Floyd Mayweather Jr. apparently feels that Errol Spence Jr. has completely outgrown the division in which he has fought his entire career.
What’s more, the Hall of Fame fighter thinks that it is in Spence’s best interests to jump up not one, but possibly two or three weight classes in order to perform at optimal strength.
Spence, of Desoto, Texas, is coming off a brutal, one-sided stoppage loss to Terence Crawford in their high-profile undisputed 147-pound championship last month at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Crawford dazzled en route to dropping Spence three times during a contest that failed to live up to its billing as a coin-toss affair.
Spence suggested ahead of his fight with Crawford that his days at 147 were effectively numbered. Spence has the right to invoke his contractually mandated rematch clause with Crawford for a rematch to take place later this year, but the choice of the weight class resides with Crawford, who started his career as a lightweight and has amassed titles across three divisions. At the same time, Crawford has mentioned that he would be open to moving up to 154 for the rematch as well.
In a recent interview, Mayweather refrained from speaking at length about Spence vs. Crawford, but he noted that if he could advise Spence, he would tell the Texan to try competing at either “160 or 168.” Spence is backed by Premier Boxing Champions’ Al Haymon, the famously press-averse powerbroker who was also responsible for guiding Mayweather throughout his notable career.
“With Errol Spence being under the PBC banner, which a lot of times you see fighters say, ‘I’m with PBC. I’m with [PBC founder] Al Haymon—but I’m not with Floyd Mayweather,’” Mayweather told FightHype.com. “And I’m not talking about Errol. I’m just talking about in general. I need every fighter to know this: if you’re with PBC, you’re with Floyd Mayweather, period. OK? Period. You cannot bring up Al Haymon’s name without bringing up Floyd Mayweather’s name. We’re one.
“With that being said, I want the best for Errol Spence. So, if I was training him, or I was in his corner, I don’t think he should be fighting at 147 at all. I don’t even think he should be fighting at 154. I think he should be fighting at 160 or 168. That’s just my honest opinion. But, once again, I don’t have no say-so. When these guys, certain fighters, when they want a fight, our job is to line it up. Us fighters we’re warriors. We’re always going to fight the best, that’s just how it is.”
Mayweather, who officially retired from prizefighting in 2017 after stopping Conor McGregor, has been participating in exhibitions for the last several years. His fight with John Gotti III, in June, sparked a post-fight melee.
Sean Nam is the author of Murder on Federal Street: Tyrone Everett, the Black Mafia, and the Last Golden Age of Philadelphia Boxing.