By Dan Ambrose: Trainer Angel Garcia is predicting a knockout for Danny Garcia this Saturday night when he takes on Errol Spence Jr at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
This is the post-car crash version of Spence (26-0, 21 KOs) that Danny will be challenging for his IBF/WBA welterweight titles on December 5th, and we have no idea what we’ll see from him.
Although Spence says he’s fully recovered from his car accident and 100%, doubts still linger if he can ever be the fighter he once was.
One look at the twisted record of Spence’s high-priced Ferrari Spyder that was destroyed in his car crash in October 2019 is enough to cause doubts in the minds of anyone about his continued viability as a top fighter.
Danny could be in the right place at the right time to get the Spence fight, and it’s now up to him to take advantage of the gift given to him.
A victory over Spence will rejuvenate the 32-year-old Garcia’s sagging career and open doors for him to get big money fights against Manny Pacquiao, Terence Crawford, and Keith Thurman in 2021.
Garcia has a two-fight winning streak against Ivan Redkach and Adrian Granados since suffering a 12 round unanimous decision defeat against Shawn Porter in September 2018.
Danny Garcia will be knocking out Spence
“I’d like to make 154, but I’ve proved I can make 154 without being on a diet,” said Danny Garcia. “To me, that’s taking a step back in my career [moving back down to 140].
“There’s no reason for me to go back down there ever again. That’s just for what? I already won a title at 147. I’m trying to repeat history, and I’m going to repeat history.
“I’m not going backward. If anything, and I’m going forwards. He’s never fought Danny Garcia; it’s that simple. He’s never been in the ring with Danny Garcia. I’m not nobody he fought, so I’m different. And I’m staying sharp and going over mentally and physically the game plan,” said Garcia.
“He’s knocking him the f*** out,” said trainer Angel Garcia when asked what’s going to happen this Saturday night between Danny and Spence. “And he’s knocking him out in the seventh.
“He’s going to get what he deserves. He’s a good dude, don’t get me wrong. I don’t hate him or nothing like that, but this is a business.
“We got to do what we got to do. And we got to come out victorious. We got to feed our family, brother. It’s a cruel business,” said Angel on the Spence vs. Garcia match.
“Lucky seven, we’re going to go for it, yes, we are,” said Danny Garcia in backing up his father Angel’s seventh-round knockout prediction.
Garcia needs to step on the gas if he wants to knockout Spence because he’s too much of a reactive fighter, and that’s not the type of guy that has traditionally given Errol problems. Spence’s toughest career fights were against these guys:
- Emmanuel Lartey
- Shawn Porter
- Leonard Bundu
Garcia must be proactive and follow the blueprint created by Shawn Porter for him to score a stoppage victory over Spence. Of course, if Spence’s punch resistance has been compromised due to his car accident in 2019.
Porter says Spence has question marks
“In the first round, we’re going to see how much Danny Garcia wants the fight, how much he wants to win, and what he’s willing to do,” said Shawn Porter. “For me, I don’t think it takes a number of rounds to get going and fight.
“It’s a matter of are you willing to do what it takes to win the fight. Danny is going to show that to us in the first round.
“And then, on the other side, with everything Errol Spence went through, we’re going to see who Errol Spence is.
“I have questions, and I think a lot of people have questions, and it’s for a good reason. A lot of us saw exactly what he went through [with his car crash of his Ferrari in 2019], and it’s hard for him as a fighter to ignore it.
“I’ll tell you right now; if I went through something like that and continued to fight, I would ignore everything that happened. I’d pretend that it never happened, and I’d keep pushing forward as if it ever happened.
“But the thing we say in boxing is, ‘The ring will always tell you.’ So the ring is going to tell us exactly who Junior [Spence] is now. My fingers are crossed that he is who he’s been. He deserves to be who he’s been.
“He is 28? You got so much more to do in this sport, and it would be a shame for you not to be able to do it because of an accident like that. I’m hoping we see the greatest of both men on Saturday night,” Porter said about Spence.
There are definitely question marks about Spence’s ability to take a punch from someone like Danny Garcia.
All you need to do is listen to Spence’s speech pattern now, which sounds slightly slurred, and you immediately there’s some concern. What did that car accident due to Spence? We know what it did to his Ferrari.
Porter likes Garcia’s confidence
“I’m hyped. I think it’s going to be an excellent fight,” continued Porter on the Spence vs. Garcia match. “A lot of people are counting out Danny, and from what I’ve heard and seen from his camp, it makes me feel good.
“He and his dad are moving accordingly on one accord, as we say. When you go into the ring, there’s only one. It’s only you and your opponent. However, if you’re tight with your opponent, that corner is right there in the ring with you when you fight.
“A lot of people have seen my dad outside of the ring when I fight, and they’ve seen him moving like this.
“Yeah, it’s that real for both of them. My understanding is that it’s become that real for the Garcia family, and I love that,” said Porter.
Garcia is always confident heading into his fights, but that didn’t help him in his losses to Porter and Keith Thurman.
What’s important for Danny is to start quickly against Spence and not give away the first half of the fight like he did against Porter and Thurman. Danny can’t let Spence get his confidence going because he does well when he’s sitting on a big lead and can shut down his opponents with his jab.