In a WBC and IBF welterweight title fight, Danny Garcia and Errol Spence Jr. meet Saturday at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The fighters will battle for Spence’s two belts in the 147-pound weight class. The fight card kicks off at 9 p.m. ET on FOX Pay-Per-View.
Garcia vs. Spence Jr. tale of the tape
Garcia (36-2) is a former two-division champion, and he will certainly be no pushover. At 32 years old, he has quite a bit of mileage on his tires. In his 38 career professional bouts, he has posted 21 knockouts, and it’s his devastating left hook which Spence will have to be very careful to defend. His punching power is the most dangerous thing he brings to the table.
Spence (26-0) is looking to rebound from a devastating drunk driving crash in the fall of 2019 in his hometown of Dallas, just two weeks after his split-decision win over Shawn Porter for the WBC strap. He was hospitalized after being thrown from his Ferrari while not wearing a seat belt, and he was in intensive care due to non-life-threatening injuries.
The southpaw could get off to a slow start, perhaps exhibiting a little bit of rust, and potentially some trepidation early on, before he kicks off the training wheels and gets down to business. He has a chance to put all of those out of the ring issues in the rear-view mirror, and set up a giant potential pay day against either veteran Manny Pacquiao, or perhaps a unification fight with Terence Crawford.
This fight will be in front of roughly 11,000 fans.
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Garcia vs. Spence Jr. betting odds, predictions and picks
Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated at 8:40 a.m. ET.
Spence Jr. (-400) will be right at home fighting in the Metroplex, and he carries a lot of weight on his shoulders. He is trying to put that ugly crash in the past, and start making headlines again for his fighting. Look for him to get off to a rather slow start, as Garcia (+300) makes him work for it, but don’t expect the killshot from Garcia by way of that famous left hook. Spence will be able to weather an early storm and get it done in the end. Still, playing the champ on the 3-way line is rather risky.
I like SPENCE ON POINTS (-120) as the best play on this card. It’s a little more than I prefer to risk, but in the round group betting, backing the fight TO GO THE DISTANCE (-228) is a strong play.
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