Former unified welterweight champion Errol Spence Jr. is in boxing limbo. While he hasn’t explicitly announced retirement from the sport, there doesn’t seem to be any plans for his return either. Having already spent nearly two years on the sidelines, fans are starting to wonder whether ‘The Truth’ will ever grace the ring again.
In the meantime, a new controversy seems to be taking root, as former welterweight champion Shawn Porter refused to accept defeat in his fight against Spence Jr. in September 2019. The pair locked horns at the Staples Center in Los Angeles for Spence’s IBF strap and Porter’s WBC title. Ultimately, Spence Jr. won the fight via split decision.
Porter would go on to fight two more times against Sebastian Formella and Terence Crawford before hanging up the gloves. However, almost six years after the fight, he spoke about it on his podcast show The Porterway Podcast, where he seemed to remember the fight going quite differently. Speaking about the Crawford vs. Spence Jr. fight, Porter claimed that Spence was robotic in that fight.
LOS ANGELES, CA – SEPTEMBER 28: Erroll Spence Jr (black/white trunks) and Shawn Porter (white/gold trunks) exchange punches during their IBF & WBC World Welterweight Championship fight at Staples Center on September 28, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. Spence, Jr won by decision. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)
“Spence, where he was a plotter, he was in your face, he was aggressive, and he was gonna fight. He was robotic,” he said during the podcast. When co-host Anthony Brenagh interrupted, suggesting, “He was robotic, not against you. He was just match your s**t,” guest Goodz Da Animal claimed he had Porter winning the fight.
To this, Porter immediately showed his agreement, noting, “I do too.” While it’s unlikely that the pair would have a rematch, Spence Jr. has found himself with a lack of opponents. He was initially linked to a fight against Sebastian Fundora, but after several postponements, the potential fight was permanently shelved.
Since then, Spence Jr. was part of another controversy involving Terence Crawford.
Terence Crawford says Errol Spence Jr. can’t make it BHOF, Shakur Stevenson disagrees
Terence Crawford stirred debate by claiming Errol Spence Jr. doesn’t have a Hall of Fame–worthy resume. Speaking about his former opponent, Crawford dismissed Spence’s accomplishments despite his unified welterweight reign and unbeaten run prior to their 2023 showdown. Spence suffered his only career loss to Crawford via ninth-round TKO in a one-sided contest.
December 7 2022 Omaha Nebraska Media Workout B & B Boxing Gym BLK Prime Terence Bud Crawford Omaha Nebraska USA Copyright: xTomxHoganx CrawfordAvanesyanWorkout_Hoganphotos38
However, Shakur Stevenson disagrees with Crawford’s take. In an interview with The Best Women’s Boxing Show Period, Stevenson said, “I disagree. I feel as though Errol had a great career. If it wasn’t for Bud, he would’ve been undisputed. He went out and got every belt one by one by one. I think he’s a Hall of Famer.”
Spence owns wins over former champions like Danny Garcia, Shawn Porter, and Kell Brook. Though he hasn’t fought since the Crawford loss, many believe his body of work still merits Hall of Fame consideration.
That said, it appears that Errol Spence Jr. continues to remain AWOL from boxing, while new controversies start drumming up about him. What do you think of Porter’s claims?
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