Errol Spence Jr. successfully defended his IBF welterweight title by stopping former two-division champion Lamont Peterson?
Saturday night at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, in a fight televised live on Showtime Championship Boxing, IBF welterweight champion Errol Spence Jr. (23-0, 20 KOs), the southpaw phenom from Desoto, Texas, successfully defended his title by stopping former two-division champion Lamont Peterson (35-3-1, 17 KOs), the soulful veteran from Washington, DC, at the end of round seven of a scheduled 12.
Fighting out of the blue corner in black and white trunks, Spence was too fast, too young, and way too strong for his game but outclassed opponent. One of the brightest stars in boxing?s firmament, Spence is going places and won?t easily be challenged, let alone defeated anytime soon.
Peterson, fighting out of the red corner in purple and black trunks, was fighting for the first time in 11 months. The inactivity and his age affected Lamont?s performance, which was adequate at best. Instead of using his legs and boxing, he fought out of the pocket, was dropped in the fifth, and took a beating before his trainer, Barry Hunter, threw in the towel.
The fight was little more than a tune-up for the champ, who was defending the title he won from Kell Brook in his last fight. It was an impressive performance and Peterson, who was supposed to provide a test, failed to win a round. To say he was dominated is an understatement. To call it a slaughter is more like it.
Spence was deducted a point in the fourth for a low blow, but Peterson was already busting up from eating punches like there was no tomorrow, which may in fact be the case as far as his career is concerned.
A young man beating an old man is an essential part of the game, which makes it no more pleasant to observe. Peterson?s has had a fine career and boxing saved him and his brother from degradations too unpleasant to consider. But it?s time to contemplate calling it quits before he?s seriously hurt, which is what awaits Peterson if he continues to fight.
But the night belonged to Errol Spence Jr., for whom the sky is the limit. He seems to improve with each outing and fighting as he does in a deep division, he?ll continue to deliver.
After the fight Spence graciously thanked his opponent.
?I wanna thank Lamont,? he said. ?A lot of guys turned down the fight, and he took it like a real warrior and I commend him for that.?
A commendation was appropriate, since Peterson gave it his all, which unfortunately wasn?t enough to slow Spence down.
?I know Lamont. He?s a tough fighter. He?s willing to die in there. You saw his coach had to stop the fight because he wanted to keep fighting.?
When Peterson was asked about the stoppage, he made no excuses.
?I always respect Barry?s decision,? he said. ?If he asks me to fight a million people, I will. If he asks me to stop, I?ll stop. I will never question his decision. I know he has my best interests at heart.?
That?s for sure. Their shared history is evidence of that.
?It was really hard,? said Hunter. ?But if you know Lamont, you know he wasn?t gonna give up. So I had to stop it. At the end of the day, this is my son right here. And there?s nothing more valuable than his well-being. If it comes to him or winning, I pick him. I care about him.?
