Errol Spence tells TMZ Sports he's ready to take Floyd Mayweather's place as the #1 star in boxing -- saying, "I'm next up to be a superstar icon."
Spence is 24-0 and headlining a massive PPV fight against 39-0 Mikey Garcia on Saturday for the IBF World Welterweight title ... the fight should be one of the best fights of the year.
In fact, Garia told TMZ Sports he believes it's gonna be an all-time classic.
But Spence says it's not just a fight for him -- it's an opportunity to become one of the highest paid athletes on the planet .