Errol Spence Talks Balancing Being a Professional Athlete & Active Father
One of the greatest things that all fighters complain about is the perils of training camp. The strict diet, weight loss requirements, grueling routines and especially the separation from family all register here. IBF and WBC welterweight champion Errol “The Truth” Spence Jr (27-0, 21 KO’s) has no magic wand to wave away the physically strenuous aspect of fight preparation. However, he can and has done away with the separation of family element.
Rather than travel away to train in monkish seclusion, the Truth has kept his family close. He even brings his young children to the gym. The unified champion explained the importance of fulfilling his fatherly duties by drawing his offspring into his professional inner circle in a recent All Access installment on SHOWTIME. This is to make sure that they never feel that they are being played as second best to his career. It also is a chance to practice what he preaches in terms of being committed to hard work.
FULL-TIME SUPER HERO
“They’re my motivation, so why not have my kids there motivating me? It’s not a distraction. They actually say, ‘I am in the gym with my dad,’ or ‘I grew up watching my dad train.’ They are seeing firsthand hard work. I am not going to take that away from them.
“[…] You see a lot of great athletes that were never in their kids life because they were always focused on being that great athlete. I can’t picture me being away from my kids. I want them to be able to look at me and be like, ‘he not only a super hero to some people, he is a super hero to us too because he always there.’ I want to be a great athlete and great father for my kids.”
It will be interesting to see how Spence handles himself when he is trapped in the ring with Ugas come April 16. Will his family turnout to be the next level of motivation that he feels that it is, or will the adopted philosophy reveal itself to be a major blunder? Only time will tell, but thankfully we don’t have much more to go before we get to our thrilling conclusion!
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By: Bakari Simpson
