On September 8th, in a battle of former World champions trained by vociferous fathers, Danny Garcia will face Shawn Porter for the vacant WBC World welterweight championship at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. The bout will be screened on Showtime in America, as well as being announced on BoxNation in the United Kingdom.
The title was vacated by former unified champion Keith ‘One-Time’ Thurman, who – having defeated both fighters by decision in competitive fights – was forced to relinquish the belt after injuries meant he would be unable to meet his mandatory obligations as champion for the WBC. Thurman, who still holds the WBA title, is reportedly planning to make a comeback in the near future.
Philadelphia’s Garcia is the marginal favourite for a bout that most believe constitutes a true 50-50 affair. Although arguably the more accomplished fighter as a former unified super lightweight champion, many critics believe the Philadelphia-native will simply be overwhelmed by Porter’s sheer volume and activity over the course of twelve rounds.
Porter, meanwhile, lost the IBF title he won against Devon Alexander in 2013 to Kell Brook in 2014 – suggesting perhaps that his rampaging blood-and-thunder approach can be effectively negated by sharp, accurate combination-punching on the outside coupled with a robust physical strength on the inside – qualities that Garcia possesses in abundance.
Although ‘Showtime’ unquestionably possesses the superior work-rate, his chin was also called into question by certain quarters in 2015 when he was floored in the final round of an otherwise impeccable rout of Adrien Broner with a left hook – Garcia’s signature punch, with which he spectacularly dropped Amir Khan in the third round of their 2012 super lightweight unification fight.
Nothing markedly separates the two fighters in their most recent bouts. Porter outworked Chicago’s teak-tough Adrian Granados over twelve rounds, arguably becoming the first fighter to defeat him in convincing fashion. Meanwhile, Garcia stopped battle-tested former lightweight champion Brandon Rios in the ninth round with a stunning, highlight reel right hand knockout.
Ultimately, if Porter isn’t able to out-hustle Garcia consistently from round-to-round, expect him to be closely outpointed – or possibly stopped – by Garcia, who packs deceptive power in both fists. The winner will potentially pursue a unification fight with Errol Spence or a rematch with Thurman.
The heavy-handed, athletic Thurman is planning to make a comeback after over 18 months of inactivity following injury problems. Conversely, Spence is one of the most active and dangerous fighters in the division, and has already made two emphatic defences of the IBF welterweight championship he won in 2017 with a magnificent victory over Sheffield’s Kell Brook on away soil.
Article by: Navi Singh
Follow Navi on Twitter at: @hombre__obscuro