Tonight from Bayamon, Puerto Rico, universally recognized Junior Welterweight Champion Danny “Swift” Garcia (27-0, 16 KOs) will defend his titles against 140 pound contender Mauricio “El Maestro” Herrera (20-3, 7 KOs) in a twelve round scheduled bout, slated to be broadcast on Showtime Championship Boxing with a start time of 9PM EST/6PM PST.
The championship bout could surprise a lot of people who aren‘t expecting a competitive contest. Fighters who move well and use the entire ring effectively will often give Danny Garcia problems. If the incumbent title holder isn‘t taking this fight as seriously as he should, he could have a very difficult and frustrating night in front of the Puerto Rican faithful.
The title challenger is a very intelligent fighter who uses sporadic movements to slip in and out of an opponent’s range and is very hard to time and counter effectively. For a fighter like Danny Garcia, who is a counterpuncher by trade, the California based pugilist can be a very difficult boxer to deal with.
Herrera doesn’t have world class power, but throws effective combinations from odd angles, which makes it very hard to counter with power shots. He did a great job showing his boxing ability and ring intelligence when he upset one of the hardest punchers in the division, current WBO Champion Ruslan Provodnikov, in January of 2011.
He showed that he could take a good punch and continue to implement his gameplan for the entire duration of the fight. He’s physically durable and can really frustrate a fighter like Danny Garcia by smothering his offense when he’s in range, and boxing him effectively when he’s at a safe distance.
But Garcia is a very resourceful fighter who has a deep amateur pedigree and has learned to adjust to many different styles.
After facing a string of the best Junior Welterweight fighters in the division…Kendall Holt, Nate Campbell, Erik Morales, Amir Khan, Zab Judah, and most recently Lucas Matthysse, the current champion has had to earn his respect the hard way…by beating the best fighters at 140 pounds. He’s had to adapt and overcome many different styles with confidence, skill, physical durability, and one punch knock-out power.
Danny’s best weapons are his vaunted left hook, and his understanding of timing and distance in the ring. The 25 year old champion also has a proven beard and isn’t afraid to take a few just to get into firing range. Because Herrera lacks one punch knock-out power, Garcia’s confidence and physical durability could be the biggest factors in the fight.
Could tonight’s main event be a trap fight for the incumbent champion, or will Danny Garcia prove that he deserves to be included in every boxing critic’s pound for pound list?
We will find out tonight from Bayamon, Puerto Rico!!
