By Chris Williams: Mikey Garcia is predicting that WBC welterweight champion Shawn Porter is going to give IBF champ Errol Spence Jr. a tough test in their fight on September 28 on Fox Sports PPV. Spence is expected to handily beat Porter without any problems.
It’s mostly believed that Porter’s only chance of beating Spence is to rough him up with fouls, and get a bad cut or two opened up on his face. That would make it an ugly fight, but it’s likely Porter’s only shot at winning.
Spence (25-0, 21 KOs) and Porter (30-2-1, 17 KOs) will be fighting at the Staples Center in Los Angles, California.
Mikey lost a one-sided 12 round decision to Spence last March in Arlington, Texas. Since that fight, Mikey has been inactive, and he appears to have really bulked up with his eating. He’s looking like he’ll never see lightweight again, which means no fight with Vasiliy Lomachenko. Mikey looks like he’s weighing in the 170s, and there’s little chance he’ll be able to get down to 135 ever again. The way he’s talking, it sounds like he’s lost his motivation. He hasn’t fought in six months, and he has no fights scheduled. Mikey likely won’t fight again this year.
Mikey: Porter will do really well against Spence
“I think Porter is going to give a much better fight than people expect,” said Mikey to Fighthype. “And, I think it’s going to be a close fight. I feel Spence should edge, and win the fight. But if Porter puts the pressure on like he normally does, I think he’ll do really well, and make it a difficult fight.
If Porter fights hard, and gets on the inside like he normally does with a lot of pressure, and a lot of volume punches, I think he can do much better than people anticipate. I still feel Spence should probably take it, but it should be a good fight,” said Mikey.
It’s going to be difficult for Porter to win this fight unless he takes it to the inside, and thrashes Spence with elbows and head-butts. Porter isn’t going to out-slug Spence. That’t not happening.
Mikey predicts win for David Benavidez over Anthony Dirrell
“I think Benavidez will win. Benavidez is a better fighter, and younger and stronger,” said Mikey in giving a prediction on the David Benavidez vs. Anthony Dirrell fight on the undercard of Spence vs. Porter. “Benavidez is in his prime. Benavidez wins.”
This is an easy fight to predict. WBC super middleweight champion Anthony Dirrell (33-1-1, 24 KOs) is up there in age at 34, and he’s facing a dynamite puncher in David Benavidez (21-0, 18 KOs). The youth, size and the power is on the 22-year-old Benavidez’s side in this fight. If this fight had taken place six years, you could give Dirrell a good shot at winning. He was an excellent fighter when he was in his 20s, but he’s not looked good recently against Avni Yildirim and Denis Douglin.