Errol Spence Jr Takes Centerstage Saturday Night

Errol Spence Jr Takes Centerstage Saturday Night – Showtime boxing is in Texas this weekend for Errol Spence Jr’s IBF welterweight title defense against Carlos Ocampo. OCampo brings a solid 22-0 record tothe bout, but he is not expected to be much of a threat to Spence Jr, who is in many of the top lists for best pound for pounnd fighter. Check your local listings for start times on the Showtime network.

Spence Jr (26-0) is making the second defense of the IBF title he won from Kell Brook in England back in May of 2017. He returned in January with a successful defense in New York against Lamont Peterson, but this fight will mark his “return” to his home state of Texas as a world champion. Do not discount how motivational this fight is going to be for the young champion. Spence Jr has had the prodigy label hung around his neck ever since his days as a 2012 Olympian and coming home as a world champion certainly starts to lay the foundations of a legacy.

Ocampo is going to follow the lead of fellow countryman Jaime Munguia. Munguia faced WBO world super welterweight champion Sadam Ali with a gaudy 28-0 record coming out of Mexico. The oddsmakers gave Munguia a chance against Ali, but few expected a first round whitewash by Munguai. Munguai is a different fighter who has more power than Ocampo, but taking the belt home is the blueprint Ocampo wants to follow.

Unfortunately for Ocampo, Spence Jr is not Sadam Ali either. Ali was making the first defense of the title he won from soon to be retired veteran Miguel Cotto, and for starters, he was undersized in the weight class. That will not be the case for Ocampo against Spence Jr.

This match is more likely to look like last week’s WBO world welterweight title fight between Terence Crawfrd and Jeff Horn. That match saw the all-world Crawford outclass the Australian Horn, who came into the match as the titleholder. Crawford was never in any danger on his way to a 9th round stoppage.

The fact is that most predictions see Spence Jr disposing of Ocampo more efficiently than Crawford. WBA world welterweight champion Keith Thurman has been inactive so that has allowed Spence Jr and Crawford to emerge as the top fighters at 147 pounds. Spence Jr has been given a lace in the spotlight to showcase his talents so look for him to make the most out of it.

A second world title fight sits in the co-feature spot as Daniel Roman and Moises Flores square off for Roman’s WBA super bantamweight belt. The undefeated Flores is returning after a layoff of 364 days as we last saw him knocked out by Guillermo Rigondeaux in a match deemed a no contest. Roman won the belt in September oflast year inJaan and he made a February defense in the Land of the Rising Sun as well.