World Champion Danny Garcia
DANNY GARCIA PROVES TO BE “REAL DEAL”
Los Angeles, CA– Philadelphia’s reigning World & WBA/WBC light welterweight (140 lbs) champion Danny “Swift” Garcia (27-0, 16 KOs) shocked several people on Saturday night when he retained his titles with by winning a hard-fought decision over hard-hitting Argentine Lucas “La Máquina” Matthysse (34-3, 32 KOs). Many, myself included, believed Matthysse would dispose of Garcia easily, but Danny did just enough to take it in the eyes of the judges.
TEAM GARCIA WAS THE BETTER CORNER!
In what was a highly competitive bout throughout, both men landed solid shots over twelve rounds, with Lucas’ right eye eventually swelling shut halfway through the contest. Garcia was awarded a dubious knockdown in round eleven after landed a hook to the back of Matthysse’s head. After several warnings from Tony Weeks, Garcia finally had a point taken for excessive low blows in the 12th round, but the fight was already in the bag for him by then. Weeks likely should have taken one earlier, and its impact on the fight would have been interesting. With the final scorecards reading 115-111 and 114-112 twice in favor of Garcia, these deductions certainly had an influence.
REFEREE WEEKS WAS A BIT SLOW AT ONE POINT!
Weeks also seemed to give Danny quite a bit of recovery time after Lucas knocked his mouthpiece out in the 11th. The deck seemed to back stacked in Danny’s favor a bit, though he fought very well. A big money showdown with “Money” Mayweather (45-0, 26 KOs) is probably ahead, but Danny should take the opportunity to gain more experience before lacing them up against Floyd.
DO THEY DO IT AGAIN?
A rematch with Matthysse would make a lot of sense at this point, Though Danny earned a victory, the fight was close, and a rematch would resolve any unanswered questions. Both men would be paid very well, and a potential trilogy could help define both of their careers.
OTHER GUYS GARCIA CAN FACE
Swift would also be better served to take some fights at welterweight (147) before taking on the best welterweight in the world. Battles with Keith Thurman (21-0, 19 KO), Robert Guerrero (32-2-1, 18 KOs), and Adrien Broner (27-0, 22 KOs) would serve as nice appetizers for an eventually Mayweather fight. Swift deserves to be mentioned as one of the pound-for-pound best in boxing, but should really prepare himself well before taking on THE ‘pound-for-pound’ best.
Zak “Attack” Young