Lamont Peterson and Errol Spence Jr. have known each other for a long time and the elder fighter knew for a long time that the two would eventually come to blows and met in the ring in a real fight outside of a sparring session.
During a press conference to talk about his fight against Spence in New York where Fightful was at, Peterson said he had known for years that there was going to be a point he would fight Spence in a high-profile fight. Peterson had also believe that Spence would eventually become a world champion just by seeing his progression as a boxer for some time.
"I knew six years ago when Errol was in my camp that we'd get to this point. I knew he would be a champion. For the most part, I've seen him improve and progress throughout the pro ranks and I believe he's going to keep getting better," Peterson said.
Spence has a slight size advantage over Peterson and is a younger fighter than the former WBA "regular" welterweight champion. Despite southpaws getting a big reputation in boxing, Peterson is not too worried about as he believes his experience will be a big factor in his favor and regardless of what Spence brings to the table, Peterson said it is his job to figure out a gameplan and win when they meet in a couple of months.
"I'm not too worried about figuring out his southpaw stance. I've been around long enough and encountered enough southpaws. I'm confident I'll be able to handle it. The size may seem like an advantage for Errol, but it's up to me and my team to figure out the best way to negate it. I know who I am. I'm a competitive person. Regardless of everything, I'm going to come to win," Peterson said.
Spence and Peterson will fight for the IBF welterweight title on January 20, 2018 at Brooklyn's Barclays Center. The fight will headline a Showtime Championship Boxing telecast. The fight will also be Spence's first defense of the title after he won the title by beating Kell Brook this past spring. The fight came about when Peterson vacated his WBA title earlier this year for a shot at the IBF title.
Fightful will have live coverage of that card, as with previous boxing cards that have taken place at the venue all throughout 2017.
