gunning for a shot at IBF world champion Kell Brook (36-0, 25KOs).

Last night at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, Spence made a statement by obliterating former WBO junior welterweight champion Chris Algieri (21-3, 8 KOs) in five one-sided rounds.

Algieri had previously gone the distance in tough fights with Manny Pacquiao, Amir Khan and Ruslan Provodnikov.

Algieri had survived six knockdowns in his loss to Pacquiao and two hard knockdowns in the first round of his fight with Provodnikov. Spence was all over him from the opening bell with both hands.

After dropping Algieri three times in the fifth, the referee had seen enough and waved off the contest. Spence speed, accuracy and power was too much for Algieri to handle.

Promoter Lou DiBella, who staged the Spence-Algieri event and works closely with Spence's manager Al Haymon, is not very confident that Spence will be capable of securing a fight with Brook. Spence is close to be being mandated as the official challenger to Brook.

Back in 2012, Haymon signed six members of the US Olympic team - heavyweight Dominic Breazeale, light heavyweight Marcus Browne, middleweight Terrell Gausha, light welterweight Jamel Herring, flyweight Rau'shee Warren - and Spence. DiBella called Haymon and told him Spence was the best fighter, by far, of the bunch.

"I don’t think Kell Brook will want a piece of him, honestly. I was like a little shocked tonight. I thought he [Spence] was going to win. I saw it, I have great respect for Chris. I've known Chris since he was a kid.  Chris has never gotten steam rolled. No one has ever run through him like that, ever," DiBella said.

"Is there anyone in this room who thinks there would be anyone as a prohibitive favorite over him? Anyone? Just anyone? That’s pretty amazing. I remember when he came out of the Olympics and Al signed all those Olympians. I'll tell you the truth, I called Al and said 'I don't think much of most of these Olympians' but this one kid is pretty awesome. I thought that when [Spence] was an amateur, but the progression he’s made as a pro and the poise. And he's also humble."