Mauricio Sulaiman Hints at an Errol Spence v Keith Thurman Title Bout!
The history between reigning unified welterweight champion Errol Spence Jr and ex-unified 147 pound champ Keith “One Time” Thurman goes back many years. Could we finally see them fight each other in 2023?
READY TO MAKE A DECISION
During an exclusive interview with the media source FightHype, WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman was asked about the status of Spence’s mandatory challenger with the WBC. Sulaiman said that is going be determined officially during the upcoming WBC Convention, but has a clue as to who the mandatory contender will be.
“The WBC’s mandatory is next. That has been confirmed. Thurman, he is the number one contender, but everything will be seen at the convention.”
As all fans know, Spence has spent the bulk of this year trying to negotiate a fight for undisputed status against WBO champ Terence Crawford in 2022. To the disappointment of many, that fight will not happen this year, if ever.
STILL A SELLABLE MATCH
There’s a segment of hardcore and mainstream fans who would be accepting of a battle between Spence and Thurman. The bitterness between the two remains deep.
Back when Thurman was on top of the division from 2016-2018, Spence was on the rise and repeatedly called him out for a fight. At the time, Thurman was dismissive of him. Many fans took that as a sign that One Time was ducking him.
RELATED: Thurman To Spence: “You Beat Who I Beat But You Haven’t Beaten Me!”
But now that Spence is the unified champ and considered “the man” at 147, Thurman has been barking loud and long saying he now wants the fight. Spence has claimed in the past that he would not fight Thurman. It seems that decision is no longer up to him.
By: Michael Wilson Jr.
