By: Hans Themistode
The questions have become repetitive and somewhat irritating. Yet, they are also necessary.
As Errol Spence Jr. counts down the final days until his ring return against Danny Garcia on December 5th, the unified welterweight champion has found himself answering the same questions surrounding his health for months.
The inquiries into his physical fitness, of course, stem from his horrific car crash in October of 2019. Much like the questions which remained the same, Spence Jr.’s answers have been unchanged as well.
“I feel like I’m 110%,” said Spence Jr. during an interview with Fight Hub TV.
To ensure that the Dallas native will in fact return as the same phenomenal fighter that he was before, a near nine-month training camp took place. The rough moments and rust during said camp, has Spence Jr. (26-0, 21 KOs) feeling confident that he will not only defeat Garcia but dish out a serious beating to him in the process.
If however, Spence Jr. finds himself on the wrong of a defeat for the first time of his career to Garcia, then there will be no doubt that he isn’t quite the same.
“If I get past Danny Garcia then it leads me back to where I want to be and the path that I want to be on and who I want to fight. If I can’t get past him then something is wrong. I gotta be 100% focus to get past him and that’s where I feel like I am right now.”
Under normal circumstances, 8-12 weeks is all that a fighter needs to whip himself into fighting shape. Yet, with Spence Jr.’s training protracted by several months, he isn’t worried about his timing being off in the ring. Garcia, 32, is a great fighter in his own right, having won world titles in two separate weight classes. With that being said, both Spence Jr. and his trainer, Derick James, is under the impression that nothing less than 100% of him will be walking into the ring on December 5th.
Despite his readiness though, Spence Jr. doesn’t believe 100% of his efforts would be needed.
“He’s a great fighter, iron chin and very tough but I think even if I was at 70 percent Danny Garcia couldn’t beat me.”
While boxing fans and media pundits will be watching every punch of the Dallas product intently, Spence Jr. believes Garcia (36-2, 21 KOs) is the one who everyone should be keeping an eye on. Whether he’s come up big or just short, Garcia is normally the one who dishes out the punishment. In a matchup against Keith Thurman in March of 2017, Garcia would pick up the first loss of his career. The win for Thurman may have netted an additional world title at the time, but as he explained on numerous occasions, Garcia was by far the hardest puncher he had ever faced.
In short, Garcia may have two losses on his resume, but no one has ever hammered him. If everything goes according to Spence Jr.’s plan however, this Saturday night will be the first.
“I’m gonna try to put a beating on Danny Garcia and make it the worse beating he’s ever had in his boxing career.”
