Errol Spence Jr.’s future as a welterweight does not appear to be a long one.
If Spence can’t secure the long-desired super fight against Terence Crawford, he’s packing his bags and moving up to 154.
“I most likely have two more fights at 147,” Spence told Barbershop Conversations. “I’m going to go across the street [to Top Rank] to see what they're talking about [for a potential Crawford fight]. If they are not talking about nothing, I'm moving up to 154. After the Pacman fight hopefully we can make something happen [with Crawford].
“At 154, I'll definitely be stronger. I'll probably throw 1,300 punches per fight at 154. I'll be a lot sharper and stronger at 154 … Making [147] is very challenging. I have to stay focused. I'm actually getting a dietician to make sure I'm losing weight the right way and still staying strong.”
Spence said he needs to stay in the gym in order to comfortably make the welterweight limit.
Before his last fight against Danny Garcia in December, Spence weighed as much as 185 pounds while he was recovering from a scary car accident in October 2019.
“You give guys a lot of time off and a lot of money and not doing too much, I’m going to blow up. Time and money is a recipe for disaster,” said Spence. “I need a reason to stay in the gym. The time is now to do what I need to do and accomplish.”
Spence (27-0, 21 KOS) said the state of his physique this time around is a different story as the WBC and IBF welterweight champion prepares to face legendary Filipino fighter Manny Pacquiao on Aug. 21 in a FOX Sports pay-per-view in Las Vegas.
"I'm strong as a tack right now. I’m feeling strong. I'm about 158 right now. I'm back working with [Traylon Curry, also known as Blue Ray]. He takes me to another level. As the rounds keep going, I keep getting stronger and stronger.”
Manouk Akopyan is a sports journalist, writer and broadcast reporter. He’s also a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and MMA Journalists Association. He can be reached on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube at @ManoukAkopyan, via email at manouk[dot]akopyan[at]gmail.com or on www.ManoukAkopyan.com