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By: Hans Themistode
From the moment Errol Spence Jr.’s car wreck made airwaves, it was all anyone could talk about. Video of the Dallas native’s Ferrari flipping over countless times, along with images of his busted face left many in the boxing world wondering whether or not he would ever enter the ring again.
Even with over a year to sit on the sidelines to heal, questions remained. Easing his way back into things was thought to be his next best move, yet, for Spence Jr., he showed no interest as he opted for a showdown with former two-division world titlist Danny Garcia for his return bout.
Any trepidation for his choice of opponent was quickly answered as Spence Jr. cruised to a one-sided unanimous decision victory on the night. While he understands that the car wreck was a major narrative, after his dominant performance, the Dallas product would much rather everyone put that entire storyline to bed.
“I feel like people don’t need to ask about it anymore,” said Spence Jr. to Fight Hype following his victory. “That shit is over with. I can take a punch, I’m still a good boxer, I won the fight. He probably won like what? One round or something like that, so yeah stop talking about the accident. That shit is over with.”
Spence Jr., 30, didn’t appear to miss a beat against Garcia. The unified welterweight champion pushed the pace early and often while leaving his man clueless as to how to stop his onslaught. In short, Spence Jr. didn’t look like a man who had a near-death experience just one year prior.
Although the praise for his performance has been widespread, Spence Jr. on the other hand, didn’t feel quite like himself.
“I just felt like I was rusty,” explained Spence Jr. “Even though I showed good reflexes I just felt rusty. I was blocking a lot of shots and slipping but I just felt rusty.”
For Spence Jr., he’s continuously sported apparel with the message “I’m back.” But while he picked up a dominant victory over a well-respected opponent, the 30-year-old knows there is only one way he can get back to his old form.
“I’m just gonna chill out and enjoy this. It was a hard year and a half for me coming back. I’m just gonna rest a little bit and not really think about boxing for like a week then jump back on the ball. I’m not gonna get out of shape, I’m a keep working and stay in the gym.”
