Errol Spence Jr met with the media today for his workout to train & discuss his battle against Terence Crawford nine days from now on Showtime PPV at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Spence says his weight is on point and ready to rip away Crawford’s WBO 147-lb belt to round out his collection of titles to become the undisputed champion.
Spence looked incredible in shape, effortlessly creating dents in the heavy bag and making a lot of noise each time he landed on the mitts of his trainer. Although he looked thin, his power was unreal. Right now, Spence looks in better shape than saw him in his last four fights, and that’s bad news for Crawford.
IBF, WBA & WBC welterweight champion Spence looked a little tired today from hard training, but he showed that he’s more than ready to capture the last title he needs to cement himself as the top dog in the division.
Spence showed outstanding power in the workout, landing thudding shots into the bag, showing off his strength. Spence’s trainer Derrick James switched stances from orthodox to southpaw to mimic the stuff Errol will see from his Crawford on July 29th.
Spence in outstanding shape
Ray Flores: “Errol, you look absolutely shredded. Is the best that you’ve ever felt going into a prizefight?
Errol Spence: “It’s definitely at the top of the best shape I’ve been. I just had to make a lot of sacrifices to make the weight, and everything has been going good to the plan to the T.
“I’ve been working with my dietician to get down to the weight. We’ve been doing our thing.”
Flores: “I know you’re very close to your father. What does it feel like him to be here? He’s quite subdued but always around you, helping you out. How much do you and your father share this bond? He’s also a very big part of your camp as well.”
Spence: “Yeah, I basically call him my shadow. He’s behind me, but he’s always making sure I’m good and watching. He’s always on point. He’s not talking much He’s always keeping his eyes open and paying attention.
“I think that’s what everybody needs. Someone that is out for. Your best interest. I started this with him. He didn’t know I would get to this point. He didn’t even know I was going to be good, and he sacrificed a lot to get me to this point to bring me to the gym after working graveyard shifts after coming home in getting three hours of rest.
“I come home, and we’re going to the boxing gym. He was doing that for years. I was able to drive, and he would still take me to the gym. He took me to the gym today. He still comes to my house to pick me up.
“He picks me up every day. When I’m home, he still takes me to the gym to this day. I’m 33 years old. He come to my house, picks me up, and we go to the gym. We’ve been doing it since day one.”
Flores: “I know that you’re very proud, and you’re obviously fighting in Las Vegas. They love you in Dallas. That’s your hometown. You’re from Desoto, Texas, and you’re a diehard Dallas Cowboys fan. You’ve fought at AT&T Stadium several times.
“You had nearly 40,000 fans for your fight against Yordenis Ugas, and nearly 50,000 when you fought Mikey Garcia. How much love and support are you getting from those down in Dallas? Do you want to send out a message to those who support you in the Lone Star state?”
Spence: “I’ve been getting a tremendous amount of support in Dallas and in Texas. Thank you for the support, and thank you for everything. It’s been on my conscience. I’ve been getting support from them for a long time now.
“I’m not a normal person anymore. As much as I want to be a normal person, I try to be a normal person. It’s time for me to do things for my community and give back to my community, be more outspoken, and out there more. That’s something I’m going to make a concerted effort at doing when I get home. Be in the community more and try and serve the community more.”
It’s going to be war
Flores: “If Terence Crawford is watching this right now, what message do you want to give to him as you guys prepare to enter fight week next week in Las Vegas ahead of your July 29th showdown on Showtime pay-per-view?”
Spence: “I don’t have a message for him. It’s going to be a war. I got a message for the fans. Everybody, make sure you guys tune in for this fight. It’s going to be an amazing, legendary fight. You seen fights like Ali-Joe Frazier, Ray Leonard-Hearns, Duran-Hearns, Duran-Ray Leonard, all those types of fights.
“You definitely want to tune in to this fight. This fight is going to be a war. It’s going to be a war of attrition. This is a fight that you definitely want to see if you’re an ex-fan, a fan now, or you’re just a casual.
“You definitely want to tune in to this fight. It’s going to be a straight-out war, guts & glory type fight.”
Flores: “Errol, you talk about strap. You went overseas and beat Kell Brook for the IBF title. You beat Shawn Porter for the WBC title. You beat Ugas for the WBA title. Now what would it mean to capture the WBO title by beating probably your biggest nemesis today in Terence Crawford.”
Spence: “It means a lot. I’m not going to say it means everything, but it means a lot to beat Terence Crawford and see my name in boxing. I’d be the first undisputed welterweight champion of the world. I think I’m the first undisputed champion that beat everybody. I beat every person that had a belt. I beat them.
“Despite everything I’ve been through, I’ve always stuck to my game plan, and I stuck to my word. I told everybody basically what I was going to do. After I get those belts, I’m going to go take Crawford’s belt too. That’s what I’m going to do on July 29th.”
