IBF welterweight champion Errol Spence Jr. looks to be returning to the ring sometime this winter.
According to ESPN's Dan Rafael, Spence is expected to make his first defense in either December at the Nassau Coliseum in Long Island, New York or in January at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. Spence's fights are usually shown on Showtime, where they routinely broadcast from the Barclays Center, but Nassau Coliseum is being considered, according to sources with knowledge of the situation, because Spence was born on Long Island.
Spence has not fought since beating Kell Brook earlier this year. Two opponents that are currently being looked at as possible opponents are Luis Collazo or WBA "regular" welterweight champion Lamont Peterson, who won the title earlier this year by beating David Avanesyan via unanimous decision. Collazo is a former WBA welterweight champion from the mid-2000s.
With unified WBA, WBC Keith Thurman still out of action due to elbow surgery, Spence, Peterson and Jeff Horn are the only non-injured welterweight world champions still looking for a fight. Horn, the WBO champion, just had his planned fight against Manny Pacquiao get called off and does not have an opponent for his upcoming November title defense.
Carlos Ocampo and Konstantin Ponomarev were also ordered by the IBF to fight in a title eliminator. The ensuing purse bid was won by Top Rank vice president Carl Moretti, who promotes Ponomarev.
An official announcement on the date and venue for Spence's upcoming fight is expected to be made soon.
