American · DeSoto, USA · Born 3 March 1990Errol Spence Jr. is an American former unified welterweight champion who held the IBF, WBC and WBA (Super) titles between 2017 and 2023.
Errol Spence Jr. was born on 3 March 1990 in Long Island, New York, and moved with his family to DeSoto, Texas, as a child, where he began boxing at a local gym. He compiled an outstanding amateur career, representing the United States at the 2012 London Olympics, where he reached the round of 16. Spence turned professional in 2012 and developed into one of the most feared welterweights of his generation, renowned for his southpaw power, pressure-based style, and relentless body attacks. Nicknamed "The Truth," he won his first world title in 2017, stopping Kell Brook in England to claim the IBF welterweight belt. Spence survived a serious car accident in October 2019, in which his vehicle flipped multiple times after he lost control at high speed without wearing a seatbelt; he was thrown from the car but made a full recovery and returned to boxing within a year. He went on to unify multiple welterweight titles, defeating Danny García, Shawn Porter, and Yordenis Ugás. Spence's long-awaited unification bout with fellow undefeated champion Terence Crawford in July 2023 ended in defeat, his first professional loss, as Crawford stopped him in the ninth round. He continues to compete at the highest level of the welterweight division, regarded as one of the sport's premier fighters of his era despite that setback.
Former unified welterweight world champion
How They Played
Technical southpaw with excellent body punching and ring IQ
Lasting Impact
One of the best welterweight boxers of his generation
Career Honours
- 2015 ESPN Prospect of the Year
- 2012 U.S. Olympian
American Athletes