IBF: Spence faces Garcia
LOS ANGELES (AFP) – Errol Spence Jr. believes he will deserve to be regarded as the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world if he successfully defends his IBF welterweight crown against Mikey Garcia in Texas on Saturday.
Spence and Garcia face off at the AT&T Stadium Arlington in a battle of unbeaten fighters which sees the champion aiming to lay claim to being the best fighter in a division full of talent.
Spence (24-0, 21 KOs), is in no doubt what a victory over Garcia (39-0, 30 knockouts) will mean for his career.
“This win makes me pound-for-pound number one,’’ Spence said this week. “Mikey has a great record and a big fan base and I feel like winning this fight turns me into a star.
“Everyone wants to take Floyd Mayweather’s place as the face of boxing, and this puts me on the right track to become the face of boxing and the best fighter in the world.’’
The champion’s hyperbole, however, is not cutting ice with boxing’s cognoscenti, many of whom believe the 29-year-old is a heavy favourite to outmuscle Garcia, who is stepping up two weight classes to take on Spence.
Retired former super middleweight and light heavyweight world champion Andre Ward believes Saturday’s bout will be a “classic case of a good big man beats the little good man.’’
“The added weight and sheer size and power of Spence will prove to be too much for a great fighter who just took too much of a risk,’’ Ward told ESPN.