Welterweight contender Errol Spence Jr. is the subject of Showtime’s ‘The Reveal’ as he gets ready to challenge Kell Brook for his IBF world title on May 27th. The interview with Mark Kriegel begins with him telling Spence that even when he’s just working the pads, his punches don’t sound like welterweight punches.
Spence then talks a little about being a dedicated body puncher, and recognizing the effects once he’s landed a solid shot that changes his opponent’s posture. He also talks a little about his approach to boxing.
“In the ring I’m passive aggressive. I’m a boxer-puncher. You know I don’t come at people reckless, I take my time, I break my opponent down...I am the sweet science.” -Errol Spence
Kriegel then brought up the subject of Spence’s much talked about sparring session with Adrien Broner, where he was rumored to have knocked him out on his feet...
“Basically we was sparring and I hit him with a good clean shot and he got hurt,” Spence responded succinctly .
And on his sparring session with Charles Hatley:
“Ummm, you know, basically I hit him with a good shot and he got hurt,” he said, not wanting to gloat about the two instances. “Stuff like this happens in the gym all the time.”
Kriegel would then ask Spence about his infamous sparring session with Floyd Mayweather, where he was rumored to handed Floyd a black eye:
“I get a call from one of his boxers, asking me [to] come to camp ‘cause Floyd needs work, he’s not getting any good work. And I was just right after a fight so I was like ‘Spar Floyd?! Yeah, definitely I’ll come out there.” You know this is a dream to spar somebody the caliber of Floyd, the top welterweight, the top boxer in the world.
“And you know I went out there and basically I didn’t go in as a sparring partner, I went out there like he was my opponent. You know I had my whole career ahead of me and I was going in there to get the exact same equal work and get the experience of sparring a great like Floyd Mayweather.”
When asked if the story of giving Floyd a black eye in that session was true, a humble Spence replied:
“Uh, I never seen his eye...I mean I don’t know, I didn’t see his eye black at all, I didn’t see it, but that’s how the story goes and that’s what people say in the gym.”
So when asked what he’s learned about his ability from these experiences, Spence says:
“I sparred guys like Lamont [Peterson], Adrien Broner, Shawn Porter, Floyd Mayweather, and I held my own and went tit-for-tat with them so I feel like I can be where they at and surpass where they at because my skill level is on the same skill level as theirs. And it’s only getting better.”
Check out the video above for the full interview.