On Saturday night, January 20, 2018, IBF Welterweight champion Errol “The Truth” Spence Jr. will put his title on the line against former WBA Welterweight titleholder Lamont Peterson in the main event of a Showtime Championship Boxing televised card that will take place at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
Since his days representing the United States in the 2012 Olympics, Spence, 27, has been viewed as a future American star in the sport of boxing, and thus far, he’s passed every test put in front of him, as he holds an impressive professional record of 22-0 with 19 of those wins coming by way of stoppage.
The Truth has faced increasingly difficult competition and he’s proved that he can hang with the elite at 147 pounds. This was shown specifically in his last fight, as he entered enemy territory to score an 11th round knockout victory over Kell Brook last May in Sheffield, England.
In terms of his style and skill set, Spence is well-rounded and extremely dynamic. He typically fights out of the southpaw position, and possesses terrific athleticism in addition to legitimate speed and power.
Peterson, on the other hand, is a battle tested veteran, although one can argue he’s a step below Spence in terms of pure skills.
At age 33, the former two-weight world champion, has entered the ring 39 times as a professional, compiling a 35-3-1 record with 17 of those victories coming by way of knockout.
While he’s picked up some notable wins, the biggest being a highly controversial victory over Amir Khan in 2011, he’s often times fallen short against the sport’s elite, as he’s suffered defeats to Timothy Bradley, Lucas Matthysse and Danny Garcia.
As of now, he’s riding a two-fight winning streak, although he’s been a bit inactive over the last few years, having only fought twice since October of 2015.
In terms of his skill set, Peterson is certainly a talented fighter, but I see him as more of a good fighter rather than a great fighter. He’s shown tremendous heart and resilience at times, but his chin has also abandoned him on other occasions.
Simply put, I don’t see much that Peterson can offer Spence. I expect him to fight hard in the opening rounds, but as the fight drags on, I expect the disparity of the two fighters’ skills to be evident.
Due to Peterson’s inactivity and the inconsistency of his chin, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Spence finish the fight, but I’m going to predict a dominant decision victory for The Truth.
All photos by Amanda Westcott/Showtime
