Errol Spence Jr’s first defense of his IBF welterweight title against Lamont Peterson was tonight’s main event on Showtime. It was a successful outing for the rising star as he dominated nearly every second of the match for as long as it went. Lamont Peterson was pulled out by his corner after seven.
The first round saw Lamont Peterson deciding to put pressure on Errol Spence Jr behind his guard, but he didn’t punch. The young titleholder was calm and threw all the shots, winning the round by default despite not landing a ton himself. Lamont let his hands go a little bit in the second. He landed a pair of notable right hands that popped Spence’s head back, but overall he still lost the round big. Errol Spence just kept touching him upstairs and ripping hard on the lower level.
The third round was a louder version of the second. The DC based title challenger was able to land a few nice shots and make it exciting at times, but overall Errol Spence Jr was just beating him up. Lamont was largely able to protect his head with his high guard, but Spence was absolutely ripping him to the body. By the end of the fourth frame, the fight had already begun to take on the feel of a fight that may need to be stopped in a few rounds. Errol Spence Jr was steadily battering Lamont Peterson.
Peterson came out more aggressive in the fifth probably because of this, but it didn’t help. A series of lefts caught him and sent him down about a minute into the round. Errol Spence Jr aggressively pursued the finish while Lamont did the best he could to fight him off while on unsteady legs. It maybe wasn’t the smartest move, but the shots he landed in return kept the fight exciting. He survived too.
Unfortunately, he survived just to continue taking a beating in the sixth. Spence wobbled him a little bit twice, but Lamont stayed on his feet. He also stayed on his feet in the corner while they discussed whether he should continue or not. Ultimately he came out, but no one seemed to have confidence in the decision. After a similar seventh round, they pulled him out giving Errol Spence Jr a well earned TKO8.
Guys, I know I am stating the obvious, but Errol Spence Jr is truly a special fighter. He is an excellent talent with hand speed and power, but he is also an excellent fundamental fighter. He constantly keeps punching range while showing sharp, clean shots with the right leverage. He could maybe move his head more, I guess, but he brings so much on offense that no one consistently has time to find it anyway. It won’t be long before the 28 year old Texan is in discussion for being one of the absolutely top pound for pound fighters in the sport.
In the post-fight interviews, Spence called out Keith Thurman. He will have a tune up first, however, so that is unlikely to be Errol’s next opponent if he really plans on fighting three times this year. Lamont Peterson was classy as always.
