Get round by round results and full fight coverage here for the welterweight PPV boxing match between Errol Spence Jr and Mikey Garcia.
Join Bloody Elbow tonight (Saturday, March 16th) for live round by round coverage and updates for the IBF welterweight championship bout between reigning titleholder Errol Spence Jr (24-0, 21 KOs) and WBC lightweight champion Mikey Garcia (39-0, 30 KOs), who is going up two weight classes to challenge for Spence’s title. If Spence prevails, it’ll be the third defense of the belt he won from Kell Brook two years ago. Should Garcia pull off the upset, he’ll have won a major world title in a fifth weight class.
It’ll be a raucous crowd at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, as the Mexican contingent is there to support Garcia, and of course Spence is a Texan himself, so you can expect fans of his to be in attendance.
For more boxing coverage, check out Bad Left Hook.
Bloody Elbow is here to provide you with detailed, round-by-round coverage and running commentary of tonight’s champ vs. champ clash. The FOX PPV starts at 9 PM ET/6 PM PT, and Spence vs. Garcia should start at around 11:30 PM ET/8:30 PM PT.
Errol Spence Jr vs. Mikey Garcia – IBF welterweight title
Round 1 – Spence throws a right hook that is blocked. He lands his southpaw jab. Garcia patient and waiting in the opening minute. Spence lands a hard left to the body. Straight left just clips Garcia after Mikey connected on a shot. Garcia whiffs on a left hook. Spence to the body again. Short jab by Spence grazes Garcia. 10-9 Spence.
Round 2 – Garcia’s jabs are feelers and are getting blocked. Spence throws a straight left that comes up short. Good body shot by Spence. Counter right by Errol. Digs the body once more. Left hook lands for Garcia. Good right by Garcia. Good combo by Garcia. Spence answers back with more jabs to back Mikey up. 20-18 Spence.
Round 3 – Garcia misfires on a left hook. Spence misses on a body shot. Errol with a straight left to the head and then back to the body. Spence starting to pick the pace up as he body jabs. Body shot glances but Garcia with a strong counter right hand. Big left hook by Spence! He lands another one! Spence jabbing Garcia to the forehead, follows to the body. Great round for the welterweight champ. 30-27 Spence.
Round 4 – Spence keeping that jab in Garcia’s face. Left hook by Spence is blocked. Next one partially lands. Garcia gets cracked with another left. He connects with a jab and then misses on a left hook. Spence with a combo punctuated with a body shot. Garcia attacks to the body now. Spence digging in some heavier shots and backs Mikey up with a straight left. Spence firing off a body puncher and then two lefts upstairs. Uppercut by Spence. Three-punch combo and he goes back to the body. Good right hand by Garcia just before the bell sounds. 40-36 Spence.
Round 5 – Jab, jab, and more jabbing by Spence. Garcia now going on the attack and pressuring. Spence covering up well. Spence lands two jabs to the head and one to the body. He just misses on a huge left. He doesn’t miss on that left, and Garcia gets countered after missing a right. Spence with a right hook and a left that shifts Garcia. Mikey is getting jabbed up like crazy. Spence whiffs on a left but Garcia’s looping right doesn’t connect either. All Spence at the moment. 50-45 Spence.
Round 6 – Spence continues to go to the body with success. Garcia with a body shot and a straight right. Double body shot by Spence and a left and an uppercut. Garcia getting beaten up to the body. Now he gets clocked with a left cross and Mikey is backed up! Spence is dominating. Right hand by Spence! Garcia throwing back but he looks so badly outgunned. Another superb body shot by Spence. Garcia lands a counter. Spence wins another rounds. 60-54 Spence.
Round 7 – Lethal body blow by Spence. Garcia not doing much to start the second-half of the fight. Good left by Garcia but Spence bobs and weaves and he’s out of danger. Straight left down the middle for Spence. Nice counter by Garcia. Action has slowed a bit. Good left hand by Spence as the bell rings. 70-63 Spence.
Round 8 – Spence goes back to the aggressive jabbing and Garcia can’t solve it. Another body shot and then a short right hook. Three-punch combo by Spence. Garcia can’t get anything going right now. Spence just darting in and landing shots and backing out. Garcia with an uppercut. Big 1-2 by Spence. 80-72 Spence.
Round 9 – Rinse and repeat. Garcia getting jabbed to pieces and Spence is walking him down. Garcia getting dominated. Spence jabs him in the corner and wallops him to the body. He’s stepping it up. Big five-punch combo. Garcia gets tagged with a hard uppercut. Back to the body. Garcia is throwing nothing back and Spence is teeing off. Mikey looks hurt and discouraged. Garcia finally does throw and can’t land a thing. 90-81 Spence.
Round 10 – Garcia’s brother/trainer Robert says he’ll stop the fight if things don’t improve. So far… it isn’t improving. He’s trying but he just got whacked with a two-punch combo in the center of the ring. The clinic continues. Garcia landed a shot and Spence is barely bothered. More jabs by Spence. Hook to the body and a big uppercut. Spence cracks Mikey with a left hand. Garcia connects on a right but Spence answers back. 100-90 Spence.
Round 11 – More jabs by Spence. On the front foot. Big combination and Spence swinging hard shots. The onslaught continues. Garcia is getting dominated. Wicked body shot. Right hook. Spence is making Garcia a punching bag. Garcia with two decent punches but he needs a KO. Body shot, head shot. Spence pours on the punishment. I don’t know why this fight is still going on. 110-99 Spence.
Round 12 – I guess we’re still going to keep this fight rolling. Garcia has been outlanded at an almost 5-1 ratio. He has heart but Spence is rolling him. More brutal body shots. One minute to go and Spence is in complete control. Thirty seconds to go and Spence just smothers him and is unleashing more heavy shots but can’t put Garcia away. Garcia will go the distance but he was thoroughly beaten down. 120-108 Spence.
Official result: Errol Spence Jr def. Mikey Garcia by unanimous decision (120-107, 120-108, 120-108) to defend the IBF welterweight title
PPV undercard
David Benavidez def. J’Leon Love by TKO at 1:14 of round 2 – 10 rounds, super-middleweights
Luis Nery def. McJoe Arroyo by TKO (corner stoppage) at :10 of round 5 – 10 rounds, bantamweights
Chris Arreola def. Jean-Pierre Augustin by TKO, 2:03 of round 3 – 10 rounds, heavyweights
FS1 preliminary card
Charles Martin def. Gregory Corbin by DQ (repeated low blows) at :53 of round 8 – 10 rounds, heavywieghts