ARLINGTON, Texas – Banged up.
Those were words Errol Spence Jr. used Thursday to describe how his body felt while he prepared to fight former champion Danny Garcia in December 2020. The unbeaten IBF/WBC welterweight champion had recovered from the injuries he sustained during his infamous one-car accident in October 2019, but neither he nor longtime trainer Derrick James felt like the strong southpaw was near 100 percent physically entering that 12-round, 147-pound title fight at AT&T Stadium.
Spence defeated Philadelphia’s Garcia convincingly anyway, yet he expects to produce a more impressive performance than that unanimous-decision win when he faces WBA “super” champion Yordenis Ugas in a 12-round welterweight title unification fight Saturday night at AT&T Stadium. The 32-year-old Spence (27-0, 21 KOs) hasn’t fought since he underwent surgery to repair a torn retina in his left eye in mid-August, but he felt fresher during his recently completed training camp than he did while preparing to fight Garcia (36-3, 21 KOs).
“I feel like I’m a better fighter [than in] the Danny Garcia fight because … I mean, I came off a car accident,” Spence said during a press conference Thursday at AT&T Stadium. “You know, and I flew 40 in the air and landed on concrete. So, of course, with time, I’m gonna become a better fighter than the Danny Garcia fight. I mean, my body was still kinda banged up and I still won the fight. So, I feel like I’m just a better fighter overall. I’ve been in the gym a lot longer and just been training harder and just been more focused than ever.”
Spence, a native of nearby DeSoto, Texas, suffered cuts, scrapes and bruises to his head and body and damaged his teeth when his Ferrari flipped multiple times in downtown Dallas 2½ years ago. Dallas Police charged him with a misdemeanor count of driving while intoxicated, for which Spence was placed on probation.
The 2012 U.S. Olympian was supposed to meet Manny Pacquiao in a FOX Sports Pay-Per-View main event August 21 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Spence withdrew from that bout 11 days in advance, after his detached retina was detected during a pre-fight eye exam.
Ugas upset the Philippines’ Pacquiao (62-8-2, 39 KOs) by unanimous decision, but James is certain that the Cuban-born Ugas (27-4, 12 KOs) won’t be as successful against a stronger, taller, younger southpaw this time around.
“I’m looking forward to greatness,” James told BoxingScene.com. “Think about this – to be able to shut Danny Garcia out for 12 rounds [117-111, 116-112, 116-112], and to not be at 100 percent, is amazing. But now, coming into this fight, he’s even better. He’s even stronger, more physical. So, I think that you’ll see the great version of Errol Spence.”
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.