Errol Spence Jr. retained his IBF Welterweight World Championship in his hometown in front of 47,525 fans with a unanimous decision over four-division world champion Mikey Garcia in the main event of the first Premier Boxing Champions on FOX Sports Pay-Per-View event Saturday night from AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
All the cliches came out after this fight. “Size Matters,” “Skills Pays the Bills,” and so on. Garcia was making his welterweight debut, and while Spence’s size did matter, his skills are what got it done.
“Throughout training camp, a lot of commentators thought he was too smart, and I couldn’t box as well as him,” said Spence. “I showed I can box and I can move my head if I want to. The game is to be smart; it’s the sweet science. I had the size and reach advantage, so why not use it to take away the jab? It’s a weapon for me, and it takes away one of his weapons.
“The Truth” threw a career-high 1082 punches and out-landed Garcia by a staggering 345 to 75 margin.
After 12-rounds of action, all three judges saw the fight for Spence, by scores of 120-108 twice and 120-107.
“I really appreciate the love and support of the fans tonight,” said Garcia. “It’s a great night and all the credit to Errol, he’s a great champion. He’s the truth. He executed his game plan very well.”
What’s next for Spence? He wants Manny Pacquiao, who was at AT&T Stadium last night.
“He’s broken records here before, he’s a legend in the sport, and it’d be my honor to fight him next,” said Spence.
“Yes, why not?” said Pacquiao, when asked about facing Spence next. “We’ll give the fans a good fight. I’m so happy to be here at AT&T Stadium, and I hope I will be back here soon.”
We’ll see if Pacquiao will step up to the challenge, but after what we saw on Saturday night, if he declined the fight, who could blame him!
