Keith Thurman says Danny Garcia is the hardest puncher he has faced in his career but still feels WBC and IBF champ Errol Spence will have enough to defeat the Philadelphian in their 147lbs title clash at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on Saturday night.
Former WBA Super and WBC title-holder Thurman (29-1, 22 KOs and 1 NC) trumped Garcia (36-2, 21 KOs) on a split decision in a welterweight unification bout in Brooklyn back in March 2017, but believes ‘Swift’ could cause significant issues if Spence is drawn into a shootout in Texas.
It will be Spence’s first bout since he survived a high speed car crash in October 2019 with no-one entirely sure if he will return the same fighter as before.
“Danny Garcia’s the biggest puncher I’ve faced in the ring in my entire professional career. Danny’s got great timing and a chip on his shoulder from losing two close fights to myself and Shawn Porter. So Errol Spence better not let him land one of those bricks,” said Thurman.
“But styles make fights, and my gut says Spence wins without a home-run being hit by Garcia. Spence has all of the skills and technique to come out with the ‘W’ against Garcia, whom I was able to hurt with a big punch in the first round. Spence has that right hook, which he can land to the temple, and those pot-shots as well as a long and stiff jab to go with a height and reach advantage that led to his complete shutout of Mikey Garcia.
“But it could come down to who lands the biggest punch first, and a lot of folks want to know how Spence is after that car accident.”