It's no surprise to boxing expert Chris Algieri that Errol Spence Jr. will face WBC/WBO junior middleweight champion Sebastian Fandora in a title fight in October, with negotiations underway.
Former unified welterweight champion Spence (28-1, 22 KOs) was allowed to step into the ring after Fandora’s upset victory over WBO 154-pound champion Tim Tsiu at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas in March, suggesting that Spence will be the next opponent for “The Towering Inferno” Fandora (21-1-1, 13 KOs).
That's worrisome because Spence is coming into the title fight after a 15-month hiatus following a knockout loss to Terence Crawford last July, and while he's never fought at 154 pounds, he is one world title shy of more deserving challengers.
It's all about business: Spence is a favorite over the top contenders in the 154-pound division and is trying to rise to the top of a weight class he's never fought in before to earn a world title shot against two-belt champion Fandora.
Spence: the main attraction
“I'm not surprised by this at all. Obviously, they flew him in to meet him in the ring after the fight. Spence was always going to be that guy,” boxing expert Chris Algieri told Probox TV about Errol Spence Jr. being allowed into the ring immediately following Sebastian Fandora's upset win over WBO junior middleweight champion Tim Tszyu at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada last March.
“He is [Spence] “He's coming off a year off. If this fight happens, it will be a year and a half by then. And he got beaten badly by Crawford.”
Spence hates to adjust, which is likely why he was so badly beaten in his last bout against Crawford – after being out of the ring for over a year leading up to that bout, Spence paid the price.
“It's interesting to see him take part in these fights, but he lives by the mantra: 'I'm not going to make adjustments. I want big fights. I want title fights.' It's the fame. If your eye is on the money, there's one system of law, if your eye isn't, there's another system of law,” Algieri said.
Strategic Battles
“The fight we're facing is not a bad fight. It makes a lot of sense, especially from a business standpoint. Fandora is not rich, he's not famous. There are a lot of question marks. To be honest, he's a weak champion in this division. Then you add a guy like Spence to the mix,” Algieri said of Fandora.
Of the 154 champions, Fandora is the most popular, but that's not by a large margin. None of the junior middleweight champions have huge fan bases, but Fandora has a big win over Tim Tsiu and holds two belts. For these reasons, it would make sense for Spence to challenge for his belt.
“Okay, Spence won. He beat a major player. Spence's name is on the team now,” Algieri said. “It raises my status. Plus, I'm doing it in Dallas, where Spence is popular. Plus, I've got the Mexican fanbase. They're very, very close.”
“If Spence wins, I think he should win, honestly. Wherever he is at this point, I think he's still good enough to beat Fandora. Spence is back, he's a major player, he's selling. Promoters like him because he's selling. He's making a lot of money,” Algieri said.
If Spence wins, he'll have two 154-pound titles to use in a rematch with Crawford. It doesn't matter that Spence has little chance of beating Crawford — this fight will generate big money, and that's all that matters.
