By Ian S Palmer
Former Junior Welterweight Champion Danny Garcia of Philadelphia will be taking on fellow American Robert Guerrero for the vacant WBC Welterweight Championship this Saturday, January 23 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. The 12-round bout is another episode in the Premier Boxing Champions Series (PBC) and fans in the U.S. and Canada can catch all of the action live on the Fox network. Fans in the UK can see it live on BoxNation. Garcia held the WBA and WBC Junior Welterweight Titles in the past and Guerrero is a former world champion in four different weight classes.
The 27-year-old Garcia of Philadelphia has a perfect mark of 31-0 with 18 Kos to his name. His last outing was back in August when he stopped former champ Paulie Malignaggi in the ninth round. Garcia has power in both hands, but has just two knockouts in his six fights. He’s faced some top-quality opposition over the years such as 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 is solid in all areas of the game. He has good power, speed, defence, ring generalship and chin, and that’s why he’s yet to be beaten as a pro. Garcia turned pro back in 2007 and has fought 187 rounds since then.
Garcia stands just over 5-feet-8-inches tall and has a reach of 68.5 inches. Garcia’s current knockout ratio stands at 58 per cent. Garcia doesn’t usually go looking for knockouts as he’s actually pretty patient. He’s also had some problems in the past with skilled boxers, such as Herrera and Judah. He has to work hard against these type of fighters since they don’t usually come to him and he’s forced to go after them. However, he shouldn’t need to hunt Guerrero down as his opponent should be right in front of him all night long.
The 32-year-old Guerrero of Gilroy, California is a southpaw and enters the bout with a fine record of 33-3-1 with 18 Kos to his name. His last outing was a close split decision over Aaron Martinez back in June. His three losses have been against Gamaliel Diaz by 12-round split decision in 2005, Floyd Mayweather by unanimous decision in 2013 and Keith Thurman by unanimous decision last March. Guerrero could use the action since he’s basically fought just once a year since 2012, but he definitely needs a win here if he hopes to find himself in contention for another title shot down the road. Guerrero has lost two of his past four fights.
Guerrero is 5-foot-8 with a 70-inch reach and has 259 rounds under his belt since turning pro in 2001. He’s taken on some tough customers during his career and has quite a bit of big-fight experience. His biggest wins have come against the likes of Andre Berto, Joel Casamayor, Selcuk Aydin and Michael Katsidis and has climbed up in weight on a consistent basis. Guerrero can take a punch as he has an excellent chin, but he was dropped by the light-hitting Martinez in June. His power hasn’t really traveled north with him when moving up in weight as he hasn’t stopped an opponent since 2010 with his last seven wins all coming by decision. His knockout ratio is currently 46 percent.
Guerrero used to combine his fine boxing skills and mobility with inside fighting while throwing a variety of punches and combinations from different ranges and angles. After moving up to the welterweight division he prefers to fight mainly on the inside and maul his way into a brawl while unloading short shots and uppercuts. He likes to throw a large volume of punches and his style usually results in a crowd-pleasing fight.
Prediction
Garcia is considered the boxer in this clash, but Guerrero’s skills shouldn’t be underestimated. He’s been in a few wars, but can also box effectively if needed. However, he seems to be a bit of a brawler at heart. He needs to watch for Garcia’s jab and left hook and counter with uppercuts when he has the chance. This is a tough fight to call, but Garcia’s slightly-better skills should earn him a relatively close decision.
