Errol Spence-Mikey Garcia: A showdown in Texas.
IBF Welterweight Title
Satruday, March 16
LIVE on FOX PPV
9:00 PM ET / 6:00 PM PT
On March 16, we’ll be treated to a battle between two top 10 P4P fighters when Errol Spence Jr defends his IBF welterweight title against Mikey Garcia.
This fight came together after Garcia continually called out Spence for a fight. Now, with the other welterweight champions being occupied, the lightweight champion got his wish.
On paper, this fight seems like a mismatch due to the substantial size difference. However, there’s more to this match-up than meets the eye.
Mikey Garcia (39-0, 30KO)
A four division champion, Garcia has won titles at 126, 130, 135 and 140 pounds. He’s looking to make history by becoming the first Mexican fighter to win titles in five weight divisions.
Garcia isn’t a guy who’s extremely athletic nor overly muscular. However, is very tactical in his approach. He also possesses good technique as well as the ability to counter his opponents and place his punches accurately.
Garcia has a way in making his opponent fight at the pace that works for him, which in turn often stagnates them. His ring IQ is exceptional; always cerebrally remaining one step ahead of his opponents. His ability to cut off the ring and put his opponents in positions to be ineffective is a credit to his underrated footwork.
Errol Spence Jr (24-0, 21KO)
Errol Spence Jr, a Texas native, heads into this fight with pretty much every physical advantage you can think of.
Spence is a ferocious body puncher who takes pride in breaking his opponents downstairs. He also has a little finesse to his game, as he displayed in his fight with Lamont Peterson.
An athletic fighter with bruising power, Spence is a fighter that gets better as the fight goes on. He’s shown early on his career to be physically durable and mentally strong as the fight enters the second half of fights.
He also has a bad habit of squaring himself up when on the attack. This in turn leaves him vulnerable and out of position to incoming punches from his opponents. That’s something he’ll need to be aware of even against the smaller Garcia.
Prediction
This fight will provide a test of where both men are for different reasons. For Garcia, this fight will show whether or not he’s able to deal with a much bigger fighter who’s not only physically stronger, but also possesses legitimate power in his punches.
For Spence, this fight will show where he’s at mentally; can he make adjustments against one of the smarter fighters in boxing today? We know that he can go in there and knock Garcia out, but can he do it by setting up his much smaller but cerebral opponent with his mind?
At the end of the day, we’ll see both men find success in this fight. However, as the fight goes on, I think we’ll see Spence end up being too much physically for the smaller Garcia who’s coming up from 135 to 147.
I think Garcia will win some rounds early, but won’t have the power to effectively keep Spence at bay. With the lack of respect for his smaller adversary’s power, I think Spence will zero-in on the body and look to break the spirit of Garcia.
At the end of the night, I see Spence stopping Garcia who’ll be game in the eighth round to retain his title. It won’t be easy, but Spence eventually catches Garcia and cuts the lights off. One things for sure is that Saturday night can’t get here fast enough!
By: Jerrell Fletcher
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