Four takeaways from Danny Garcia's welterweight title victory over Robert Guerrero
Danny Garcia outpointed Robert Guerrero on Saturday night to win the vacant WBC welterweight title. The bout - before 12,000-plus at Staples Center in Los Angeles - was the main event of Premier Boxing Champions' debut show on FOX. Here's what we learned from one of the first big fights of 2016.
Judges got it right: It was a close fight, and many rounds were hard to score, but the scorecards properly reflected the nature of the bout. All three judges turned in the same tally - a rarity for a 12-round bout - with scores of 116-112 for Garcia. Watching at home, I had the same score, while Bob Velin had it 115-113 for Garcia from ringside. Guerrero took control of the bout from the onset with smart pressure applied with a strong jab. He seemed to be cruising toward an upset, but Garcia took control in Round 6, and seemed to win every round from there on out by countering the hard-charging Guerrero and fighting well off his back foot.
Garcia always finds a way to win: A lot of fans don't give Garcia credit, but the Philadelphian finds a way to pull fights out. He might not do any one thing great - other than punch with power - but he does a lot of things well, and the total package makes up a pretty complete fighter. Garcia did a good job of boxing going backward, and was able to sneak in overhand rights over and over again. Guerrero tried to make it an ugly fight late, but Garcia wouldn't let him. Garcia now own wins over the likes of Amir Khan (knockout), Lucas Matthysse, Lamont Peterson (close decision) and Guerrero. The welterweight beltholder also owns win over past-their-prime versions of Erik Morales (twice), Paulie Malignaggi and Zab Judah. That's a pretty good resume.
Garcia-Khan 2?: Khan is the mandatory challenger to the WBC title, and is now in line for a rematch with Garcia, who knocked him out in four rounds in a 2012 upset. There will be a free negotiating period, and if they can't agree to terms, a purse bid will be ordered by the WBC. Khan could also elect to go with a U.K. mega fight against Kell Brook in June. There have been ongoing talks for the bout, but they disagree on money so far. A rematch would intrigue and shape up as one of the best fights on the calendar.
Guerrero now an opponent: Following a disappointing 2015 and now a loss to Garcia, Guerrero is now clearly an opponent. Since dropping a lopsided decision to Floyd Mayweather in May 2013, the 32-year-old has won just two fights, and neither was easy. He went life-and-death with action fighter Yoshihiro Kamegai and then scored a controversial decision over Aron Martinez in June. The Gilroy, Calif., native was dominated by Keith Thurman in PBC's inaugural show and after the loss to Garcia, he's proven to be A-side fighter. But Guerrero always makes for great fights, and Saturday was no exception. He'll be back, but expect it to be against a rising prospect like Sammy Vasquez, who won beat Martinez in the co-feature.
(AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)