The welterweight division in boxing has been one of the top divisions in the sport for a while. As of right now it’s heating up again and that’s incredible for the sport. My goal is to give my view and hear how others view the 147 pound weight class.
In terms of rankings, I have it as follows:
Errol Spence Jr.
Keith Thurman
Danny Garcia
Shawn Porter
Omar Figueroa Jr.
Manny Pacquiao
Jeff Horn
Kell Brook
Jessie Vargas
Lamont Peterson
Now, people at this moment are only thinking of the top four, plus Terrence Crawford with his move up to the weight class. Omar Figueroa Jr. who will be facing Adrien Broner on April 21st could be in play. So my viewpoint, it is a six boxer weight class that could create spectacular fights. Those six are my top 5 plus Terrence Crawford. How this unfolds remains to be seen. We will dive into each one and their realistic fight plans.
Errol Spence Jr.: My #1 fighter in this weight class is just waiting and chilling out. He doesn’t feel the need to fight any of the boxers outside of the six I mentioned and he’s waiting for someone to pick up the phone. Errol, in my opinion would beat all of them. Him and Thurman would make an action packed fight, maybe one for the ages. He’s just chilling right now mostly due to what other fighters are doing.
Keith Thurman: In May of 2017 he went out six months after having surgery on his elbow that he fought with hurt against Shawn Porter and Danny Garcia he has detailed. This is what has the welterweight division on stop mode right now and has a lot of fans accusing him of ducking competition. I’m opposed to the view. Danny Garcia hadn’t fought for a year until, Brandon Rios. Mayweather came off retirement to a catch weight against Marquez. All fighters do this. He’ll fight again in May against a challenger who hasn’t been named. Assume it’ll be a tune up.
Danny Garcia: Coming off of a knockout win against Brandon Rios, he’s looking for belts. He wants the top fighters in the weight division and wants everyone to know he’s back in business. Brandon Rios did keep it tough for him and he lost to Thurman pretty easy in my eyes. His next fight won’t be a title fight for sure. Should be a step up from Brandon.
Shawn Porter: He made much noise on Saturday when coming into the ring to confront Danny, finding Keith after the fight to confront him too. Shawn beat Adrian Granados in his last fight. Notably lost to Keith in June of 2016 by unanimous decision.
Omar Figueroa Jr.: He is a nice young prospect who will face Adrien Broner who hasn’t had much success in the 147 weight class. He should be able to win and boost his resume.
Terrence Crawford: After winning all four major belts at 140 he’s making the move to 147. He’s in my opinion the second best pound for pound fighter in the world. The 147 level is a lot different than 147. He has the skill set to beat a Jeff Horn and win a strap at the weight class and put him as one of the fighters to fight.
So what happens? In my best judgement, I have Danny fighting Porter at some point in the summer in an elimination type of match. Not sure who the winner will fight, although I believe the loser will fight Thurman again as he’s stepping up from his first fight back. The winner should and probably would battle Spence, as Spence already called out Danny for a December fight. With Omar, or really the winner of his fight would get Terrence Crawford in the winter. The last men standing would be, Terrence, Errol, and Keith and that should give us at least 3 great matchups heading into 2019. Jessie Vargas is still a young prospect and Kell Brook can give you some entertainment. If you’re into highly entertaining fights, 147 pounds and the top 10-15 fighters in the class are something everyone should tune into.