‘He’s back’: Champ’s ‘surreal’ comeback

Garcia, a former unified world welterweight champion between 2012 and 2015 and two-weight champ, called it a “one-hundred per cent” a legacy defining fight.

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But it appears to have been for Spence Jr. as he continued his 27-0 record and held on to his IBF and WBC world welterweight titles.

Spence Jr. hasn’t fought in over a year with after a car accident in his Ferrari last October left him hospitalised in critical condition.

The IBF and WBC welterweight titleholder wasn’t wearing a seatbelt and was thrown from his vehicle. He was later charged with driving while intoxicated.

Before the fight, Spence Jr admitted the accident “gave me the same hunger that I had before I won the world title”.

Post-fight after the unanimous decision, Spence Jr. couldn’t wipe the smile off his face.

“The moment is surreal. It has been a dream of mine since coming back from my accident and I think I looked pretty good,” he said. “I had a little ring rust in there but I shook off the cob webs and I would love to be back in the summer.

“All training camp I felt good. I knew I was going to be good and that’s why I told people I don’t want a tune-up fight. I wanted someone like Danny Garcia who would push me.”

The early rounds of his IBF title defence with Danny Garcia showed that with Spence Jr. looking like he’d never left the ring. He was crisp and strong, delivering some stunning shots.

Although Garcia was somewhat taking it to the champ, a massive right in the fifth round that would have done some damage was dodged by Spence, as his haymakers couldn’t connect.

Round six, Spence was hunting the finish, which would have been the first time Garcia had been stopped.

But the Philadelphian came back after an accidental headbutt left some damage on Spence Jr.

Garcia then started to connect some damaging blows with the fight going the distance.

It wasn’t enough for Garcia to come back however with Spence Jr. claiming a convincing win on the scorecards.

“He was just the better man tonight,” a gracious Garcia said. “No excuses. I fought a hard, tough fight. He had a difficult jab and I think that was the key to the fight.

“I didn’t have a great jab. He had a great jab and that was the difference in the fight. He landed it better than me.

“I am going to sit back and rebuild and see what I need to do next. I fought hard and I am proud.”

A moment of levity came when the crowd booed WBO welterweight champion Terence Crawford in the crowd.

Spence Jr. didn’t call anyone out after the fight, instead saying he’d focus on his recently purchased ranch, but plenty of people want the Spence Jr.-Crawford fight.

While the pair have called each other out, after Crawford beat Kell Brook in four rounds last month, legendary promoter Bob Arum joined the call for Crawford-Spence, adding his own call out for the mega-fight.

“Errol Spence and Garcia are fighting Dec 5th. If they really wanna make a big PPV, I’ll put Terence Crawford in with both of them and he’d beat both on the same night. He is far and away the best welterweight in the world.

“Errol Spence will try to avoid Terence Crawford as long as he can because he knows he can’t beat Terence Crawford. You saw the performance tonight, he’ll take out Errol Spence in about the same number of rounds like he took out Kell Brook.”

SPENCE JR. VS GARCIA CARD

Errol Spence Jr. defeated Danny Garcia via unanimous decision (116-112 x2, 117-111) for WBC and IBF welterweight championships

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