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Tom Pennington/Getty Images
Sometimes, the truth hurts.
But when it comes to boxing, it wins, too.
Errol Spence Jr., nicknamed “The Truth” since his days as a decorated amateur and U.S. Olympian, returned from a 16-month professional layoff Saturday night with a 10th-round TKO victory over Yordenis Ugas in the main event of a Showtime pay-per-view card at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
The fight ended when referee Laurence Cole stepped in on advice from the ringside physician, who’d determined Ugas could no longer see out of a right eye that was swollen shut.
Spence, now 28-0 with 22 KOs, hadn’t fought since a decision win over Danny Garcia in December 2020. That was followed by an announcement that he sustained a left eye injury during training for a fight against Manny Pacquiao in August.
Ugas stepped in to take that bout as a late substitute, and his victory drove the Filipino into retirement and set up a unification bout with Spence following his rehab.
Spence arrived as the IBF and WBC champion and added the WBA belt that Ugas had possessed.
“I didn’t have any doubts. I believe in myself 100 percent,” Spence said. “I wanted someone who could bring the best out of me. I kept working. I kept throwing punches. I was super excited to get back in the ring.”
The B/R combat sports team used the opportunity to create a list of fighters who we think would make the best opponents for Spence’s next appearance, which could come before the end of 2022.
Click through to see what we came up with, and leave a comment or two with views of your own.
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John Locher/Associated Press
If you’re a fight fan in Texas or simply a fan of Texas-based fighters, here’s one for you.
Vergil Ortiz Jr. is a 24-year-old rising star who’s stopped 18 straight opponents and is a native of Grand Prairie in the densely populated corridor between Dallas and Fort Worth.
And he’d like nothing more than a crack at Spence, who’s eight years older, has won 28 straight fights and lives in DeSoto, less than 20 miles southeast of Grand Prairie.
Book them at AT&T Stadium, where Spence has now fought three times and Ortiz is 1-0, and batten down the ticket-selling hatches, he told Boxing Scene.
“I think [a fight with Spence] will be the biggest fight in Texas history of all time—hands down,” Ortiz said. “I know that it would happen at the Cowboys stadium, and it would sell out.”
Affiliated with Oscar De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions, Ortiz made noise in 2021 with victories over ex-140-pound champion Maurice Hooker (TKO, Round 7) and 2019 Terence Crawford foe Egidijus Kavaliauskas (TKO, Round 8). Ortiz is ranked fifth at 147 by The Ring and is the No. 1 title contender according to both the WBC and WBO.
And not surprisingly, De La Hoya agrees that a Spence fight would be stadium-worthy.
“The one vision that I do have for Vergil is an Errol Spence vs. Vergil Ortiz [fight] in Dallas in a mega-event,” he told Scott Christ of Bad Left Hook. “The plans are right on track. We are on time to fulfill Vergil’s dreams of becoming world champion. It’s going to be a little complicated because nobody’s going to want to fight him, and the more they wait, the worst it’s going to be. He’s only getting better.”
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John Locher/Associated Press
Once upon a time, Keith Thurman was the heir apparent.
He seized the WBA top-tier title at 147 pounds when Floyd Mayweather Jr. retired and added the WBC strap with a win over then-fellow unbeaten Danny Garcia. He also had names like Shawn Porter, Luis Collazo and Robert Guerrero on a resume that compared favorably with any fellow welterweight.
But then it went away.
A series of injuries and layoffs snuffed out the momentum, and Thurman flopped in his first truly high-profile opportunity when he was knocked down once and lost a split decision to a 40-year-old Pacquiao.
Another two-and-a-half years on the shelf followed that defeat, and he just recently returned with a 12-round decision over rugged gatekeeper Mario Barrios in February—his first win since January 2019.
Now 33, Thurman believes his street cred warrants another shot, though Spence has been reticent to talk up the possibility because he believes Thurman ignored him while he was on top and Spence was a prospect.
Still, Thurman is 30-1 with 22 KOs, well-known among fight fans and connected with the same Premier Boxing Champions managerial apparatus as Spence. So if the now-three-belt champion decides he has a point to prove by beating someone with Thurman’s credentials—he’s ranked sixth at 147 by The Ring—it wouldn’t be too hard a fight to make.
“I don’t think I need to do anything special to really entice [Spence],” Thurman told FightHype. “I think it’s just a matter of time, and eventually, he’s going to run out of options to make a legitimate, enticing pay-per-view match.”
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David Becker/Associated Press
Thurman is the veteran. He’s been a champion. He’s fought champions.
So if he were to land a Spence fight later this year, few would complain loudly.
But if you’re looking for a bit more heat, Jaron Ennis is your guy.
Some have suggested he’s already the best 147-pounder in the world thanks to dominant wins over Sergey Lipinets (KO Round 6) and Thomas Dulorme (KO Round 1) in his last two fights.
He’s 24 years old. He’s finished 26 of 28 professional opponents. He also doesn’t mind proclaiming to be the top fighter across all divisions.
“I’m the best fighter in the world. Period,” he told FightHype.
The Ring listed him fourth behind Crawford, Spence and Ugas going into Saturday’s fight, and he’s in line to be the IBF’s next mandatory title challenger should he get past Custio Clayton on May 14 in California.
Spence acknowledged the Philadelphia native’s burgeoning profile on the DAZN Boxing Show.
“He’s going to be a threat in the welterweight divisions,” he said.
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Chase Stevens/Associated Press
Let’s face it, folks.
The only way the other fights should get made is if this one doesn’t.
And if that’s the case, the system has failed. Again.
Spence and Terence Crawford have shared billing as welterweight champions each and every day since June 9, 2018, when Crawford stopped Jeff Horn in nine rounds to win his WBO belt.
Spence had become a champion 13 months earlier, and the natural inclination was to get the two talented and unbeaten 147-pounders together for this era’s version of Leonard-Hearns or Trinidad-De La Hoya.
The sport’s signature promotional nonsense has prevented it so far, but now that Crawford has broken ties with Bob Arum and is free to pursue the fights he wants, there’s zero excuse to not get it done.
“If we can get that fight made, it’ll get made,” Spence told FightHype. “If not, it is what it is.”
The guess here is that it will happen by the year’s end or early 2023.
And after the Ugas fight ended, it seemed as close as it’s been since the chatter began.
“Everyone knows who I want next. I want Terence Crawford next,” Spence said. “That’s the fight I want. I wanted to get these straps and now I’m gonna come for his sh-t too.
“Terence, I’m coming for that mother f–king belt.”
Let’s hope so.
Because if they wait too much longer, it won’t matter anymore.
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