Spence on Garcia: ‘I thought he was just chasing my name when he was calling me out’

Unbeaten welterweight world champion Errol Spence Jr. and undefeated four-division champion Mikey Garcia previewed their upcoming showdown and faced-off live on FOX at a press conference in Los Angeles Saturday as they near their battle for pound-for-pound supremacy that headlines a Premier Boxing Champions on FOX Sports Pay-Per-View event on Saturday, March 16 from AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

Spence and Garcia were joined on stage at the press conference by a living legend, Thomas “Hitman” Hearns, who won titles in five weight divisions and fought Sugar Ray Leonard in one of the most memorable welterweight fights in history.

Many were surprised that Garcia was willing to face one of the most feared fighters at 147 in Spence, including the IBF welterweight champion.

“At first, I thought he was just chasing my name when he was calling me out,” Spence said. “Once it became real, I saw how serious he was. At that point, I was very confident it would happen.

“I’m not the bully here because Mikey really pushed for the fight. The other champions weren’t available at the time, plus Mikey is the only top fighter who called me out. I knew this was a fight I wanted.”

While Spence believes his size advantage will help him fight night, he also believes his skills will be a factor as well.

“Mikey is undefeated, has a great skill set and has won a title at 140-pounds,” Spence said. “I don’t see him as that small a fighter. He has a technical style that’s very traditional. He likes to use angles to set his opponent’s up.

“Size always matters, but when you get in there, at the end of the day, it’s about skills and intelligence. I’m not going to rely on size. I’m going to focus on my talent. If I can roll through him, then I’ll show my killer instinct and try to get him out of there. I’m going to use my ability to break him down.”

Tickets for the March 16 event, which is promoted by TGB Promotions and Ringstar Sports, are on sale now and can be purchased at SeatGeek.com, the Official Ticketing Provider of AT&T Stadium.

Photos from Andy Samuelson/Premier Boxing Champions