Brooklyn, NY (January 21) – Errol Spence Jr did exactly what the most feared boxer in the world was supposed to do as he pounded on and forced an eight round stoppage of Lamont Peterson.
Spence 23-0 (20 KO’s) and Peterson 35 – 4 – 1 (17 KO’s) are both slow starters and did not fail to deliver in round one as both used the round to feel out the other. Spence stalked with a pawing jab while Peterson passively followed his opponent in a very wide stance.
In the second round a firefight broke out as Spence started throwing and landing big left hands upstairs and downstairs on Peterson. Peterson, who was willing to exchange at the beginning of the round, quickly changed tactics because Spence was landing such hard thudding shots to both head and body. Peterson did less stalking, and was fighting more in retreat.
After a seven month layoff, Spence quickly dispelled any thoughts of ring rust as he showed defensive skills, boxing skills, and power in both hands battering a very good fighter in Peterson all over the ring in front of 12, 107 excited fans at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY.
The fight played out similar to how both fighters predicted, starting in a cagey tactical affair before it turned into an aggressive fight in the middle rounds. Two minutes into round five, Spence used a blistering left hook to send Peterson to the canvas. The Washington, D.C. native returned to his feet and continued to battle, but Spence proved to be too much. The 2012 U.S. Olympian out landed Peterson 161-45, while connecting on 49 percent of his power punches to just 31 percent for Peterson.
After the fight, a classy Spence spoke to SHOWTIME Sports reporter Jim Gray and was quick to give credit to his opponent. “I want to 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. He’s a tough fighter. He’s willing to die in there.”
Despite earning the win in commanding fashion, Spence still believes he has room to improve. “I still can improve a lot on my defense,” said the unbeaten world champion. “I just have to keep perfecting my skills and keep progressing. You’re going to see a better Errol Spence next time I get in the ring.”
“Everybody knows I’ve been waiting on “Some Time” Thurman,” said Spence, who is looking ahead to a possible unification match with WBC and WBA Welterweight World Champion Keith Thurman. “Since I was 15-0 I’ve been calling this guy out and he keeps making excuses. Let’s get it on. He has two of the belts and we both have big names. It’s an easy fight to make and I want it.”
Peterson, who fought valiantly against the younger Spence, respected the decision of his trainer to stop the fight, “If he asks me to fight a million people, I will. If he asks me to stop. I will stop. I will never question his decision. I know he has my best interests at heart.”
“It was really hard, but if you know Lamont, you know he was not going to give up,” said trainer Barry Hunter. “I had to stop it. At the end of the day, this is my son right here. There’s nothing more valuable than his well-being. If it comes to him or winning, I pick him. I care about him.”
In the post fight press conference room, Lou DiBella made a profound statement comparing Errol Spence Jr’s demeanor inside and outside the ring to all time great Sugar Ray Leonard. “Errol reminds me a lot of Sugar Ray Leonard. Outside of the ring, he is soft spoken and handles himself well in every situation with fans and media. But, inside the ring, Spence is a killer just like my good friend Leonard was. They both can turn it on and turn it off,” said DiBella.
For more photos from cboxinginfo.com visit #SpencePeterson Photos
