Errol Spence Jr retained his IBF welterweight title last night with a one-sided win over Lamont Peterson on Showtime, and while he doesn’t expect it to be his next fight, he’s got laser focus on one big fight for 2018: Keith Thurman.
“I’m not gonna sit around and wait for him. The whole goal this year is to stay active and fight quality opponents. Right now, I’m thinking of a homecoming. I’m thinking of going home and fighting in Dallas my next fight,” Spence said at the post-fight press conference.
He added that he’d like that next fight in Dallas to come in May or June.
Spence (23-0, 20 KO) also took a small jab at Thurman (28-0, 22 KO) for not stopping either of his past two opponents, which covers the last two years of his career, but that he also understands Thurman needs a tune-up fight, having not fought since March 2017.
“He said he’s a bigger puncher than these guys, but when’s the last time he got a knockout? The pedigree of opponent has raised and he’s not getting knockouts anymore. He was at one time, but now he’s not getting any knockouts,” he said.
“But I give him a pass. I’ve been on record saying I’ll give him a tune-up fight. He’s been off for a while, he’s just come off an injury. Have a tune-up fight. But after that, it should be me in 2018. It’s the beginning of the year, this is January. Have a tune-up fight in March or April, and we can fight at the end of the year.”