Spence makes impressive return to the ring
With all eyes on him, IBF and WBC world welterweight champion Errol “The Truth” Spence Jr (27-0, 21 KO’s) successfully defended his titles against Danny “Swift” Garcia (36-3, 21 KO’s). Many were shocked that he chose to take on Garcia in his first bout back in the squared-circle. Not only had the Truth been out of the ring for over a year, he was returning from his near tragic 2019 automobile accident. In the end, his boldness was rewarded with a unanimous decision victory.
Rather than play it safe, the unified champ sought for greatness. Prior to flipping his car over multiple times, and landing in the hospital, Spence was slated to face Swift. The Truth wanted to prove to the world that he is just as dangerous now as before the incident. So, he figured the best way to illustrate the point was take on the hard-hitting former world champion. On this end of their duel, it appears that Team Spence made the correct choice!
BACK IN THE GAME
In the all-important first round, Spence did not disappoint. Behind jabs of various speeds, the Truth pressed the action and attacked the body with gusto. Garcia, ever the sparse puncher, landed a good couple of counter hooks but not much more. In the second round, the same tempo maintained. Of the shots that Swift was landing, the best were the nasty hooks to the ribs and piercing shots to the belly.
During the fourth, Danny Garcia drew his line in the sand and increased his offense. He could not keep up with the Truth’s offense however. The two were engaged in a sophisticated shootout through the seventh with Spence clearly getting the better of it. In the eighth, there was a significant shift the fight dynamics.
The Truth began shelling up, largely walking Garcia down and focusing on the body. When he was not crowding Swift, Spence used his feet to circle the ring, out of punching range. Down the stretch, the story of the fight did not alter. Garcia never stopped landing hard meaningful shots, but they were too infrequent to carry most rounds.
Even worse, Swift looked like he was in a tough fight with his swollen left eye and encroaching fatigue. By contrast, Spence remained fresh and spry through the twelfth round. In the final rounds, as he thought himself up on the cards, Spence did get a bit lackadaisical on defense, however.
By playing around, he allowed Swift to score with some shots he should not have, yet none turned the tide. When the scorecards were read, and Spence was named the winner, Garcia did not protest the ruling whatsoever. In the end, this was a great comeback win for the unified welterweight champion champion.
By: Bakari Simpson
