Antonio Tarver doesn’t favor Errol Spence facing WBC and WBO junior middleweight champion Sebastian Fundora after a long layoff. Tarver thinks Spence (28-1, 22 KOs) should be taking a tuneup before facing a “killer” like the unified champion Fundora (21-1-1, 13 KOs).
Spence says he doesn’t believe in taking tuneup fights, but the reason behind that could be his lack of confidence in his ability to win. For Spence to win a tuneup, he’d have to be matched carefully because if he faces anyone with power, we could see a repeat of his loss to Terence Crawford.
Spence Just a Shell After Car Crash
We saw how he struggled against Yordenis Ugas in his fight before facing Crawford, and he looked like a shell of his former self. He made those two look a lot better than they actually are.
The 34-year-old Spence hasn’t been the same fighter since flipping his Ferrari 488 Spider in a high-speed car crash on October 10, 2019. He’s been a shell of himself since.
“I don’t like the fight for Spence. The long layoff, inactivity, and you bring him back against a killer like Fundora,” said Antonio Tarver to Fighthype. “Where are the tune-up fights in the game anymore? Bring a guy back on an eight-rounder and let him brush himself off.”
The 6’6″ Fundora will be a nightmare for Spence with his size, high work rate, and youth. Fundora, 26, is in the prime of his career and will overwhelm what’s left of Spence.
“But it’s all or nothing, it seems like. And we don’t know what Spence is going to come back,” continued Tarver. “Why put him under that fire against Fundora? He’s got that reach and that height. How are we going to solve this? This guy is not a power puncher; he’s a volume puncher. He’s not a power puncher.”
Spence is gambling that if he can beat Fundora, he can transmute the two titles into a rematch with Crawford. That would be a gigantic payday for Spence and well worth the gamble he’s taking by jumping straight in with Fundora.
Last Updated on 10/22/2024
