Errol Spence Jr Arrived in Australia, Will Jermall Charlo & Stephen Fulton Jr Be Able To Do The Same Here Soon?

The ‘Big Fish’ has officially made it into Australian waters. Former unified welterweight champion Errol Spence Jr. arrived on Thursday and was welcomed by Indigenous Australians in a special ceremony. He arrived about 10 days ahead of his July 25 fight against Tim Tszyu (27-3, 18 KOs), live on pay-per-view.

The 36-year-old Spence (28-1, 22 KOs) from DeSoto, Texas, was in good spirits when he was greeted by the Indigenous Australians.

“It was dope, man — getting welcomed by the Aborigines as soon as I came out after a long flight,” said Spence after the 15-hour flight from Los Angeles. “I’m happy about it. It woke me up a little bit.”

While Spence was on the plane, news broke that Tszyu’s trainer, Jeff Fenech, told Fox Sports Australia that Spence requested the fight be moved from the agreed-upon catchweight of 158 pounds to the middleweight limit of 160 pounds. Fenech felt there was no legitimate reason for the move, and while it left fans wondering why, Spence addressed it right away upon his arrival.

“There was no reasoning at all. I don’t see why we don’t fight at 160. Why are we fighting at 158? Might as well fight at 160.

If I was scared, I wouldn’t have taken the fight. In Australia I’m the big fish. I’m the A-side. If I didn’t want to fight here, I don’t have to fight here.

I don’t give a f*** what he says. He can say it’s a big mistake. We’ll see when we enter the ring. When we face off against each other. He’s just a regular fighter to me. He doesn’t matter.”

So it looks like the fight will be contested at 160, and if Spence comes out victorious and looks good, I can see him staying at middleweight, as it is currently a ghost town with few big names.

Now that Spence is in Australia, what about Jermall Charlo and Stephen Fulton Jr.? Fox Sports Australia reports that both fighters are stuck in Los Angeles due to visa issues. This has been a common occurrence in recent months among fighters with a history of legal issues, with Joe Cordina being the most recent case. I don’t recall Fulton having any issues with the law, but Charlo has been arrested multiple times in the last few years. Let’s hope they can get it straightened out before the weekend.

Abraham Gonzalez

Abraham Gonzalez is a 2x award-winning writer, International Boxing Hall of Fame voter, founder and publisher of FightsATW. His journalistic work has been published and used across several platforms, including online, network TV, and promotional companies. He is an alumnus of an American Public University and a full member of the Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA). Abraham was the Managing Editor for NYFights, Big Fight Weekend, and contributed to The Ring Magazine, FanSidedMMA, and ProBoxTV.

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