IBF/WBC welterweight champion Errol Spence Jr (27-0, 21 KOs) held onto his titles tonight with a 12 round unanimous decision win over Danny Garcia (36-3, 21 KOs). The judges scored it 116-112, 116-112, and 117-111.
Spence showed that he’s fully back from his car crash, and he’s ready to take on WBO welterweight champion Terence Crawford, Manny Pacquiao, or any top w fighter in the division.
Garcia, 32, failed to let his hands go during many of the crucial rounds in the second half of the contest. His situation wasn’t helped by the fact that he had a swollen eye was closing during the championship rounds.
Errol Spence vs. Danny Garcia early live results at AT&T Stadium, in Arlington, Texas.
- Vito Mielnicki (UD 6 Steven Pulluaim
- Frank Martin TKO 5 Tyrone Luckey
- Juan Tapia UD 8 Fernando Garcia
- Marco Delgado SD 6 Burley Brooks
- Isaac Avelar UD 10 Sakaria Lukas
- Featherweight contender Eduardo Ramirez (24-2-3, 11 KOs) put in a highlight-reel knockout in destroying the talented contender Miguel Flores (24-4, 12 KOs) by a fifth-round knockout in their World Boxing Association 126-lb title eliminator bout. Flores started out well in the fight, but he fell apart under the pressure from the 27-year-old Ramirez. In the fifth, Ramirez landed a crushing right hook to the head of Flores that knocked down and that was all she wrote. Flores’ mouth was a bloody mess, and he was finished.
- Josesito Lopez (38-8, 21 KOs) totally dominated Francisco Santana (25-9-1, 12 KOs) by a tenth round knockout. Josesito knocked Santana down in the 1st, 9th, and 10th rounds. Santana took massive punishment in the ninth round in the process of getting knocked down. In the tenth, Lopez knocked Santana down with a monstrous hook to the head. He got back up and nailed several more times before the referee stopped it. Thus far, this was the best fight on the card. Josesito and Santana went to war from the start to the bitter finish.
- Sebastian ‘Towering Inferno’ Fundora (16-0-1, 11 KOs) obliterated the overmatched Habib Ahmed (27-2-1, 18 KOs) in scoring a second-round knockout. Fundora, 6’5 1/2″, gave up his height and stood at medium range bombing the hapless Habib with looking hooks to the head and body. In the second round, Fundora buzzed Ahmed with a powerful hook to the head that left him defensiveness. Fundora then tagged him at will until referee Lawrence Cole waved it off. This fight showed that Fundora, 22, is ready to take on better opposition.
Preview:
IBF/WBC welterweight champion Errol Spence Jr and former two-division champ Danny Garcia are going to war tonight on Fox Sports PPV in their headline attraction in front of live fans.
The fight card is taking place at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
Danny Garcia can’t afford to lose
Losing tonight would be catastrophic for the 32-year-old Garcia’s career, and he cannot afford to get beaten by Spence.
Danny has absorbed losses to Keith Thurman and Shawn Porter since moving up to 147, and he’s made it clear that he won’t return to the 140lb division.
If anything, Danny says he might move up to 154. It might be pointless for Garcia to move up to junior middleweight if he can’t cut it with the elite-level fighters at 147.
If Garcia chooses to stay at welterweight after losing Spence, he might find himself as a B-side opponent for the top guys and the young lions. In other words, Danny ‘Swift’ would take the spot previously occupied by Adrien Broner until he used up his usefulness by losing too many fights.
“I feel like Danny has,” said super middleweight contender Edger Berlanga when asked if who punches harder between Spence and Garcia.
“You saw with Amir Khan; he puts you out. I feel like Spence has that heavy-handed power. He has to keep punching you and beating you up and beating you up.
“Then they see by the seventh round that you’re all lumped up or he’s just taking you out. You saw my brother [Chris] Algieri, and guys like that [who were knocked out by Spence].
“He just stayed consistent and broke them down. That’s the type of fighter he is; he breaks you down round by round.
“With Danny, he’s got that thump power where he hits you, and you can just go at any point. So it’s going to be an interesting fight.
“You’ve got a young lion [Spence] that is up already, and he’s a champion. You’ve got a guy Danny Garcia, he’s sort of young, but he’s at that age where he’s ready to get out.
“I think it’s going to be a good fight. I hope it goes to a decision. Danny’s my guy, and I want him to win. I don’t think by knockout. He’s got to pull off that win. If he loses this fight, it’s over,” said Berlanga.
