Errol Spence Resumed Sparring Monday For First Time Since Accident

Unified World Welterweight champion Errol Spence took the first serious step towards defending his title in November against Danny Garcia on Pay-per-view. That’s when he resumed sparring for the first time since his scary, spectacular one car crash last October in Dallas.

Keith Idec, senior writer Boxingscene.com, had the details about Spence stepping through the ropes to begin sparring for the first time since the auto accident:

Derrick James told me Errol Spence Jr. will spar for the 1st time Monday since his car accident last October 10th. His sparring session will happen on the 1-year anniversary of his split-decision win over Shawn Porter. The Garcia fight is 7 weeks from Saturday night. My story: https://t.co/0UnMAgBcVm

— Keith Idec (@Idecboxing) September 27, 2020

Spence has been training since earlier this year recovering from suffering a fractured jaw and a concussion after being ejected from his vehicle that cartwheeled across a median and ended up in a business parking lot in the early morning hours last October.  From all accounts, Spence appears to be mostly recovered and taking will be a large step in his preparation.

Idec got these comments from Spence’s trainer Derrick James, who runs the gym in Dallas where Spence has been working out in advance of the November 21st title Showdown with Garcia,

“I’ve been with him and his reaction time and his timing is great. I push him, so he’s moving and reacting the right way. The sparring is just, in a sense, a continuum of what we’ve been working on. It’s about how many shots he didn’t get hit with. That’s what it’s all about. That’s what I care about.”

Spence was last in the ring winning the Unified 147 lb. title with a 12-round impressive decision over WBC champ, Shawn Porter, a year ago tonight, September 28th, in Los Angeles.

#FightAnniversary: #SpencePorter – Sept. 28, 2019
On this day in 2019, @ErrolSpenceJr
became the WBC & IBF Unified World Welterweight Champion by defeating Showtime Shawn Porter. pic.twitter.com/qbgy4vBvGH

— PBC (@premierboxing) September 28, 2020

The unbeaten former U.S. Olympian has an 26-0, 21 KOs record. And, he originally won the IBF version of the 147 lb. title in May of 2017. That’s, when he stopped England’s Kell Brook in the 11th round in Sheffield, England.

As for Garcia, the former World Junior Welterweight champ has had two previous unsuccessful attempts at winning a 147-pound world championship. He was beaten in two title challenges. First by WBA Champion Keith Thurman losing on decision in March 2017. Then, Porter beat him over 12 rounds for the vacant WBC 147 lb. belt in September, 2018.

The November 21st bout will headline the first PBC on Fox pay per view, since the Covid 19 pandemic shutdown the sport in March.