Having won his IBF world welterweight title four fights ago in Sheffield against hometown favourite Kell Brook, Errol Spence Jr puts the belt on the line in a unification fight against WBC champion Shawn Porter on the 28th September.
Spence easily dispatched of Mikey Garcia in his last bout. Garcia had looked out of his depth having moved up two weight classes.
This time, Porter is a fight that Spence Jr sought out for himself.
“He (Porter) didn’t want to fight me,” Spence said. “I wanted him. I have no choice but to come out on top.
“I’m the guy that’s going to make the fight on pay-per-view. I’m the guy that’s going to make the most money.
“So I feel like he didn’t have a choice but to fight me. It just had to happen.”
He added: “I want to be the best. I want to be the undisputed welterweight champion of the world and he is in my way.
“I feel like by the end of next year, you’ll find out who is really the best welterweight in the division.
Porter is a two time champion, he won the IBF title in 2013 only to lose it two fights later against Brook.
He got back into title contention and faced Keith Thurman for the WBA title, this brought Porter his second loss.
Since the Thurman defeat, Porter has picked up the WBC and on a four fight win streak.
Spence Jr is well aware of what sort of fighter he’s going to face.
“I’m used to fighting and sparring aggressive guys that come forward. He’s not a fighter that just likes to come forward, but he likes to use his angles and use his legs.
“I’m expecting a Shawn Porter that is going to try to get on the inside for the fight.”
PUSHING
Having waited a while to get the big fights against the other welterweights, Spence Jr is looking to make the wait count.
“This is a fight that I have been asking for, for a long time,” he stated.
“If you follow me on social media, you can see that since I was 14-0, I have been calling out the big name fighters and they decided not to fight me. All to keep me out.
“You all wanted to fight each other. Danny Garcia, Keith Thurman, even Shawn Porter. I had to get in the ring and ask for this fight, saying I will fight you anytime, anyplace.
“Now it’s finally happening,” Spence concluded.
Mick Kane is a Staff Writer to World Boxing News. Follow Mick on Twitter @MickKaneMMA
