By Keith Idec
Errol Spence Jr. is especially interested in the Danny Garcia-Shawn Porter fight because he wants to face the winner.
Spence picked Garcia to emerge from that upcoming fight for the vacant WBC welterweight title. Philadelphia’s Garcia (34-1, 20 KOs), who’s ranked No. 1 by the WBC, and Las Vegas’ Porter (28-2-1, 17 KOs), who’s ranked No. 2, are expected to fight either on August 25 or September 8 for the 147-pound championship Keith Thurman gave up last month.
“I think Danny Garcia could pull it out,” Spence said during a conference call Tuesday. “I mean, he doesn’t do anything spectacular, but he has great timing, good fundamentals and, you know, he’s a very good fighter, man. He just pulls it out. I mean, when you think he’s gonna lose the fight, he ends up winning the fight. So I’ll go with Danny Garcia on that one.”
When asked how Garcia would win, Spence replied, “By decision. I could see him knocking [Porter] down once.”
Assuming the heavily favored Spence beats mandatory challenger Carlos Ocampo on Saturday night, the unbeaten IBF welterweight champ hopes to challenge the Garcia-Porter winner either later this year or early in 2019. Spence (23-0, 20 KOs), of DeSoto, Texas, believes fights against the Garcia, Porter or Thurman, who still holds the WBA title, will be easier unification fights to make than a showdown with WBO champ Terence Crawford because Spence, Thurman, Garcia and Porter all are advised by Al Haymon and fight for his Premier Boxing Champions organization.
The 28-year-old Spence isn’t sure which of those four opponents would provide the toughest test, but he would expect difficult fights from each of them.
“It’s hard to say because Shawn Porter would give anybody a tough fight,” Spence said, “just with his style and how he comes forward and, you know, how he bulls in. So he’ll give anybody a tough fight. It doesn’t mean you’re gonna lose it. It’s just with his style, it’s tough. And Danny Garcia, Keith Thurman, Terence Crawford, too. Any one of those guys would give me a tough fight. It’s hard to say who would be my toughest fight.”
Spence’s scheduled 12-rounder against Mexico’s Ocampo (22-0, 13 KOs) will be broadcast by Showtime as the main event of a tripleheader Saturday night. The telecast is set to start at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT from Ford Center at The Star, the Dallas Cowboys’ training facility in Frisco, Texas.
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.
