Errol Spence Jr. defended his IBF welterweight championship on Saturday night at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas against a game challenger Mikey Garcia.
Spence (25-0, 21 KOs) threw everything but the kitchen sink on the much smaller WBC lightweight champion Garcia (39-1, 30 KOs) but couldn’t get him out of there.
Spence went on to win a wide unanimous decision victory over 12-rounds with the judges scores 120-107, 120-108, 120-108.
The entire fight was fought at a calculated pace with Spence using his reach and one-two punch combo repeatedly.
The much shorter Garcia had a difficult time trying to close the distance and get in range to land, making his punch output limited.
The question heading into the fight was what round would Spence knockout Garcia? But Garcia proved that even though he was coming up in weight all the way from 135-pounds to 147-pounds he had the heart of a lion and refused to quit even after the later round barrage by Spence.
Garcia later acknowledged the power of Spence and said he is probably the hardest puncher in the division.
After the fight Filipino ring legend Manny Pacquiao who was a ringside observer stepped into the ring and congratulated Spence on his victory.
Before starting his post-fight interview a smiling Spence graciously challenged Pacquiao to a super-fight at the Dallas Cowboys stadium which the 40-year-old WBA welterweight champion gladly accepted and said it would be a great fight between the two.
A Pacquiao-Spence fight would pit two of the most aggressive sluggers in the sport against each other, one on his way out and at the tail end of his career and the other just coming into his prime and becoming a big name in boxing.
If the fight Pacquiao vs. Spence fight happens the boxing fans will be the winners on that night, it could signify a new era or it could be one last great win for the former pound-for-pound king.
