Errol Spence Jr. will now defend his unified welterweight title against Danny Garcia on December 5, instead of November 21, it was announced Thursday.

The 12-round bout will take place at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, which is the home of the Dallas Cowboys, and will headline a four-bout FOX pay-per-view telecast (9 p.m. ET/ 6 p.m. PT).

Tickets, which will go on sale on October 14, will be sold in “pods” in accordance with Centers for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines and protocols. Fans in attendance must wear masks at all times.

Spence (26-0, 21 knockouts), who resides in nearby Desoto, last fought on September 28 of last year, knocking down Shawn Porter en route to a split decision victory. Spence successfully defended his IBF title and claimed the WBC version.

The 30-year-old southpaw was penciled in to face Garcia on January 25, however, he was involved in a one-car accident in the Dallas area just days after the Porter win. The Ring No. 1-rated welterweight was ejected from his sports car and suffered some injuries and lacerations but no broken bones. Spence was later charged by local authorities for driving while intoxicated.

Rather than take a tune-up, Spence agreed to follow through with the Garcia fight and returned to the gym to work with trainer Derrick James.

While a fight with WBO titleholder Terence Crawford awaits in 2021, Spence is dialed in on Garcia, and he’s thrilled to fight again at AT&T Stadium, where he defeated Mikey Garcia on March 16 of last year.

“Having my comeback fight in front of my hometown fans at AT&T Stadium is added motivation and a dream come true,” said Spence, who will turn 31 on January 13. “It means even more because I’m going up against a great champion in Danny Garcia.

“I know people are looking out to see if I’ve lost a step, but I’m 100-percent focused and everything is on point in training camp. I just can’t wait to go out there on December 5 and put on a show.”

Garcia (36-2, 21 KOs) elected to fight on January 25, defeating Ivan Redkach by unanimous decision. The Philadelphia resident has won his last two bouts since losing a close unanimous decision to Porter in September 2018.

The 32-year-old Garcia believes a statement win would put him at the top of a talented welterweight division.

“I’m very excited to get back in the ring,” said Garcia, who has won world titles at 140 and 147 pounds. “This is going to be my second fight of 2020, even though it’s been a crazy year with the pandemic and everything. I’m glad we’re finally getting back to where we were and that we’ll be able to bring this fight to the fans.

“This is a mega-fight. It’s my opportunity to reclaim my spot at the top in this division and become a five-time world champion. Training and sparring has been going very well. I’m extremely prepared for this already and it can’t get here soon enough. Come December 5, I will be crowned unified champion.”

Garcia is ranked No. 6 by The Ring.

In the co-feature, junior middleweight prospect Sebastian Fundora (15-0-1, 10 KOs), who lives and trains in Coachella, California, will square off against Jorge Cota (30-4, 27 KOs) in a 12-round world title elimination bout.

Josesito Lopez (37-8, 20 KOs) will face Francisco Santana (25-8-1, 12 KOs) in a 10-round bout that could be an all-out action fight between Southern California-based welterweights.

In the opening bout of the FOX pay-per-view telecast, Julio Ceja (32-4-1, 28 KOs), who is originally from the Mexico City area and now lives in Palmdale, California, will square off against Eduardo Ramirez (23-2-3, 10 KOs) in a 12-round featherweight world title elimination bout.

Both Cota and Ramirez reside in Los Mochis, Mexico.

Francisco A. Salazar can be reached by email at [email protected] or on Twitter at FSalazarBoxing  

READ THE LATEST ISSUE OF THE RING FOR FREE VIA THE NEW APP NOW. SUBSCRIBE NOW TO ACCESS MORE THAN 10 YEARS OF BACK ISSUES.