By Norm Frauenheim
ARLINGTON, Tex. – Errol Spence Jr.’s poker face and impassive eyes reveal nothing. His body language says nothing. But there was a decided shift in Spence’s mood Wednesday with edgy words that were a sign of frustration, if not anger, at Mikey Garcia.
Blame it on a bad mood. Spence did exactly that during interviews after the last formal news conference on the floor near one end of the Dallas Cowboys home field at AT&T Stadium where they will fight Saturday night in a FOX pay-per-view bout.
But his mood wasn’t part of a foul weather front that blew into Dallas early Wednesday with 80 mile-per-winds, ominous thunder and sheets of stinging rain. Spence has just grown weary of a Garcia confidence expressed repeatedly and never with any hint of doubt.
“A one-sided massacre,’’ Spence finally said when asked how he thought the fight would go.
By then, it was evident who he thought would do the massacre.
And who would get massacred.
There are reasons to think he might be right. Spence is the bigger fighter, the biggest in the current welterweight division. Garcia, still the World Boxing Council’s 135-pound champion, is fighting at 147 pounds for only the second time. Spence, who is defending the International Boxing Federation’s welterweight belt for a third time, is at home. He grew up in DeSoto, a Dallas suburb.
Yet, Garcia talks as though he has all the advantages. The news conference’s moderator referred to Garcia’s proven tactical skill. Then, there was this question: Who is the most technical boxer you’ve faced?
Before Garcia could begin to exhale in an attempted answer, Spence said:
“I am.’’
Garcia has long believed his skillset is underrated. His brother and trainer, Robert Garcia, confirmed that Mikey had been sparring with partners as heavy as 180 pounds. All of them were surprised by his younger brother’s power.
“Errol doesn’t know, but he’ll find out,’’ Robert Garcia said.
Garcia’s unbeaten record (39-0, 30 KOs) is filled with examples of fighters who have become opponents. He mentioned that Wednesday and, again, Spence (24-0, 21 KOs) had another pointed counter.
“I’m not another opponent,’’ Spence said.
This one begged for a Mikey Garcia counter. Ever the craftsman, he delivered.
“Yes,’’ he said to Spence, “you will be another opponent on Saturday night.”
Mikey Garcia couldn’t help noticing that on Wednesday Spence had said a lot of things, many of them almost contradictory.
“I don’t know a lot of the things that might be going on in his head right now,’’ Mikey said in comment that suggested the Garcia camp might be gaining a psychological edge as opening bell approaches.
On Wednesday, Spence said he was ready for a 12-round fight. He also said he would be prepared to stop Garcia if the opportunity was there.
“Knock him out in three or four rounds, that’s a bonus,’’ said Spence, who hopes a victory will propel him to the top of the pound-for-pound rankings. He also wants to succeed Floyd Mayweather Jr. as the so-called face of the game.
To do that, he ‘ll have to make Mikey remember news reports that Robert didn’t want him to ask for a fight against Spence. Nevertheless, Mikey called out Spence before and after a victory over Robert Easter in June at Los Angeles’ Staples Center.
“I’m going to prove that Mikey’s brother was right,’’ Spence said. “I’m going to make him wish he didn’t want this.’’
