Errol Spence Jr. stops Leonard Bundu with sixth-round KO, wants Kell Brook next
Errol Spence Jr. showed why he is one of the fastest-rising young stars in boxing, knocking out veteran Leonard Bundu in the sixth round to remain undefeated in the IBF welterweight title eliminator Sunday at the Ford Amphitheater at Coney Island, N.Y.
The Premier Boxing Champions bout, scheduled for 12 rounds, was televised live on NBC.
Spence (21-0, 18 KOs) knocked Bundu (33-2-2, 12 KOs) down for the first time in the sixth with a left uppercut. Then a short time later, with Bundu still on wobbly legs, landed another left uppercut followed by a right hook that knocked Bundu through the ropes. Referee Johnny Callas waved off the fight at 2:06 of the round.
"I was going for the knockout," Spence said with a smile. "Fighting on NBC, prime time, I wanted to put on a great performance for these fans."
Spence will be mandated to fight IBF welterweight champion Kell Brook. Brook moved up to middleweight to fight undefeated champion Gennady Golovkin in England on Sept. 10. But did not vacate his welterweight belt.
"Come on," Spence said when asked about getting a shot at Brook. "His manager said I didn't want to fight him, so come on, he can drop out of that Triple G fight and fight me right now."
Spence was just too quick and used lightning-quick combinations to break down Bundu little by little.
Spence landed an amazing 64% of his power punches (86 of 134), while Bundu connected on 26% of his power punches.
"He was very awkward and came out switching (stances)," Spence said. "It took me a little bit of time to get it together, but when I got it together, and start using my jab to break him down and knock him out."
Spence's shots appeared to be much harder in the fourth round and by the end of that round had landed nearly three times as many punches as his opponent.
"He certainly lived up to the hype," said Bundu, who was taken to the hospital for evaluation after the fight. "Errol was more precise than Keith Thurman. Errol threw more punches and was fresh in every round."
(Photo of Spence, right and Bundu during Sunday's fight, by Ed Diller, DiBella Entertainment)