Errol Spence Jr. facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Errol Spence Jr.
Spence in 2014
Statistics
Nickname(s)	The Truth
Rated at	Welterweight
Height	5 ft 9 in
Reach	72 in
Born	(1990-03-03) March 3, 1990 (age 35) Long Island, New York, U.S.
Stance	Southpaw
Boxing record
Total fights	29
Wins	28
Wins by KO	22
Losses	1
Medal record Men's amateur boxing Golden Gloves Gold 2009 Salt Lake City Welterweight Silver 2010 Little Rock Welterweight US National Championships Gold 2009 Denver Welterweight Gold 2010 Colorado Springs Welterweight Gold 2011 Colorado Springs Welterweight US National PAL Championships Gold 2010 San Antonio Welterweight

Errol Spence Jr. (born March 3, 1990) is a famous American professional boxer. He used to be a unified champion in the welterweight division. This means he held three major boxing titles at the same time. These were the World Boxing Association (WBA), World Boxing Council (WBC), and International Boxing Federation (IBF) titles. He held them between 2017 and 2023. Before becoming a professional, he was a successful amateur boxer. He won three national championships in the welterweight division. He also represented the U.S. at the 2012 Olympics, reaching the quarter-finals. In 2015, ESPN named Spence the "Prospect of the Year."

Amateur Boxing Career

Spence started boxing when he was 15 years old. In 2009, he won the U.S. National Golden Gloves competition. He also won three national amateur welterweight championships in a row. These wins were from 2009 to 2011. All his wins were in the welterweight division.

At the 2011 World Championships, Spence reached the quarter-finals. He lost to Serik Sapiyev. In the 2012 London Olympics, he again reached the quarter-finals. He lost to Andrey Zamkovoy from Russia. After the Olympics, Spence decided to become a professional boxer. He finished his amateur career with a great record of 135 wins and only 12 losses.

Professional Boxing Journey

Starting Out as a Pro

On November 9, 2012, Errol Spence Jr. had his first professional fight. He was 22 years old. He fought Jonathan Garcia in California. Spence won the fight by knockout in the third round. In December 2012, he won another fight by knockout against Richard Andrews. This fight was part of a bigger boxing event.

Spence fought eight times in 2013 and won all of them. Six of his wins were by knockout. By the end of 2013, he had won all 10 of his professional fights. Eight of these wins were by knockout.

In June 2014, Spence made his television debut on Showtime. He fought Ronald Cruz and won by a unanimous decision. This means all the judges agreed he won. In December 2014, Spence beat Javier Castro by TKO in the fifth round.

Climbing the Ranks

On April 11, 2015, Spence defeated Samuel Vargas by TKO. This brought his record to 16 wins and no losses. He continued to win, beating Phil Lo Greco in June 2015. Spence then fought Chris van Heerden in September 2015. The referee stopped the fight in the eighth round after Spence knocked van Heerden down twice.

In November 2015, Spence fought Alejandro Barrera. He won by TKO in the fifth round. This win helped him move up in the IBF welterweight rankings. Because of his strong performance, ESPN.com named him the "2015 Prospect of the Year."

Spence vs. Algieri

On April 16, 2016, Spence faced his biggest challenge yet against Chris Algieri. Algieri was a former champion. Spence became the first boxer to stop Algieri, winning by TKO in the fifth round. This was Spence's seventh knockout in a row. After the fight, Spence said he wanted to fight Kell Brook, another top boxer.

Spence vs. Bundu

In August 2016, Spence fought Leonard Bundu. This fight was an important step to become the mandatory challenger for Kell Brook's title. Spence dominated the fight. He knocked Bundu down in the sixth round with a powerful uppercut. The referee stopped the fight right away. Spence again said he wanted to fight Kell Brook for the IBF World title. This fight was watched by a huge audience on NBC, showing how popular Spence was becoming.

Becoming IBF Welterweight Champion

Spence vs. Brook

In May 2017, Errol Spence Jr. finally got his chance to fight Kell Brook. Brook was the IBF welterweight champion. The fight took place in Sheffield, England, in front of 27,000 fans. Spence won the IBF welterweight title by stopping Brook in the 11th round. Spence used strong combinations to wear Brook down. In the 10th round, Brook took a knee after Spence landed many hard punches. In the 11th round, Brook took a knee again, saying he couldn't see. The referee stopped the fight. At the time, Spence was ahead on all the judges' scorecards.

Spence vs. Peterson

On January 20, 2018, Spence defended his IBF title against Lamont Peterson. The fight was held in Brooklyn, New York. Spence showed his power, dropping Peterson in the fifth round. Peterson's trainer stopped the fight at the start of the eighth round to protect his fighter. Spence won by technical knockout. After the fight, Spence said he wanted to unify the welterweight division.

Spence vs. Ocampo

Spence's next mandatory defense was against Carlos Ocampo on June 16, 2018. The fight was in Frisco, Texas, in front of a sold-out crowd. Spence knocked Ocampo out in the very first round. He landed a hard left punch to Ocampo's body, sending him to the canvas. The referee counted to 10, and Ocampo could not get up. This was Spence's 11th knockout in a row. Spence said he wanted to fight other champions to unify the division.

Spence vs. Mikey Garcia

On March 16, 2019, Spence fought Mikey Garcia at AT&T Stadium in Texas. Many fans were excited about this fight. Spence completely outboxed Garcia, using his longer reach to land many jabs. Spence landed 345 punches compared to Garcia's 75. Spence won by a unanimous decision, meaning he won every round on the judges' scorecards. After the fight, boxing legend Manny Pacquiao joined Spence in the ring. Both boxers said they would like to fight each other next.

Becoming Unified Welterweight Champion

Spence vs. Porter

On September 28, 2019, Spence fought Shawn Porter in a big unification fight. Spence's IBF title and Porter's WBC welterweight title were on the line. It was a very exciting fight with lots of action. Spence knocked Porter down in the 11th round. Spence won the fight by a split decision, meaning two judges scored it for him and one for Porter. This made Spence a unified champion, holding both the IBF and WBC titles.

Spence vs. Danny Garcia

After recovering from a car accident, Spence returned to the ring on December 5, 2020. He defended his IBF and WBC welterweight titles against Danny Garcia. The fight took place at AT&T Stadium in Texas. Spence won by a unanimous decision, keeping his titles.

Spence vs. Ugás

On April 16, 2022, Spence fought Yordenis Ugás in a title unification bout. Ugás held the WBA (Super) welterweight title. The fight was held at AT&T Stadium in Texas. Spence won the fight by technical knockout in the tenth round. The ringside doctor stopped the fight because Ugás's right eye was very swollen. Spence was ahead on all the judges' scorecards when the fight ended. This win made Spence a unified champion with three major titles: WBA (Super), WBC, and IBF.

Spence vs. Crawford

On July 29, 2023, Errol Spence Jr. fought Terence Crawford for the undisputed welterweight titles. This was a highly anticipated fight between two undefeated champions. The fight took place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Spence lost the fight by technical knockout in the ninth round.

Personal Life

Errol Spence Jr. was born in Long Island, New York. His father is of Jamaican descent, and his mother is African-American. He has spent most of his life living in Dallas, Texas. He is a father to two daughters and a son.

Car Incidents

In October 2019, Spence was involved in a car accident in Dallas, Texas. His car was traveling at a high speed and flipped multiple times. He was taken to the hospital and recovered from his injuries.

In January 2020, Spence was involved in another car accident. In December 2022, he was in a third car accident. In this incident, another car crashed into his vehicle. Fortunately, Spence and the other people involved were mostly unharmed.

Professional Boxing Record

Titles in Boxing

Major World Titles

• WBA (Super) welterweight champion (147 lbs)
• WBC welterweight champion (147 lbs)
• IBF welterweight champion (147 lbs)

Honorary Titles

• WBC Diamond welterweight champion
• WBC Health Care Hero champion

Pay-Per-View Fights

See also

In Spanish: Errol Spence Jr. para niños

• List of southpaw stance boxers
• List of world welterweight boxing champions