Errol Spence: “With eight ounce gloves I feel that I can knock Kell Brook out!”

Welterweight contender Errol Spence is now only two weeks away from his world title shot, at age 27. Spence is widely regarded as the #1 contender in the weight class and his upcoming fight against Kell Brook is one of the most anticipated fights of the year. Heading into the Kell Brook bout, Spence is the betting favorite, a fact that speaks highly of his potential in the division.

In my “On The Ropes” boxing radio interview with Error Spence, I get his thoughts on the upcoming Brook fight and talk to him about finally getting his title shot. Spence also talks about the other champions in the weight class and speaks on what potential match ups interest him. Additionally, Spence shares his views on Manny Pacquiao and gives his official prediction for his fight with Kell Brook. Here is Errol Spence had to say.

Jenna J: We are weeks away from your fight with Kell Brook. How have your preparations been going?

Errol Spence: Preparations have been going great. I’ve been training for about three or four months now. I’m in great shape, already on weight and looking forward to the fight.

Jenna J: When do you guys expect to go to the United Kingdom to acclimate yourself?

Errol Spence: We’ll go about two weeks before the fight, so there’s no jet-lag and so we can acclimate to their environment and everything that’s going on over there. We’ll get there two weeks early.

Jenna J: You’re 27 years old, do you think the timing is right for this fight?

Errol Spence: I definitely think the time is right. The timing is everything, I’m twenty seven, I’m in my prime and it’s something I’ve been waiting for, for a long time and it finally happened. I can’t wait.

Jenna J: What do you think Kell Brook brings to the table?

Errol Spence: I think he has a good jab, a good one-two. He tries to create distance, he’ll hold you and wait for the ref to break it up. He comes to fight and shows a lot of heart in his fights.

Jenna J: In the welterweight division you got Keith Thurman as a unified champion and Manny Pacquiao as the WBO champ. Who do you think is the top dog that you want to go after?

Errol Spence: Manny Pacquiao is the bigger name of course, but I think right now Keith Thurman has the momentum. He’s coming off of a win to Shawn Porter and Danny Garcia, so right now he has the momentum I think.

Jenna J: What do you think of the welterweight division as a whole and the stars that are out there?

Errol Spence: I feel like the 147lb division is the hottest division in boxing, there’s a lot of great names and a lot of great talent. Everybody is in their prime and everybody is fighting each other right now. Andre Berto just fought Shawn Porter, Keith Thurman just fought Danny Garcia. I think eventually we will find out who is the king of the 147lb division, once everybody fights each other. I feel like there can only be one and I think we’re headed to find out who is going to be the undisputed welterweight champion of the world soon.

Jenna J: If you were to face Manny Pacquiao, how would you go about facing a southpaw like that?

Errol Spence: Basically working off my jab, trying to counter his straight left and try to counter him when he comes in. Manny Pacquiao jumps in a lot, I would try to counter that and try to work my angles. It definitely would be a difficult fight because he has an awkward style and he throws a lot of punches, and he’s fast and powerful too.

Jenna J: Your last eight fights have ended in knockout, do you think you can knock Kell Brook out?

Errol Spence: I think anything is possible. With eight ounce gloves I feel that I can knock him out but it’s not something that I have to have to win the fight. I’m not just going to look for it, I’ll let it happen and let it flow and if it happens naturally, then I’ll take the knockout. I’m not going to come straight at him trying to knock his head off.

Jenna J: Are you worried that you may have to knock him out because the fight will take place in UK? Do you think you can win on points?

Errol Spence: I think I can win either way. I don’t decide how the judges score the cards, I hope the judges are fair. That’s not up to me, it’s not in my hands. I just have to go in there and do my fight and fight the way that I fight. If I win the fight on the scorecards, I should win it on the scorecards. I’m not worried about the judges or how they score it at all, because that’s out of my hands at the end of the day.

Jenna J: What do you think is the most important thing for you to do to be successful against Kell Brook?

Errol Spence: Work off my jab and dictate the pace of the fight. Whoever dictates the pace will win the fight, so I think that’s what I got to do.

Jenna J: How do you expect the fight to play out from the opening bell to the finish?

Errol Spence: I think the fight is going to be exciting. There will be thirty thousand fans cheering Kell Brook and booing me, so I expect to be action packed and me coming out with the victory, whether it’s a knockout or a decision win.