Errol Spence Jr and Lamont Peterson weigh in ahead of welterweight showdown
Friday 19 January 2018 22:56, UK
Unbeaten Errol Spence Jr says he will dominate Lamont Peterson in his first IBF welterweight title defence in Brooklyn, New York on Saturday.
Spence Jr (22-0-KO19) weighed in on Friday night exactly on the welterweight limit of 147 pounds while his opponent Peterson (35-3-1-KO17) came in just under at 146.75 pounds.
Spence Jr defends his IBF welterweight title for the first time since dethroning Kell Brook at Bramall Lane in August 2017.
The 27-year-old, who has already said he would relish a clash against former light-welterweight world champion Amir Khan, claims he will 'dominate' Peterson in their bout on Saturday, before setting his sights on the rest of the welterweight division.
"It's a tough challenge. Anyone who knows Lamont knows it is a tough fight," he said.
"Like I said, I came to dominate the [welterweight] division. It started with Kell Brook, I am going to get Lamont and then I'm going to get the other welterweights out there.
"I want to dominate. I have come here to look good. I am the future of the division, I am the future of boxing."
His opponent Peterson, who controversially beat Khan for the WBA and IBF light-welterweight titles in December 2012 before testing positive for a banned steroid, shrugged off suggestions he may be troubled by the naturally bigger fighter in Spence Jr.
"I wouldn't say that [Spence Jr has an advantage], he is not the bigger guy, I just say it doesn't matter. It's all about the boxing skills.
"I think we will both make each other look pretty good, and I will win."
Dominican southpaw Javier Fortuna missed out on his chance to capture the IBF lightweight title on the same card on Saturday after weighing in over the 135-pound limit.
Unbeaten champion Robert Easter Jr tipped the scales half a pound under the limit but intended title challenger Fortuna could not make weight in two tries, coming in at 136.4 pounds, and therefore losing his shot at the title.
