The day has finally come.
In a fight that could have its own Pay-Per-View date, unified junior welterweight champion Danny ‘Swift ‘ Garcia will defend his WBC, WBA, and Ring Magazine titles against knockout artist Lucas ‘The Machine’ Matthysse on the undercard of one of the biggest nights that boxing has seen in a long time.
Each fighter brings something to the table that can bring victory to their side. Here is the case for each.
The Case For Danny Garcia:
Garcia has been best described by the late Emanuel Steward as “a solid basic fighter.” He isn’t really fast despite his nickname, but he is steady. He has learned enough from a rich amateur background to not only be undefeated as a professional, but to achieve that by winning fights he’s not supposed to. No fight shows this better than the one that catapulted him to the top of the 140 lb division, his knockout win over Amir Khan on July 14, 2012.
In the fight’s first two rounds Khan showed how much faster his hand speed was compared to Garcia. While Garcia held his own, for every two punches that he landed Khan would counter with four or five. Then in the third round Garcia struck where he is most dangerous, in the exchange. He landed a left hook near Khan’s neck and he never recovered.
Garcia has that punch, a solid defense, and a decent chin on his side. Those factors have led him to be an undefeated champion and it keep him that way Saturday night.
The Case For Lucas Matthysse:
Matthysse is a late bloomer to the top stage of the sport, but he has sure made his case to be here a strong one. In his 34 victories, 32 have been by knockout, the highest percentage for knockouts in boxing. His only two losses to Devon Alexander and Zab Judah can be at best be described as controversial. Most notably, as he has been amassing knockouts he has been improving as a boxer. One of his biggest improvements has been his timing, something that Judah said in an ESPN interview could be the deciding factor against Garcia.
This fight has the potential to steal the spotlight from the main event with the fireworks that can be launched from both fighters. Only one can be on top in the end.
Prediction: Matthysse win by knockout.
Garcia has always found a way to win, but he has not faced a fighter with both the power & chin of Matthysee.
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