Cowboys behind Errol Spence Jr. after horrific car crash

The Cowboys, who venture to the Meadowlands to play the Jets on Sunday, are among those sending get-well wishes to unbeaten welterweight champion Errol Spence Jr., who remains hospitalized following a horrific one-car crash in Dallas early Thursday morning.

“Nothing but thoughts and prayers to him and his family,” quarterback Dak Prescott told reporters in Dallas on Friday before making the trip to face the Jets at MetLife Stadium. “He’s a true warrior. I know he’ll be fine and he’ll come out of this strong. Prayers to him.”

Spence, 29, was lucky to be alive after his Ferrari flipped multiple times and in the median of a street in downtown Dallas. Spence was believed to be ejected during the early moments of the crash, which perhaps saved him from serious injuries. He is said to have suffered damage to his teeth, several facial lacerations and extensive bruising. There were no fractures and he is expected to make a full recovery, though it’s uncertain when he’ll return to the ring.

“He’s resting and still in ICU in stable condition,” said Tim Smith, a spokesman for Spence’s management company, Haymon Boxing. “It’s miraculous that he even survived the crash.”

According to multiple sources, Spence was in downtown Dallas continuing the celebration of his Sept. 28 victory over Shawn Porter where he added the WBC championship to the IBF belt Spence (26-0, 21 KOs) has owned since 2017.

He was the lone person in the car when the crash occurred at 2:46 a.m. He was taken to a Dallas hospital and placed in intensive care.

“The Spences want to thank everyone for their prayers and well wishes and are extremely grateful to the Dallas first responders who rushed to the scene and the doctors who are taking care of him,” Premier Boxing Champions said in a statement.

Spence was planning on spending a few days in Jamaica before contemplating his next fight. He was hoping it would be against Manny Pacquiao, who recently defeated Keith Thurman to win the WBA 147-pound title. Former welterweight champion Danny Garcia is another possible opponent, though there has been no discussion about when Spence might resume his boxing career.

“He was scheduled to fight sometime early next year,” Smith said. “We’ll see if that schedule changes. It probably will.”

Concerns about Spence spread quickly through the boxing community. Porter tweeted: “My dad always tells me “this boxing thing is part of your life, but it’s not going to last forever. U still have a lot of life to live after that.” With that, I’m praying for @ErrolSpenceJr.”

The Cowboys sent “best wishes” through their Twitter feed. Spence has fostered a close relationship with the team. A lifelong fan growing up in DeSoto, Texas, Spence connected with the team after winning his IBF title. He opened the Cowboys practice facility in June 2018 when he defended his IBF title by knocking out Carlos Ocampo at the Ford Center at the Star in San Francisco. In March, Spence earned a unanimous decision over Mikey Garcia in a pay-per-view fight at AT&T Stadium.

“I think everyone is thinking about him,” Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said. “I heard the news this morning. He’s certainly been a great champion and our thoughts and prayers are with him.”

Former undisputed cruiserweight champion Oleksandr Usyk (16-0, 11 K0s) makes his heavyweight debut Saturday night against Chazz Witherspoon (38-3, 29 KOs) in Chicago and live on DAZN. In the co-main event, Dmitry Bivol (16-0, 11 KOs) defends his WBA light heavyweight titles against Lenin Castillo (20-2-1, 15 KOs).

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