By Brad Slotnick: Danny Garcia believes that Errol Spence Jr has never fought anyone remotely with his kind of punching power before during his career, and he’s going to need to use it to defeat the IBF/WBC 147-lb champion on December 5th.
Garcia (36-2, 21 KOs) is coming into the fight with Spence as a big underdog with the oddsmakers, and this might be his final chance to show that he belongs at the top at welterweight.
Danny, 32, has already lost to Keith ‘One Time’ Thurman and Shawn Porter at 147, and although his dad Angel denies that he deserved those defeats, the fact is he still lost.
If Garcia loses to Spence, it would be his third defeat and a signal that he’s not going to become a world champion again at 147.
Danny can always move back down to 140 but given his age and the fact that he’s been fighting at welterweight since 2014, it’s not realistic he’ll be able to go back down.
Spence (26-0, 21 KOs) and Garcia are headlining on December 5th on Fox Sports pay-per-view at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
Danny Garcia comfortable with underdog role
“It’s crazy. I’ve been an underdog my whole career. So when I’m not an underdog, I don’t feel right,” said Danny Garcia. “So I’m right where I want to be right now.
“I’m in my comfort zone. I’d say I fight great all the time, but it’s the energy I like to have. I like to have a chip on my shoulders. It’s like I’m proving myself all over again. After so many world title fights and big events, I have to prove myself again. That’s what keeps me going.
“I’ve been in there with some wizards,” Danny Garcia said. “Erik Morales, Zab Judah, even though they were in their late 30s. Their experience was something to learn off of.
“You’re going to school that night. I definitely have been in there with some legends. And I learned a lot from those guys. I learned a lot from everything.
“Everything I’ve learned in my career has led m to this fight. Numbers don’t lie. This is a numbers game. So when you sell out the Barclays Center, when you have a market and have millions of views, you can’t force the fans to like you.
“No matter how much the media pumps you, and the media pumps you and the fans don’t like you. You can’t force the fans to like you.
“You can’t force the fans to buy tickets and force them to watch you fight. I proved that no matter what people say about me, they come to watch me.
“My fans love me. I feel if I weren’t from Philly, there wouldn’t be any Danny Garcia. This city has made me who I am today,” said Garcia.
You can easily see why the bettors have made Danny the underdog in this fight because he hasn’t beaten anyone near as good as Spence at 147.
Since moving up to welterweight in 2014, Garcia has failed to show that he belongs among the elite in this weight class. He doesn’t have the height, reach, or boxing ability to win against the best in this weight.
This is a legacy fight for Danny Garcia
“And this is it, this is the fight you’ve got to win for your legacy,” Garcia said about his fight against Spence. This is for your legacy. Besides everything else, this is a fight that I have to win.
“I’ve been here every day working hard for one goal, and that’s to win. We’re definitely best friends, we can tell each other anything, and we could do anything,” Danny said about his father, Angel Garcia.
“It’s fun to have someone on your side all the time, someone you can trust, and we have a friendship. I think that’s why it serves us so well. It’s an honor.
“Since 2015, my first fight was on Premier Boxing Champions. So it’s been a great five years. Everything they’ve promised me, they’ve done. Now we’re here with a big pay-per-view event, five years since they launched.
“Garcia vs. Spence, it’s great, and I’m excited to be a part of it. It’s a blessing,” said Garcia.
You’d have to rate this as Danny Garcia’s biggest test as a pro in challenging Spence. While Danny has been in with talented fighters like Thurman, Porter, and Lamont Peterson, they didn’t have Spence’s ability.
A win for Danny Garcia over Spence would be a tremendous victory and a good comeback win. It would be coming at the right time for his career, having lost his title three years ago in 2017 to Thurman.
Spence hasn’t fought a puncher like Danny
“No doubt about it,” said Danny when asked if he’s the hardest puncher that Spence will have been in with during his career. I don’t think he’s ever been in with anyone that can punch like me.
“I’m sure that he’s never been in [with anyone that punches as hard as him]. I’m one of the hardest punchers in boxing, period.
“So, anyone that steps in the ring with me, I’m going to be the hardest hitter they faced. I don’t know; everyone is different,” Danny said when asked if the year-long off that Spence has had will affect him.
“I can’t really speak for him, so I don’t know. That’s something he has to figure out, and we have to see on December 5th.
“I know I’m ready and ready to go. And I can’t worry about what he’s bringing to the table. I have to worry about Danny Garcia. Training has been different.
“Boxing is a lonely sport, but during the COVID time, it’s more lonely. So even going home, you can’t have anybody over at your house. You can’t go to visit people.
“You can’t do anything. Basically, there’s nothing else to do but fight, to be honest. I’d say anytime to fight a big fight is now. There are no distractions.
“The only thing you have to worry about is not getting COVID. If you’re doing the right thing, you’re not going to get it.
“I’m going to say December the 5th, the Danny Garcia show is coming to Texas,” said Garcia.
Spence hasn’t faced any real punchers during his career, so this should be interesting to see how well he handles Danny’s power.
Errol’s hardest punchers he’s faced as a pro:
- Shawn Porter
- Kell Brook
- Mikey Garcia
- Alejandro Barrera
- Emmanuel Lartey
- Samuel Vargas
The truth is, Spence hasn’t been fighting huge punchers during his career, and this will be the first one that he’s faced. It’s terrible timing for Spence to be facing a powerful fighter like Garcia with him coming off of a car crash, but this is what he wanted.