Car accidents and prize fighters have a history.
In 1982, Hall of Fame featherweight champion Salvador Sanchez died at 23 from a car accident less than a month after his last professional fight.
In 1988, Hall of Fame heavyweight champion, Mike Tyson suffered minor injuries when his car smashed into a tree in upstate New York.
Former three-division champion Vinny Pazienza suffered a broken neck in 1991 and defied doctor’s orders to resume fighting again, even winning a championship. Pazienza’s story was made into a 2016 movie, Bleed For This.
You can now add Errol Spence Jr’s name to this list as the 30-year old DeSoto native returns to the ring Saturday night to defend his WBC and IBF welterweight titles against Danny Garcia, 32, at AT&T Stadium. This is one of the biggest fights of the year in a sport delayed by the coronavirus pandemic. Fox Sports pay-per-view will broadcast the fight and a Spence victory opens the door for bigger fights against Terence Crawford, a rematch against Shawn Porter or against pay-per-view draw Manny Pacquiao. A Garcia upset creates all sorts of turmoil in a talented welterweight division.
To get here, Spence (26-0, 21 knockouts) had to overcome a horrific car accident last October when he flipped his car numerous times near downtown Dallas. The injuries weren’t deemed life threatening, yet, it was a wake-up call for one of the best fighters in the sport.
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BY The Dallas Morning News “Oh yeah, you can’t think for yourself anymore,” said Spence, who was hospitalized for severe bruising to numerous joints, lost his front teeth and had facial cuts. “You got (three) kids who depend on you to eat and sleep. It’s on you to take care of them. You brought them into this world and basically they’re a part of you. They got my last name. It’s on me to take care of them, to make sure they have a well- being and I’m in their life. It would have been a tragedy if I passed away.”
Spence declined a tuneup fight in his comeback, instead, taking on Garcia (36-2, 21 KOs), a two-division champion who comes in as an underdog. Garcia, a Philadelphia native, thrives on being an underdog and expects Spence to be in optimal condition for this bout.
“We’re taking this fight like Errol is 100 percent,” Garcia said. “We’re not banking on anything hindering him. We’re taking this as seriously as possible. We wanted this fight a long time ago, but we just had to stay focused. Now the fight is finally here and I feel like we’re going to have a great performance.”
Friday’s weigh-in displayed the fighters in excellent shape. Spence, the natural bigger man, weighed 146 ½ pounds while Garcia was 146 ¾.
There was some concern if Spence could get down in weight, he was nearly 200 pounds while he recovered from his accident. Spence and his trainer, Derrick James said making weight wasn’t an issue for them. James said Spence was hitting harder in sparring and training sessions over the last few months than before the accident.
Spence gets to prove he’s overcome the accident and resume a career that has him headed to stardom.
“I picked Danny Garcia so that I could rise to the occasion,” Spence said. “I’m still the top dog in the division. Fighting Danny will show how great a fighter I am.”
Prediction: This is Errol Spence Jr.’s first fight in over a year and the main issue is whether he still has power in both hands following his accident. Danny Garcia is a talented fighter but can he pressure Spence. He might in the early going, but Spence should wear him down to earn a unanimous decision.
