ARLINGTON, Texas — Errol Spence insists the eye that prevented him from fighting Manny Pacquiao is fine.
“The eye is stronger,” Spence said. “Nothing will happen unless it’s shot at or something.”
He paused before adding, “I probably shouldn’t say that.”
Agreed.
Spence has already survived being launched from his Ferrari onto the pavement, walking away with minimal injury. He survived a detached retina while training for his fight against Pacquiao.
So, no, Errol Spence doesn’t need to taunt fate at this moment.
And the last thing he needs to do is call himself “King Fish.”
Spence, who also goes by “The Truth,” now calls himself “The King Fish.” At this point, no one can be sure exactly what Errol Spence is.
Even though Spence was one of the baddest men in boxing, considering he has not fought since December 2020 he is a fish in the sea.
He’s a good fish, but he’s no King.
He’s not the King Fish until he beats the next guy (not the guy he will fight on Saturday night).
On Saturday night at AT&T Stadium, the product of DeSoto returns to the ring to fight Yordenis Ugas of Cuba for the WBC, WBA and IBF welterweight title.
Ugas could beat Spence, but he shouldn’t.
Their press-fight press conference on Thursday at JerryWorld was your standard pre-fight press conference, full of over-promising, awkward sentences and trash talking.
Ugas, through a translator, said he does not think Spence is the same fighter.
“He’s (nicer) than me because I’d be saying I’m going to filet his ass,” Spence said.
This will be the first time Spence will fight since he defeated Danny Garcia on Dec. 5, 2020, also at AT&T Stadium. In that fight, Spence looked like one of the top five fighters in the world; he looked like he was ready to take over the world (at least boxing).
He was fast. He displayed conditioning and good power. He could have ducked anything Garcia threw, but Spence preferred to fight his way to a win.
He was scheduled to fight Pacquiao in August 2021, but was forced to withdraw because of a detached retina that he sustained while sparring.
According to the doctors, Spence is lucky he did not lose the eye.
Ugas was a last-minute replacement for that fight, and he sent The Pacman into retirement.
Now Ugas and Spence will dance, both in hopes that their next fight will be against the real King Fish of this division, Terence “Bud” Crawford.
Crawford, not Spence, is the king fish of this division.
Spence could run this division, but because of the eye injury and his famous Ferrari crash in December of 2019 his ascension has been delayed.
Now, it’s not as if he’s lost. Ever. Spence is 27-0.
Of late, he beat some decent opponents, most notably Shawn Porter in L.A. a few months before the car wreck.
“I flew 40 feet and landed on concrete,” Spence said of the wreck. “My body was banged up and I still beat Danny Garcia.”
He needs to beat Ugas.
Then he needs to beat Crawford.
“That’s the only fight that’s supposed to happen,” Spence said.
He’s right, which means don’t assume that will actually happen.
Why?
Because, boxing. Errol Spence probably shouldn’t be alive. He probably should be with only one good eye.
But he’s alive and well.
Now he can prove if he’s indeed The King Fish.
