Floyd Mayweather – love him or hate him – was the biggest thing in boxing for a generation.
But Money Mayweather’s retirement from the sport has left a gaping void for a flash American fighter who can talk the talk as well as walk the walk.
Erol Spence Jr might just be that man.
The charismatic 26-year-old is being tipped as the next great American hope to fill Floyd’s shoes.
Spence Jr has been tearing up the welterweight division with a series of dominating displays and savage one-punch knock-outs – his last coming against Chris Algieri, who had never before been stopped.
The 147lber has clocked up eight consecutive KOs and his mean streak continued against Leonard Bundu in an IBF title eliminator.
Yes that’s the belt currently held by Britain’s Kell Brook and yes that now means he’s mandatory challenger for the Sheffield fighter’s title.
The Italian Bundu is a serious veteran who has never been stopped in his career – even the world’s number two ranked welterweight Keith Thurman couldn’t take him out inside 12 rounds.
So it shows just how much of a beast Spence Jr is that he managed to put Bundu’s lights out inside six.
Next time I'm fighting to put somethin around my waist… #worldtitlechase pic.twitter.com/eQX78KfMJD
— Errol Spence (@ErrolSpenceJr) August 21, 2016
The manner of the victory and the knock-out was even more impressive.
A beautifully-angled upper cut sent Bundu crashing to the deck. Then once he was back on his feet Spence Jr landed another uppercut before landing the killer blow – a right hook that put him to sleep and almost sent him out of the ring.
The victory means Spence Jr rises to 21-0, with 18 KOs, and puts him on a collision course with Brook who fights Gennady Golovkin next month.
There is no doubting that the former Olympian is a beast. He possesses beautiful movement and supreme power in his fists to floor any man.
But it sounds like he’s always been this way since he turned pro four years ago.
The southpaw was brought in to spar Floyd Mayweather in 2013 when he was preparing for his WBC title defence against Robert Guerrero, according to Ring Magazine.
Spence Jr gave as good as he got. Rumours are he gave the four-weight world champion a black eye. He is purported to have also floored Adrien Broner in training too.
#MyTime #worldtitleNEXT 💪🏾🙌🏾 pic.twitter.com/C3iiMORoAR
— Errol Spence (@ErrolSpenceJr) August 21, 2016
While Mayweather wouldn’t concede to having been given a shiner, he was singing the boy’s praises even back then.
“When I was getting ready for Robert Guerrero, who is a southpaw, the first guy I started looking to spar with was a southpaw and Errol (Spence Jr.) was giving me really good work,” he told the magazine.
“He pushed me hard and made me get in tip top condition. And once I was in tip top condition, I was ready and the best I could be. He’s a hell of a fighter.”
That’s the highest praise any fighter could hope for. But since then he’s been on a rampage through the welterweight division and now stands on the cusp of a world title.
Whether he can emulate Mayweather’s success remains to be seen. But if he keeps knocking people out in the way he does, the sky is the limit.
