Tag Archives: cunningham

Posted on 10/04/2017

By: Ken Hissner

At the end of this article this writer will talk about the three boxers in Philadelphia who hold the future of Philly boxing in their hands!

For some time Philadelphia writers, trainers, boxers and promoters have said Philadelphia is the “boxing capitol of the world!” Currently Philadelphia does not have a world champion. Only seven of Philadelphia’s boxers are in the WBA, WBC, WBO and IBF ratings.

The most recent world champion was Danny “Swift” Garcia, 33-1 (19), who is currently now ranked No. 2 by both the WBC and WBA. He lost his WBC welterweight title by split decision to WBA champion Keith Thurman in March and hasn’t fought since. His manager is Al Haymon and his promoter is Golden Boy Promotions. He is trained by his father Angel Garcia at their DSG gym in North Philadelphia.

Steve “USS” Cunningham, 29-9-1 (13), the former two-time cruiserweight champion is listed at No. 15 by the IBF. He recently lost a lack luster decision. No one keeps in better condition than “USS” does. Newark, NJ, is having a cruiserweight title match and the opponent is a former opponent of his. “USS” should be on that show! He is trained by Naziim Richardson and promoted by Main Events.

Jesse “Hard Work” Hart got his opportunity recently coming off the canvas early in the fight but made a strong second half finish in losing but will probably keep his No. 1 WBO status among super middleweights but isn’t ranked anywhere else. How can that be? If he comes down to earth after that loss he still has potential to be a world champion but you can’t split his time between two gyms with two different trainers and expect results! It’s Fred Jenkins, Sr. at the ABC Recreation Center in North Philly and it’s his father Eugene “Cyclone” Hart in Joe Hand’s South Philly gym.

Super welterweight Julian “J Rock” Williams, 23-1-1 (15), lost in a WBC title attempt in December of 2016 to Jermell Charlo but is still ranked No. 6 in the WBC, No. 9 in the IBF and No. 15 in the WBO. He is still young and still has a future. Stephan “Bread Man” Edwards is his manager and trainer at Shuler’s Gym in West Philly.

Welterweight southpaw “The New” Ray Robinson, 24-2 (12) due to inactivity has dropped in the ratings but is still No. 10 in the WBO, No. 11 in the IBF and No. 13 in the WBC. He can make anyone look bad. So why doesn’t the Garcia people consider a Philly bout with him? He is trained by “Bozy” Ennis at “Bozy’s Dungeon” in North Philly. He is managed by David McWater.

“Hammerin” Hank Lundy, 28-6-1 (14), is No. 10 in the WBC lightweight rankings and has fallen to the “Philly Jinx” on more than one occasion. He’s 3-3 in his last 6 fights. “Cornbread” Ramsey was back in the corner last fight. He trains out of the Marion Anderson Gym in South Philly. Tevin “American Idol” Farmer, 25-4-1 (5), is No. 2 in the WBC, No. 5 in the IBF and No. 9 in the WBO. Coming off an injury he should be ready to go again soon. Marc Cipparone is his manager while “Chino” Rivas trains him in Cherry Hill, NJ.

Now let’s get to the “future” of Philadelphia. The best prospect since 1984 Gold Medal Olympia is welterweight Jaron “Boots” Ennis, 15-0 (13), who at age 20 is on the verge of stepping up the competition. Promoting his fights with Victory Promotions is Chris Middendorf who has him either in Philly October 21st or in DC October 14th. To have him in fifteen fights in eighteen months is impressive. He was an Olympic Alternate in 2016. His father “Bozy” trains him at “Bozy’s Dungeon” North Philly Gym over the Harrowgate Gym.

Bantamweight Christian Carto, 12-0 (11), finally got some rounds in this past week in the main event defeating a 14-1 Mexican opponent. He has had twelve fights in fifteen months of boxing and is a former National Golden Gloves Champion. He lost his manager recently to a death and still doesn’t have a promoter. His trainer is Mickey Rosati, Jr. whose gym Carto trains at over Rosati’s Auto Repair garage. He’s had ten fights with Hard Hitting Promotions and two with King’s Promotions. He’s one white boxer that even the most negative black boxing people love him in Philly.

The third is a 17 year-old super lightweight named Brandon Pizarro, 8-0 (4), who will be turning 18 this month. “Gifted” is a crowd pleaser trained by “Bozy” Ennis and his father Angel Pizarro, Sr. at “Bozy’s Dungeon” in North Philly. He is promoted by Hard Hitting Promotions.

On Sunday October 18th John DiSanto is holding his 8th Annual “Briscoe Awards” where most of these boxers along with this writer will be in attendance. It will be held at the Xfinity Live facility at 1100 Pattison Avenue in South Philly.

Posted on 08/26/2017

By: William Holmes

The T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada was the host site for tonight’s Showtime PPV attraction between all-time great Floyd Mayweather Jr. and UFC super star Conor McGregor.

Fight fans were treated to three bouts on the televised portion of the pay per view card, including two world title fights.

Photo Credit: USA Today

The first fight of the night was between Andrew Tabiti (14-0) and Steve Cunningham (29-8-1) in the cruiserweight division.

Cunningham is a former world champion in the cruiserweight division and Tabiti is prized prospect in the Mayweather Promotions stable.

Cunningham had the height advantage and looked to be in great shape. Tabiti was able to stay out of range in the first two rounds, but Cunningham was the more aggressive fighter and forced Tabiti to tie up often. Tabiti’s jab was landing in the second round and he landed a hard right uppercut at the end of a combination.

Cunningham’s punches were missing with increasing regularity from the first round to the fourth round and Tabiti remained an elusive target. Tabiti’s hands were faster and more accurate but Cunningham’s chin was able to take his best punches.

The fifth round featured two blistering combinations by Tabiti in the center of the ring. Tabiti was able to land his jab to the body and head of Cunningham in the sixth round. Cunningham’s frustration with his inability to mount an offensive attack continued into the seventh round.

Cunningham, to his credit, still came forward in the eighth round despite clearly being behind on the cards. He was able to force a few exchanges but Tabiti got the better of them.

Cunningham needed a knockout in the final two rounds to win the fight, but that knockout never came.

Andrew Tabiti remained undefeated with a decision victory with scores of 97-93, 97-93, and 100-90.

Nathan Cleverly (30-3) faced Badou Jack (21-1-2) for the WBA Light Heavyweight Title.

Jack established himself as the more accurate puncher in the first round and was able to do land some good body shots in the opening round. Cleverly looked like the bigger fight and was able to land some hard straight right hands at the end of the round.

Jack continued his body attack in the second round and he was able to land hard right uppercuts in the third round. Jack’s assault was more vicious in the fourth round and he had Cleverly’s nose busted from numerous uppercuts and left hooks.

Jack came out aggressively in the fifth round and obliterated Cleverly from corner to corner. Cleverly was taking several hard combinations without answering back. The referee let Jack batter Cleverly perhaps longer than he should have, but he finally stopped it near the end of the round.

Badou Jack wins the WBA Light Heavyweight by TKO at 2:47 of the fifth round.

Afterwards, Badou Jack called out Adonis Stevenson.

The final undercard bout was between Gervonta Davis (18-0) and Francisco Fonseca (19-0-1). This bout was supposed to be for the IBF Super Featherweight Title but Davis failed to make the contracted weight.

Fonseca looked awkward in the first round and Davis was able to land hooks and uppercuts to the body. Fonseca ate some heavy combinations in the second round but was able to take some of Davis’ best shots and reply with punches of his own.

Fonseca kept a high guard in the second round but had to absorb blows to the body. Davis began to showboat in the fourth round and landed a few left hooks after putting his hands behind his back, but Fonseca connected with enough punches to maybe steal the round.

Fonseca pressed the action in the fifth round and landed some good combinations to the head and body. Davis was telegraphing his punches and may have lost this round solely based on Fonseca’s activity.

Davis stopped showing off in the sixth round and stuck to a traditional boxing stance and was able to land sharp jabs and hard straight left hands. Davis finally stunned Fonseca in the seventh round with hard hooks but Fonseca stayed on his feet.

Davis opened up the eighth round with a stunning straight left hand and had Fonseca stuck in the corner. He connected with a left hook that may have landed on the back of Fonseca’s head, but Fonseca went to the mat holding the back of his head and was unable to get up.

Gervonta Davis wins by knockout at 0:39 of the eighth round.

Posted on 03/20/2017

Where Do Philly Boxers Garcia, Cunningham and Hopkins Go From Here?
By: Ken Hissner

Starting with Danny “Swift” Garcia, 33-1 (19) the former super lightweight and welterweight champion who just lost to his toughest opponent in Keith “One Time” Thurman and his WBC belt. As a super lightweight Garcia he scored wins over Amir Kahn, 31-4 (19), in a shootout who gets to who first and gave overblown featherweight Erik Morales a rematch? How about Kahn? How about Herrera? How about Peterson? His win over Lucas Matthysse was possibly his biggest accomplishment.

Garcia took on Rod Salka a 132 lightweight and made him come in at over 140 in a non-title bout. When asked who made this choice he said “my manager.” Al Haymon? What about “The New” Ray Robinson or “Hammerin” Hank Lundy who have been calling him out since their sparring days with Garcia? Two Philly fighters who could have brought some fans out even in Philly.

As the No. 2 welterweight contender in the WBC Garcia won’t fight No. 1 Kahn so “he gets” No. 6 the over the hill Robert Guerrero in a vacant title fight? He finally steps up and takes on Thurman and we saw how that turned out in not a great fight but an interesting one. Where does Garcia go from here? No rematch I’m sure with Thurman. No. 5 Shawn Porter and No. 7 Andre Berto have “an elimination bout” coming up? Granted Kahn is No. 1 but is supposed to get a shot at WBO champion Manny “Pac Man” Pacquaio’s title though Kahn hasn’t fought since May of 2016 getting knocked out by Saul “Canelo” Alvarez and isn’t even in the WBO ratings. So where is Garcia going to land in the next WBC ratings? No. 1 is not automatic for former champs. Ask Sergey Kovalev about that.

Lamont Peterson, 35-3-1 (17), is now holding WBA World belt. IBF champion Kell “Special One” Brook, 36-1 (25), is tentatively going to defend against his No. 1 contender in Errol Spence, 21-0 (18), having not fought since September when Gennady “GGG” Golovkin injured his eye socket in an interesting fight.

Then there’s former 2-time IBF champion Steve “USS” Cunningham, 29-8-1 (13), who entered last Saturdays ring in Reading, PA, in a scheduled 8 round bout reduced to a 6 winning every round from overweight former light heavyweight Felipe “El Indio” Romero, 19-12-1 (13), so Cunningham can “get the rust off” after with a promise from his manager Al Haymon getting him a title fight. He isn’t ranked anymore and all four champs are from outside the US. Cunningham had to go to Europe to get those titles so it won’t be like a first time for him.

Starting with WBC champion Tony “The Bomber” Bellew, 29-2-1 (19), of the UK who just stopped former champion David Haye and whose No. 1 challenger is MairisBriedis, 21-0 (18), from Latvia who is scheduled to fight for the interim WBC title April 1st against former champion Marco Huck in Germany whom Cunningham stopped in 2007.

The WBA champion Denis Lebedev, 29-3 (22), only defended his IBF title in Russia against fellow Russian Murat “Iron” Gassiev, 24-0 (17), losing a split decision. There may be a rematch in that one. The IBF doesn’t have any challengers in the number one or two spot but have No. 3 Noel Gevor, 22-0 (10), an Armenian out of Germany who is also the No. 1 contender in the WBO where the champion if OleksandrUsyk, 11-0 (10), of the UKR. He is defending his title in Oxon Hill, MD, April 8th against Michael Hunter, 15-0. So Cunningham may be able to get the winner in the US. Gevor is scheduled to go to Poland to fight the former champion Krzysztof Wlodarczyk, on May 20th who split it two fights with Cunningham.

So it’s a matter of Cunningham getting ranked again which shouldn’t take much based on his record and being a former champion. Who knows he may not have to leave the US to get that shot. The man is always in tip top shape and though having fought at heavyweight a bit makes 200 easily.

This leaves us with 52 year-old Bernard “the Executioner” Hopkins, 55-8-2 (32), who is from Philly and was living in Hockessin, DE, but also I understand had a place in Philly and may be back there. After witnessing former 3-division champion another “ageless” boxer pack them in at the Chase Center in DE recently could there be a “rubber match” between Jones and Hopkins at the Chase Center? Jones is 48 but you would never know it in his win over Bobby Gunn in his last fight. Neither he nor Hopkins may never get another title fight but then who knows. Both are future IBHOF boxerswho don’t seem to go away.

I’m sure Hopkins would like to retire with a win in his last fight that seems to have been difficult to do since losing his last two fights to Sergey Kovlev and Joe Smith, Jr. Just prior to that he held the IBF and WBA titles defeating Shumenov but lost those titles to Kovalev who got robbed by Andre Ward losing all three titles and may never get a deserved rematch. Though both are no longer ranked don’t be surprised if their names appear in a title fight in the near future.

Philadelphia is again without a champion but has a ton of young prospects with “champion” written all over them such as 19 year-old Jaron “Boots” Ennis, 9-0 (8), who fights March 31st back in Philly. It will be ten fights in twelve months for this talented welterweight whom this writer calls “the best Philly prospect since 1984 Olympic champion Meldrick Taylor”. His brothers “Pooh” and Farah held USBA and NABF titles while their father “Bozy” is the best trainer in Philly and one of the best in the world.

Posted on 03/16/2017

Kauffman & Mansour in Showdown at Reading Friday!
By: Ken Hissner

There was a time when they were sparring one another. Then came the Facebook trash talking back and forth. Now the rubber has hit the road on March 17th at the Santander Arena in Reading, PA. Travis “My Time” Kauffman, 31-1 (23), of Reading, PA, takes on southpaw Amir “Hardcore” Mansour, 22-2-1 (16), of Wilmington, DE, over 12 rounds for the WBC US (USNBC) and PA State heavyweight titles.

This writer is not a fan of two boxers I like fighting one another but I have to say it will be an interesting match-up on Premier Boxing Champions: The Next Round on Bounce TV starting at 9pm. Doors open at 6pm and first bout 6:30pm. It is a ten bout card! It’s quite unusual to have 20 boxers on a card with only one with a losing record. Kings Promotions and Corona are promoters.

Wednesday in Reading a press conference was held at the Doubletree Hotel with David Feldman at the microphone. He started with the co-feature with former IBF welterweight champion Kermit “El Asesino” Cintron and David “Day Day” Grayton. Cintron’s trainer Joe Pastore said “Kermit has re-discovered the style he once had. His right hand after surgery is now fine”. “I am well prepared and come Friday it will be my night,” said Cintron. Grayton had little to say.

Mansour is the former USBA and PA State champion. Kauffman is the No. 1 rated USBA contender. “Everything is great. I was in Houston since December 20th and came home March 5th. I have been motivated knowing that I have a killer in front of me. Amir wants what I want and that’s a shot at the heavyweight title.I knew if I beat Arreola it would open eyes, but if I beat Mansour it will open doors,” said Kauffman.

Trainer of Kauffman Naziim Richardson said “I think it will be worth for both. One word for Mansour and that is “dangerous” guy. He can blow your brains out with a good shot. You can’t lose your focus for a second.”
In pertaining to his age Mansour said “I’m selling youth juice at 1k a bottle if anyone is interested. I like to see sparks fly and this is a great opportunity for both of us.”

In the co-feature former IBF welterweight champion Kermit “El Asesino” Cintron, 39-5-2 (30) will be seeking win number 40. He is 6-0-1 in his last seven fights. He is taking on David “Day Day” Grayton, 15-1 (11), of Wash., D.C., in a scheduled 10 round super welterweight bout. Grayton was the 2010 National Golden Gloves champion defeating Errol Spence who is now the No. 1 IBF contender and former 2016 Olympian. This will be Cintron’s biggest test since coming back in 2013.

The undercard features the former 2-time IBF cruiserweight champion Steve “USS” Cunningham, 28-8-1 (13), of Philadelphia, back after an almost a year lay-off taking on Felipe “El Indio” Romero, 19-11-1 (13), in a scheduled 8. He is from Baja, MEX. He twice defeated Julio Cesar Gonzalez who stopped Poland’s DariuszMichalczewski win streak when he was 48-0 and in Germany winning the WBO light heavyweight title. Romero was the Mexican cruiserweight champion at the time. In his next fight he won the Mexican heavyweight title. Then he defeated Gonzalez in a rematch.
A pair of unbeaten Brooklyn boxers will be on the undercard in Chordale Booker, 5-0 (3), and Chris Colbert, 5-0 (2), in separate bouts. Local Reading product southpaw super welterweight Erik Spring, 8-1-2 (1), will be meeting Jeremiah Wiggins, 10-5-1 (5), out of Newport News, VA. Another local middleweight Nicholas Hernandez, 5-2 (1), meets Nick Valliere, 5-1 (2), of Forked River, NJ. And another Reading boxer super lightweight Kashon Hutchinson, 2-1 (1), takes on Darius “I Am King” Ervin, 3-1 (0), of L.A. While another in Jesus Perez makes his debut.

Posted on 04/16/2016

PBC on NBC Results: Browne wins controversial SD; Glowacki defends his Title & Spence dominates in 5
By: Matt Becher

Live from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, Premier Boxing Champions put on an exciting fight card live on NBC Primetime. Undefeated Light Heavyweights Marcus Brown and Radivoje Kalajdzic mixed it up, looking to take another step up the ladder in their weight division. The fight was ugly and ended with a controversial decision

Krzysztof Glowacki was able to defend his WBO Cruiserweight title for the first time against fading veteran Steve Cunningham. Though Cunningham was able to put up a valiant effort, the story of the night was how tough Glowacki really might be.

The main event was a showcase for Spence Jr. The former Olympian may just be the next big thing to hit the sport. He lived up to his reputation and maybe even surpassed it. Knocking out a former world champion with relative ease, something that Provodnikov, Pacquiao and Khan could not do.

Marcus Browne (17-0 13KO) v. Radivoje Kalajdzic (21-0 14KO): Light Heavyweight

This fight started off ugly, and pretty much stayed that way for its entirety. Browne was able to score a knockdown in the first round, but it looked more to have been a slip by Kalajdzic. Both fighters fought recklessly through the fight, throwing wild punches, with little defense.

Browne looked more like an amateur and not a fighter moving his way up. Kalajdzic fought in enemy territory and was able to floor Browne with a very nice combination that legitimately hurt Browne.

The final three rounds were Kalajdzic hitting Browne and Browne holding on. The score cards were close, but it seemed to have swung the wrong way. Even the crowd booed the local man’s Split Decision victory.

Browne SD8 76-75 & 76-74 Browne, 76-74 Kalajdzic

Krzysztof Glowacki (25-0 16KO) v. Steve Cunningham (28-7-1 13KO): WBO Cruiserweight title

A great deal may have been seen tonight in the Cruiserweight division, and that is the newest champion Krzysztof Glowacki is going to be around for a while.

Glowacki started out fast landing a counter left in the second round, putting Cunningham down within the first 30 seconds of the round. Another exchange quickly there after saw Cunningham go down for a second time in the second round. Glowacki has great power. Cunningham was able to land his jab effectively for most of the fight, but would get caught with a power counter at the end of most of his exchanges.

Glowacki took some power shots that would have put most Cruisers on their backs, maybe even some heavyweights, but he never wavered. Glowacki showed that his chin was just as strong as his left hand.

In the 9th round Cunningham showed a bit of a comeback, but seemed to be bothered by a swelling over his right eye caused by an accidental head butt. In the 10th Glowacki was able to land a short right hook that put Cunningham down for a third time. Cunningham came back fiercely with two flush right hands to the chin of Glowacki, but to no effect.

The final round was action packed, both guys going for a knockout, Glowacki again came out with the better shots in the final round, dropping Cunningham and winning a Unanimous Decision.
Glowacki UD10 116-108, 115-109(2x)

Errol Spence Jr. (19-0 16KO) v. Chris Algieri (21-2 8KO): Welterweight

Spence came out of the corner with a chip on his shoulder. He immediately showed off his speed and power. He landed thunderous body blows to the ribs and mid-section of Algieri. Algieri would occasionally test Spence’s chin, but it was to no avail. Spence had no respect for any of Algieri’s power.

In the fourth round Algieri ate a crisp left hand on the jaw that sent him to the canvas. He was able to survive the round. It wouldn’t last much longer. The fifth round had Spence come out fast and knock down Algieri. A worn down former champ, Algieri, gamely got up, only to be swarmed by Spence, who knocked down Algieri again. Spence may be the next big thing to the sport, he certainly proved himself tonight.

Spence KO5 2:12

Posted on 04/14/2016

PBC on NBC Preview: Browne v. Kalajdzic, Cunningham v. Glowacki & Spence Jr. v. Algieri
By: Matthew N. Becher

This Saturday, Premier Boxing Champions will present an exciting boxing card from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. Packed with Olympians, former titlist and the WBO Cruiserweight champion. Teammates on the 2012 US Olympic team Errol Spence Jr. and Marcus Browne will reunite and put their undefeated records on the lines against each owns respected opponents. While the Co-Main event will see the return of former two time Cruiser weight world champion Steve “USS” Cunningham, in his first fight back from a brief stint at heavyweight, he will attempt to win back a world title against the undefeated Kzysztof Glowacki.

Marcus Browne (17-0 13KO) vs. Radivoje Kalajdzic (21-0 14KO): Light Heavyweight

Marcus Browne is a 25 year old, undefeated Southpaw, who was a member of the 2012 US Men’s Olympic team. Browne has an impressive record and has faced some tough fighters on his quick rise up the light heavyweight division. He fought four times in 2015, winning all of his fights, including a knockout out of former titlist Gabriel Campillo and retiring veteran Aaron Pryor Jr. Browne has a very good amateur background and knows how to box, but he also carries heavy hands, with 13 of his 17 wins coming by way of the knockout.

Kalajdzic is also a young, undefeated fighter, with heavy hands. His opponents have not been up to the same standard as Browne’s, but Kalajdzic possesses stopping power in his right hand and he will look for the upset on Saturday night. Kalajdzic also fought 4 times last year with wins over Larry Pryor, William Johnson, Gilberto Domingos, and Fabio Garrido. This would be a big upset if Kalajdzic could pull it off, but he is undefeated and relatively unknown. This would be his chance to show what he is made out of on national television.

Krzysztof Glowacki (25-0 16KO) vs. Steve Cunningham (28-7-1 13KO): WBO Cruiserweight Title

Cunningham first became a world champion in 2007, traveling to Poland and winning a Majority decision against Krzysztof Wlodarczyk. He defended that title against Marco Huck and ended up losing the title to Tomasz Adamek in 2008. He regained it 3 years later in Germany against Troy Ross, before losing it to eventual lineal champion Yoan Pablo Hernandez. After that fight, Cunningham decided to make a run at the heavyweight titles. Even though he was much smaller than his competition, Cunningham stayed in the division for three years, going 4-3-1, with wins over Manuel Quezada, Amir Mansour, Natu Visinia and a draw with Antonio Tarver. Cunningham was never able to put on enough weight to fully compete in the division against the very large men and decided to come back down to his natural Cruiserweight division and attempt to become a 3 time world champ.

Glowacki is a 29 year old who is coming off the biggest fight of his life. In August of last year, he ended a historic championship run by Marco Huck, coming from behind and picking himself off the canvas to Knockout Huck in incredible fashion in the final round of their “fight of the year” candidate match. Last year’s fight against Huck was Glowacki’s first fight outside of his native Poland and he proved his mettle. This has the promise to be a very exciting fight, with an old and young champion coming to stop the other with a possible unification bout later this year.

Errol Spence Jr. (19-0 16KO) vs. Chris Algieri (21-2 8KO): Welterweight

Chris Algieri is the former WBO Jr. Welterweight champion of the world. He won that title after upsetting hard hitting Russian Ruslan Provodnikov. That night certainly changed Algieri’s life forever. After hitting the deck twice in the first round and his eye swelling completely shut, Algieri proved that he could not only re adjust to a fight in very quick fashion, but that he had the heart of a champion. He turned that fight into a three year run that has seen him face Manny Pacquiao, lose a tough nosed brawl against Amir Khan, and then duke it out last year against a very game Erick Bone. Algieri has gone from the “underdog” to the “gate keeper” of the welterweight division. He will be Spence Jr.’s toughest opponent to date, and many think that Algieri could derail the former amateur standouts road to a title fight this year.

Spence Jr. is what many are calling the future of the welterweight division. Spence is a 26 year old southpaw that seems to have it all, the hand speed, footwork and power to give anyone from 140-154 trouble. Spence is riding a 5 fight knockout streak against Javier Castro, Samuel Vargas, Phil Lo Greco, Chris Van Heerden and Alejandro Barrera. Spence Jr. is a very exciting fighter, whose future looks extremely bright. He will be fighting a former champion against Algieri, and the two seem to match up well on paper. This is a big moment for Spence to shine on the big stage of a primetime nationally televised audience, and if he fights the way he is capable of, this could lead to a big fight later on this year.