NEW YORK -- In what could end up being one of the better fights of the year, Danny Garcia (34-1, 20 KOs) will face off against Shawn Porter (28-2-1, 17 KOs). The two will meet on Sept. 8 in the main event of a Showtime card with a vacant WBC welterweight title on the line. That title is up for grabs after Keith Thurman, who has wins over Garcia and Porter, vacated it earlier this year.
Garcia is an orthodox fighter from Philadelphia who is know for one thing above all else, his left hook. Garcia is an excellent counter puncher and possesses one-punch knockout power with that left hook. Along with that left hook, which Garcia has scored plenty of highlight reel knockouts with, he also has a stiff jab and strong right hand. However, in past fights Garcia has fought down to his level of opposition, coming away with very close wins over fighters he was a heavy favorite against. Also, Garcia doesn't have the best stamina and will often look like two totally different fighters from one half of a fight to the other. Because he is a counter puncher he isn't a high volume puncher and that lack of punch output can and has gotten him into some trouble.
Garcia is often criticized for some of the opponents he's faced. While it is true that he has definitely taken some fights that were deemed to be completely one-sided, he's also taken on plenty of tough challenges. Garcia holds wins over Erik Morales, Amir Khan, Zab Judah, and Lucas Matthysse but was also widely criticized for even getting in the ring with Rod Salka, who at the time was ranked outside of the top 50 a full division below Garcia. His lone loss came in a close fight against Thurman but an argument can be made that he also lost to Mauricio Herrera and Lamont Peterson. Following his loss to Thurman, Garcia took nearly a year off before returning to take on Brandon Rios. That fight against Rios came in February of 2018 and resulted in a stoppage win for Garcia but in Porter he will be squaring off against an opponent who has never been stopped. Garcia has never been stopped either and even though his defense is far from elite his chin definitely is at the elite level.
Porter is also an orthodox fighter but unlike Garcia, he doesn't have any issues with stamina. In fact, Porter's motor and the fact that he never lets up or seems to get tired is probably his best attribute. He isn't a very powerful puncher but he does have a solid jab and pretty good right hand. Porter also has a left hook that can do some damage and he loves to throw uppercuts on the inside. On the inside is where Porter does his best work and he loves to clinch and impose his strength on his opponents. Despite not having the highest skill level, Porter has made a name for himself in part because of his superior athleticism and although he was dropped in his fight against Adrien Broner he typically shows a tremendous chin.
Despite his lack of top tier skills, Porter done enough to put himself in a position of regularly fight for world titles. He even briefly held a world title when he bested Paulie Malignaggi for the IBF welterweight world title. Unfortunately for Porter he quickly lost that belt to Kell Brook. He then challenged Thurman for his WBA strap, only to lose a close fight. In his two most recent fights Porter beat Andre Berto and Adrian Granados and he also has wins over Broner, Malignaggi, and Devon Alexander. However, a win over Garcia would give Porter his first world title.
This fight could very well be one of the best of 2018. It will be a battle between the aggressiveness and punch output of Porter against the power and sharp counter punching of Garcia. If Porter can get on the inside and stay busy he could get the advantage on the cards simply because he would be doing so much more than Garcia. Garcia needs to be very careful in this fight to not just look for the counter punch knockout. Not only does Porter have a good chin but he will be busy. If Garcia gives rounds away looking for the knockout he will regret it. He needs to really get on his jab, keep Porter on the outside, and make him pay with left hooks and straight right hands. Garcia is the more accurate puncher and has the better set of skills but if he doesn't stay busy he could give this fight away.
PREDICTION: There is a very good chance that if he stays busy enough and aggressive enough that Shawn Porter will win a close fight. However, the old saying goes that class tells over time and that would favor Danny Garcia. As long as Garcia stays busy with his jab and doesn't let Porter seriously outwork him, he will come away with the extremely close majority decision win.
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| Garcia admiring his knockdown of Brandon Rios |
Garcia is often criticized for some of the opponents he's faced. While it is true that he has definitely taken some fights that were deemed to be completely one-sided, he's also taken on plenty of tough challenges. Garcia holds wins over Erik Morales, Amir Khan, Zab Judah, and Lucas Matthysse but was also widely criticized for even getting in the ring with Rod Salka, who at the time was ranked outside of the top 50 a full division below Garcia. His lone loss came in a close fight against Thurman but an argument can be made that he also lost to Mauricio Herrera and Lamont Peterson. Following his loss to Thurman, Garcia took nearly a year off before returning to take on Brandon Rios. That fight against Rios came in February of 2018 and resulted in a stoppage win for Garcia but in Porter he will be squaring off against an opponent who has never been stopped. Garcia has never been stopped either and even though his defense is far from elite his chin definitely is at the elite level.
Porter is also an orthodox fighter but unlike Garcia, he doesn't have any issues with stamina. In fact, Porter's motor and the fact that he never lets up or seems to get tired is probably his best attribute. He isn't a very powerful puncher but he does have a solid jab and pretty good right hand. Porter also has a left hook that can do some damage and he loves to throw uppercuts on the inside. On the inside is where Porter does his best work and he loves to clinch and impose his strength on his opponents. Despite not having the highest skill level, Porter has made a name for himself in part because of his superior athleticism and although he was dropped in his fight against Adrien Broner he typically shows a tremendous chin.
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| Porter landing an uppercut against Adrian Granados |
This fight could very well be one of the best of 2018. It will be a battle between the aggressiveness and punch output of Porter against the power and sharp counter punching of Garcia. If Porter can get on the inside and stay busy he could get the advantage on the cards simply because he would be doing so much more than Garcia. Garcia needs to be very careful in this fight to not just look for the counter punch knockout. Not only does Porter have a good chin but he will be busy. If Garcia gives rounds away looking for the knockout he will regret it. He needs to really get on his jab, keep Porter on the outside, and make him pay with left hooks and straight right hands. Garcia is the more accurate puncher and has the better set of skills but if he doesn't stay busy he could give this fight away.
PREDICTION: There is a very good chance that if he stays busy enough and aggressive enough that Shawn Porter will win a close fight. However, the old saying goes that class tells over time and that would favor Danny Garcia. As long as Garcia stays busy with his jab and doesn't let Porter seriously outwork him, he will come away with the extremely close majority decision win.
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