:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/49934329/GettyImages-521680652.0.jpg)
With Konstantin Ponomarev out of commission due to a hand injury, the IBF recently ordered his previously-planned foe, Errol Spence Jr., to face veteran Leonard Bundu for a crack at the winner of Kell Brook vs. Jessie Vargas. Despite an abridged negotiation period, the two have reached a deal to fight on August 21st at a location to be determined.
Spence (20-0, 17 KO) has firmly established himself as the welterweight division’s best prospect with seven consecutive stoppage wins. His last bout saw him knock out Chris Algieri in five, a feat that Ruslan Provodnikov, Manny Pacquiao, and Amir Khan all failed to accomplish.
He should be a comfortable favorite over Bundu (33-1-2, 12 KO), who was recently tabbed to defend his EBU title against Paulie Malignaggi before that fell through. The forty-one-year-old Italian has won two get-well fights since being dropped and swept on the cards by Keith Thurman back in 2014.
A bit of a step sideways for Spence, but it’s a mandated step sideways, and stopping someone Thurman couldn’t finish would be a solid feather in his cap.