clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Errol Spence Jr: Thurman can have a tune-up, but has to fight me in 2018

Errol Spence Jr is focused on landing the fight with Keith Thurman this year.

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.”

Sign up for the newsletter Sign up for the Bad Left Hook Daily Roundup newsletter!

A daily roundup of all your global boxing news from Bad Left Hook