Saturday night?s welterweight unification bout was one for the ages in Los Angeles. Errol Spence Jr. left the Staples Center as the IBF and WBC welterweight champion after earning a split-decision win over the rugged Shawn Porter.
Spence was tested, but he emerged from the battle with another piece of the 147-pound crown. While the fight between Spence and Porter was a little tougher than most expected, including Spence, the immediate thought after the bout was what?s next for Spence.
It Won?t Be Terence Crawford
As much as fight fans would love to see Spence take on WBO Welterweight Champion Terence Crawford in another epic unification bout, the chances of seeing that fight next are slim. The two men are still divided by promotional and network affiliations. Those are lines that are more easily crossed when the fighters involved aren?t quite as valuable to their networks.
Rarely do we see two of the best pound-for-pound fighters in these kinds of fights in their prime. It?s a sad truth about boxing. Also, suddenly a small group of new potential opponents may be on the rise for Crawford. Top Rank just signed Amir Imam to a promotional deal, and there?s also tough South African Chris Van Heerden creeping up the WBO rankings.
There?s even been talk that Crawford would consider dropping back down to 140 pounds to take on unified junior welterweight champion Jose Ramirez. Basically, don?t hold your breath waiting on Spence-Crawford in 2020.
It Could Be Danny Garcia
Immediately after Spence?s win over Porter on Saturday night, another Premier Boxing Champions fighter, Danny Garcia entered the ring to challenge Spence. Garcia, who is a former champion, made it known he wants Spence next. There is a chance this could be Spence?s next fight.
PBC and FOX probably wouldn?t have given Garcia the platform and opportunity to call Spence out during the broadcast if the concept had no legs. However, I wouldn?t take it to the bank that this matchup is next for Spence. We saw Spence climb in the ring to challenge Manny Pacquiao after the Filipino legend had just upset Keith Thurman earlier this year. That didn?t happen, at least not yet, so things can change.
It Probably Won?t Be Manny Pacquiao
A fight with Pacquiao would seemingly make more sense for Spence after his win over Porter. Pacquiao is the WBA champion, and the two men could unify three-fourths of the world titles in the welterweight division. Pacquiao is signed with PBC, so there are no promotional or network affiliation issues, and the drawing power of the future Hall-of-Famer mixed with Spence?s rise up the ranks could produce a pay-per-view bonanza.
The major impediment here could be Pacquiao?s willingness to fight a young bull like Spence. Pacquiao is already 40 years old. While he looked strong against Thurman, he also took some heavy shots in the fight. Spence is even younger than Thurman, and most would consider him a better and more dangerous fighter. When a fighter has earned as much money and fame as Pacquiao, risk/reward becomes a major part of the decision-making process.
Fighting Spence at this stage of Pacquiao?s career may not be a good decision for the latter.
It Probably Won?t Be a Rematch With Porter
Porter performed excellently on Saturday. Had he not been knocked down in the 11th round, the fight could have ended in a majority draw. I had him winning the 11th before the knockdown, and I wouldn?t have been surprised to see him take the 12th as he had some momentum.
Because of the competitiveness of Saturday?s fight, a rematch isn?t an illogical concept. However, I?m not sure what the buy rate was for the first fight, so there is a legitimate question of how well the two will draw in a rematch. Neither man is excellent as a promoter, but the quality of Saturday night?s scrap would likely sell a few more customers on the rematch.
Still, PBC and FOX are likely looking to do something fresh and big with Spence in his next fight. I believe they will look elsewhere for that and perhaps circle back to Porter if nothing else more appealing is available.
