Spence outpoints Garcia, keeps title
Credit to Author: Tempo Online| Date: Sun, 17 Mar 2019 12:31:20 +0000
DALLAS (AFP) – Errol Spence Jr. beat Mikey Garcia by a unanimous decision to retain his IBF title in a welterweight homecoming bout on Saturday.
Spence dominated Garcia throughout with a stinging jab and a barrage of combinations and his hometown crowd at the AT&T Stadium in Dallas, Texas cheered wildly as he solidified himself as one of the best pound-for-pound boxers in the world.
(L-R) Errol Spence Jr fights Mikey Garcia in an IBF World Welterweight Championship bout (TOM PENNINGTON / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / AFP)
Spence put on a 12-round fighting clinic in the battle of the unbeaten boxers, winning by lopsided margins on all three judges’ scorecards, 120-107, 120-108 and 120-108.
Garcia never landed more than 10 punches in a single round in front of the crowd of 47,500. Spence landed 375 total punches to just 75 for Garcia, who was fighting for the first time as a welterweight after moving up two divisions.
Spence has been avoided by most of the top fighters in the division but this victory appears to have set up a future showdown with Filipino Manny Pacquiao.
Pacquiao appeared in the ring after the final bell and said he was willing to face Spence.
Spence improved to 25-0 but failed to get the knockout he wanted in his third defence as his KO streak was stopped at 11 fights. This is just the fourth time in his career that the former 2012 US Olympian didn’t knock out his opponent.
Garcia, who was trying to win a title in his fifth different weight class, dropped to 39-1 with 30 KOs.