By Ian S Palmer
Former junior welterweight champion Danny Garcia of Philadelphia returns to the ring this Saturday, July 30th as he takes on Jose Benavidez Jr. of Panorama City, California. The 12-round junior middleweight bout can be seen live in America on Showtime while fans in Canada can catch the action on TSN 2. Garcia last fought in December, 2020 when he dropped a unanimous decision to Errol Spence in a shot at the IBF and WBC Welterweight Crowns. Benavidez last boxed in November when he took a 10-round majority decision over Francisco Torres in his first fight in just over three years. His previous bout saw him stopped in the 12th round by Terence Crawford in October, 2018 in a shot at the WBO Welterweight Title.
The 34-year-old Garcia is a former WBC and WBA Junior Welterweight Champion who won the vacant WBC Welterweight Title in January of 2016 with a unanimous decision over Robert Guerrero. However he lost that title to Keith Thurman by split decision in March, 2017 and was then beaten via a unanimous decision by Shawn Porter in September, 2018 in attempt to regain the vacant WBC belt.
Garcia enters this fight with a record of 36-3 and also has 21 Kos to his name. He has power in both hands, but it hasn’t really been evident lately since he has just five knockouts in his past 14 bouts since 2013. After going 107-13 as an amateur, Garcia turned pro in 2007 and has fought 270 rounds since. He stands 5-feet-8-inches tall with a 68.5-inch reach.
The former champ has faced some top-quality opposition over the years such as Spence, Porter, Thurman, Guerrero, Paulie Malignaggi, Amir Khan, Zab Judah, Mauricio Herrera, Lucas Matthysse, Kendall Holt, Nate Campbell, and Erik Morales twice. Garcia isn’t really a standout boxer, but he’s solid in all areas of the sport with good power, speed, defence, ring generalship and chin and that’s why he’s been beaten just twice as a pro.
Garcia’s current knockout ratio stands at 53.9 per cent and he doesn’t usually go looking for knockouts as he’s actually quite patient. He’s had some problems in the past with skilled boxers such as Thurman, Herrera and Judah and had to work hard against them since he was forced to go after them. He prefers opponents who are right in front of him as he can eventually wear them down with his jab and excellent left hook.
The 30-year-old Benavidez now fights out of Phoenix, Arizona and owns an impressive mark of 27-1-1 with 18 Kos. He’s the brother of former WBC Super Middleweight Champ David Benavidez but not quite as lethal and is a former WBA Interim and NABF Jr. Welterweight Champion. He’s boxed 145 rounds since making his pro debut back in 2010 and stands six-feet-tall with a 73-inch reach. This gives him a four-inch height advantage over Garcia as well as a 4.5-inch edge in reach.
Benavidez enjoyed a fine amateur career at 120-5 and at the age of 16 won a 2009 National Golden Gloves title to become the youngest boxer ever to win a national championship. He didn’t waste any time turning pro as he did so the next year when he turned 17. He was the youngest pro boxer ever licensed by the Nevada State Athletic Commission as the commission recognized his exceptional boxing skills and exempted him from the minimum age requirement of 18.
Benavidez broke his hand in 2013 and sat out most of the year before returning in 2014. He then won the interim WBA crown in Las Vegas in December, 2014 when he beat former champion Mauricio Herrera by a close and controversial unanimous decision. As far as power goes, Benavidez is above average with a current knockout ratio of 62.1 per cent. Along with beating Herrera, he’s also defeated Jorge Paez Jr., Francisco Santana, Matthew Strode and Frank Rojas.
Prediction…
This is a tough call as Garcia is moving up in weight to take on a naturally much bigger opponent in Benavidez Jr who also has power. Garcia’s power hasn’t been very evident lately so he’s going to need to work his way inside and make sure he builds up a lead on the scorecards. It’s not going to be as easy as it sounds though. Garcia might be biting off more than he can chew here and no outcome should be surprising. However, if he can utilize his boxing skills and experience he should do just enough to have his hand raised in victory.
