By: Sean Crose
GAME is reporting that former welterweight titleholder Errol Spence will return to the ring next October to face Sebastian Fundora for Fundora’s WBC junior middleweight title. This will be Spence’s first fight beyond the welterweight limit. More importantly, this will be Spence’s first fight since being brutally beaten by Terence Crawford in the 2023 superfight. Crawford was so dominant that July night that many wondered. whether Spence can successfully return to the ring or not. At least Spence clearly thought it was worth a try.
In fact, the loss to Crawford was the only loss Spence ever suffered in the ring. Indeed, before the Crawford fight, Spence had defeated Kell Brook, Amir Khan, Chris Algieri, Danny Garcia, Shawn Porter and Mikey Garcia among others. Those who think Spence was overrated ahead of the Crawford fight are either overlooking Crawford’s incredible skill set, or simply want to join the “I told you so” bandwagon. The thing to remember is that the Spence-Crawford fight was largely billed as a duel before the opening bell.
With all that said, Crawford will certainly have a lot to prove when he slides between the ropes to face Fundora in the fall. After all, Fundura recently won his fight against Tim Tszyu. Furthermore, at 26 years old and 6 1/2 inches taller, he is taller and younger than the 34-year-old former player, who is 5 feet 9 inches tall. Most of all, Fundora showed Tszyu that he is not afraid to fight to win. The fight with Valiant Spence, if it comes to fruition, would, at least on the surface, be interesting.
If Spence looks good in his return to the ring, there could be plenty of opportunities awaiting him. However, if he looks less than impressive against Fundora, or worse, loses, then Spence will clearly be considered a fighter in decline. In short, this man has a lot to lose against Fundora – just as he has a lot to win. Aside from the disastrous Crawford fight, this could be the biggest fight of Spence’s life.
As for Fundora, this is clearly the most notable match of his career to date. His win over Tszyu was huge. A win over a returning Spence could be even bigger.
