Fast Results From AT&T Stadium: Spence Routs Flummoxed Garcia

A crowd of 45,000 was expected for tonight’s boxing card at AT&T Stadium and the promoters were optimistically hoping for 500,000 pay-per-view buys for the first ever FOX TV PPV event. A deep but unexceptional undercard girded the provocative main event between undefeated title holders Errol Spence Jr (24-0, 21 KOs) and Mikey Garcia (39-0, 30 KOs).

Spence, the bigger man, was a solid favorite but yet there was a school of thought that Garcia’s higher ring IQ would get him over the hump. But in the end, he couldn’t solve his bigger, stronger, sharper, and far busier adversary who basically won as he pleased. Although the fight went the full distance, it was mindful of the sad spectacle that was Ali-Holmes. All three judges awarded Spence every round.

Late in the fight, some at ringside were hoping the referee would stop it. “Don’t let it be a night Garcia loses something he can’t get back,” wrote the ringside scribe for the London Guardian. Garcia’s older brother, trainer, and chief second Robert Garcia was inclined to stop it, but Mikey, a brave warrior, insisted on going out on his shield. And once again a pay-per-view fight that held out the promise of high drama fell flat.

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The super middleweight bout between former title-holder David Benavidez and J’Leon Love was a complete rout. Fighting for the first time in 13 months after serving a suspension for using cocaine, Benavidez (21-0, 18 KOs) was too powerful for Love (24-3-1) who was TKOed in the second round. There were no knockdowns but the out-gunned Love ate some murderous punches before the bout was waved off at the 1:14 mark of round two.

Mexico’s undefeated bantamweight Luis Nery was flat out sensational in his U.S. debut, overwhelming Puerto Rico’s McJoe Arroyo before the bout was halted after four lopsided rounds. Nery, a southpaw, dropped Arroyo with lefts in the second and third round and then dropped him twice more in the fourth. Arroyo’s corner properly pulled the plug after that stanza and the bout was officially waived off 10 seconds into round five.

Tijuana’s Nery improved to 29-0 (23). Arroyo, who hadn’t previously been stopped, falls to 18-3.

In the first of the four PPV fights, Three-time world title challenger Chris Arreola (38-5-1, 2 NC) blasted out little known Jean Pierre Augustin in the third round. Arreola knocked Augustin down with a series of punches after backing him into a neutral corner and although Augustin made it to his feet, he could not keep Arreola off him and the bout was waived off.

Augustin, a native of Haiti who now reportedly hangs his hat in Louisville, has had bit parts in several Hollywood movies. His record going in (17-0-1) was a big con.

The announced attendance was 47,525, somewhat more than expected which may bode well for the PPV returns.

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