An epic war is set to take place at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas this Saturday as Errol “The Truth” Spence Jr. defends his IBF welterweight title against Mikey Garcia. The No. 6 pound-for-pound fighter, Spence Jr., is making his third title defense, while the No. 5 pound-for-pound boxer, Garcia, is looking to win a world title in a fifth weight division. The current champ is a -400 favorite while the challenger is coming back at +300.
Errol Spence Jr. vs Mikey Garcia
Spence Jr. (-400) is laying his perfect 24-0 record on the line and is looking to make his third defense of the IBF welterweight strap. Additionally, The Truth aims to extend his 11-fight knockout streak as the last time that he went to the judges’ scorecards came in a 10-round fight vs Ronald Cruz in 2014.
The 29-year-old does not allow his opponents any breathing room when he fights, constantly throwing his long jab to touch his foes and taking a step forward as soon as they take a step backward. He does an incredible job rolling with punches and beats his counterparts to the punch. As they look to throw, he’s landing before their strikes. Additionally, he works the body early and often, which gives him a massive speed advantage in later rounds before he lands his thunderous hands en route to knockout victories.
Garcia (+300) is aiming to move to 40-0 in his professional career and secure a major title in a fifth different weight class. He is looking to collect his first knockout triumph since he stopped Dejan Zlaticanin in the third round in 2017 to win the WBC lightweight title – his last three fights were unanimous decision wins.
The 31-year-old is making his welterweight division debut after winning the WBC lightweight title in July of last year. Garcia is a patient fighter who can throw punches in bunches and does a great job at finding spots for his strikes to land through his opponents’ defense. He also has tremendous cardio that allows him to really pick up his step in the later rounds, which really drains on his opponents.
A real chess match is set to take place between a pressure fighter in Errol Spence Jr. and a more patient counter-striker in Mikey Garcia. Spence’s four-inch reach advantage could be a major factor as he uses it well to keep his opponents away from him, while Garcia is great at working behind his jab. The Truth will also have the power advantage in what is surely going to be a great brawl between two of the best fighters in the world.
Prediction: Errol Spence Jr. (-400) via decision
| Boxer | Odds |
|---|---|
| Errol Spence Jr. | -400 |
| Mikey Garcia | +300 |
Odds as of March 13 at Sportsbook
