MIKEY GARCIA

Dougie-Keeping it short:

1) Mikey Garcia is one of the best technicians I can remember in a long time, what a terrific performance

2) Adrien Broner acquitted himself nicely but he had a lion in front of him making him look ordinary

3) Would love to see Mikey at 135 vs Lomachenko.

Assuming Bud Crawford beats Julius Indongo, how about Mikey next? Thanks! – Rahn

Thank you for keeping it short, Rahn (it’s rare for mailbag emails – I’m a long-winded S.O.B. and so are most of my readers).

1) Garcia’s the best aggressive technician I’ve seen since the 130-135-pound version of Juan Manuel Marquez. (And that’s the highest praise I can come up with for the young man.)

2) I agree. I don’t think Broner boxed or fought a poor fight but he wasn’t able to get any momentum going because Garcia is so steely focused and unflappable when he fights. He makes very few mistakes, keeps his emotions in check and never veers from his game plan. Mikey also carried respectable power to 140 pounds so Broner was hesitant to open up on him for fear of getting clocked while loading up with his own power shots.

3) Garcia vs. Lomachenko would be a fascinating matchup at 135 pounds. As impressive as Garcia looked against Broner, I still slightly favor the awesome-talented Ukrainian in that matchup because of his advanced boxing IQ, quicker hands and feet, slick mobility and overall versatility. But who knows if Loma can take a direct hit from Garcia as well as Broner did? As for Crawford, well, let’s put it this way: I think Garcia can beat a lot of world-class junior welterweights but THE RING champ isn’t among them.

EL MAESTRO

Hi Doug. I’ll keep it brief.

I have been a huge fan of Mikey Garcia since a few years. That’s why I thought he would KO Broner late in the fight. Although he didn’t finish the job, he still put a virtuoso performance on a difficult fighter.

García’s display was that of a sniper, waiting patiently for an opening to unleash hell. He gave Broner a nice beating.

Broner’s team designed a remarkably bad game plan. I never understood what in God’s name he was doing until the late rounds. Perhaps he is still scratching his head thinking he should have let his hands go to have a chance to win. If he was trying just to survive 12 rounds, then I salute him. Oh, and he is a master at saying “NO” while having is rear end kicked.

García deserves crossover attention. I hope he keeps fighting more often to have a chance of breaking the big-dollars piñata while still in his prime.

A few random comments:

• What kind of a shower did Andres Gutiérrez use? Good Lord. Are the pictures of his injury true?
• Jorge Sebastian Heiland looked like a newborn horse learning to walk. Weird.

Saludos. – Carlos, from Hermosillo, México

That’s the most apt description of Heiland I’ve heard (and somebody else tweeted the same observation on Saturday night). I’ll never understand how he became the WBC’s No. 1 middleweight contender. (I’m glad Charlo got to him before he was fed to GGG.)

That freak shower accident Gutierrez suffered is something a lousy promoter prays for if his show is dying at the box office, but Carl Frampton is a crazy ticket-seller in his native Belfast and Barry McGuigan (Frampy’s mentor and promoter) seems to know what he’s doing, so that day-before cancellation must have been a heart-breaking buzzkill for Team Jackal.

García’s display was that of a sniper, waiting patiently for an opening to unleash hell. He gave Broner a nice beating. There was something polite about that ass kicking, wasn’t there? Maybe it was all the clean punching from Garcia, or just his “this-is-business-not-personal” demeanor in the ring.

Broner’s team designed a remarkably bad game plan. I don’t know if I agree with that. I think they wanted to him to stick and move early (hopefully use his speed to get off first), gradually stand his ground and dig in more with punches (especially body shots) during the middle rounds, and then apply pressure on Garcia late in the fight when they assumed the smaller man would be tired (and maybe hurt). It didn’t work out because Garcia is a very special boxer and he got into Broner’s head from the onset of the fight.

García deserves crossover attention. Hard to disagree with that statement.

I hope he keeps fighting more often to have a chance of breaking the big-dollars piñata while still in his prime. The challenge will be finding available dance partners that can make for high-profile events. I think there are more name fighters for him at 135 than at 140 pounds.

AN ASS WHIPPING FOR AN A__HOLE

I’ve never been a fan of faux Mayweather. I’ve never found his a__hole persona entertaining. I still think Malignaggi won. Broner isn’t even Zab Judah. Yes, he won some titles, his biggest win was over Paulie, other than that who did he beat for titles?

Glad to see him now a stepping stone. I’ll definitely pay to see him f__ked up. Boner is flash without substance. He is tough, I’ll give him that, but he has no ring identity and he’s a front runner. If he’s better than you he’ll shine, but if you’re equal or better, he’ll look like he did in his 3 loses. So he’ll be the definition of a getekeeper.

PLEASE put him in with Errol Spence!!!! PLEASE. Thank you. – Jason C. Brown

You want to see Broner in with Spence? Jeez, you must REALLY hate him. That would be a brutal mugging sanctioned as a boxing match if Spence truly wanted to hurt Broner or turn him into a showcase. (However, would even a blowout be considered a “statement” at this stage of Broner’s career?)

Seriously, I don’t want to see that fight because A) Broner has done NOTHING to deserve a welterweight title shot, and B) I pretty sure Spence would feel sorry for him and carry the Cincinnati native to an uneventful decision.

I agree that he’s more gatekeeper right now than contender. But that’s OK. I love gatekeepers. They are integral to the sport and can often make for compelling, entertaining matchups. If Broner’s a gatekeeper, he’ll be a high-profile, well-paid gatekeeper (provided he can win enough). Personally, I’d enjoy watching him test the likes of Regis Prograis, Sergey Lipinets or Amir Imam. If he were to beat one or two of those 140-pound up-and-comers – or a welterweight fringe contender such as Konstantin Ponomarev or Taras Shelestyuk – I think a high-profile showdown with Danny Garcia or a rematch with Shawn Porter would be welcomed by most fans.

(If Broner doesn’t want to play the role of the gatekeeper, there’s enigmatic pariah Victor Ortiz, who won a comeback fight on FS1 last night. Broner-Ortiz would be viewed as a joke by most hardcore fans but it would likely do strong TV ratings. We’d all call it a “loser-leaves-town” fight knowing damn well both delusional warriors would be back.)

I’ve never been a fan of faux Mayweather. I’m not a big fan or even a mild Broner supporter, but I’ve had a soft spot for him ever since his gutsy loss to Marcos Maidana. I respect him.

I’ve never found his a__hole persona entertaining. I don’t care for (or pay attention to) the out-of-ring drama, but I don’t mind the dancing/rapping to the ring or even the showboating during the fights. Most of his post-fight interviews bore me, but I kind of enjoyed the way he snapped at Jim Gray after the Garcia fight.

I still think Malignaggi won. I thought it was close (115-113 for Broner). (My dad thought Paulie won for whatever that’s worth.)

Broner isn’t even Zab Judah. I agree. Judah was flawed but was a better amateur, possessed more natural talent and athleticism, fought more badasses (including three hall of famers – and, no, Paulie isn’t one of them) and had better victories.

Yes, he won some titles, his biggest win was over Paulie, other than that who did he beat for titles? Good questions… um, do you rate Antonio DeMarco?

MIKEY AT 140 POUNDS

Doug,

I got to see Broner-Garcia ringside on Saturday and even though it was a one-sided fight, it’s cool sitting so close and seeing faces you recognize from TV. Do you get desensitized to that or is it still a thrill after all these years?

I haven’t seen the replay yet, but I want to say that up close, Mikey does not look like a future 147-lb fighter. He was lucky Broner wasn’t firing back for the most part because Broner’s punches looked far heavier and more dangerous, when he bothered to let ‘em go.

I’m a fan of Mikey Garcia and have total respect for how he handles himself as a professional. But I think his ceiling is handpicked Jr. Welterweights. I’d pick Crawford to hurt him, maybe badly at any weight. If he goes back to 135 where I think he belongs, I like his chances against anyone but Loma. Where should he go next?

What was the reason for Broner’s lack of offense? Was there a fear of Garcia’s counters or just a general lack of confidence in his stamina? Take care man. – WS

I think Broner’s lack of offense was due to a combination of things. One, he’s a sporadic puncher by nature. Two, Garcia’s timing, accuracy, power, tight defense and unexpected high punch output limited his openings. And three, Broner nailed Garcia with a few solid shots and didn’t budge the lightweight titleholder, so he wasn’t encouraged to go for the gusto, so to speak.

I’m a fan of Mikey Garcia and have total respect for how he handles himself as a professional. But I think his ceiling is handpicked Jr. Welterweights. You might be right about that. Broner was the perfect 140-pound standout for Garcia to make a statement against. The other junior welterweight standouts are either extremely dangerous (Crawford), high risk-low reward (Indongo and Postol) or they lack profile (Orozco, Prograis, Barthelemy, Taylor).

I’d pick Crawford to hurt him, maybe badly at any weight. I think Garcia would compete with Crawford but I think naturally bigger man’s size and class would tell over the 12-round distance, and I agree that it would be a physically taxing fight for Mikey.

If he goes back to 135 where I think he belongs, I like his chances against anyone but Loma. Where should he go next? I think lightweight is where he belongs and I believe the perfect fight for him would be RING/WBA champ Jorge Linares. Like Broner, Linares is gifted but flawed. However, unlike the brash American, the worldly Venezuelan is a more complete and fluid boxer. Linares has the skills and offense to compete with Garcia, perhaps even the speed and footwork to take a strong early lead against the Californian, but El Nino De Oro’s fragile chin and tender skin would likely let him down against Mikey’s hard and accurate punching/counterpunching. If Linares beats Luke Campbell next month, that’s a showdown I would push very hard for if I were on Garcia’s team. It would be an anticipated fight, a solid event in Southern California, and it would likely produce a lot of quality action and drama. Beyond Linares, there’s IBF titleholder Robert Easter Jr. and WBO beltholder Terry Flanagan, both of whom are tall, range, athletic and battle tested.

I haven’t seen the replay yet, but I want to say that up close, Mikey does not look like a future 147-lb fighter. I think Garcia knows that he’s not a welterweight. He said he would consider fighting that heavy if a huge money opportunity presented itself to him (he’s probably just fantasizing about that Pacquaio carrot that Top Rank dangled in his face three years ago).

He was lucky Broner wasn’t firing back for the most part because Broner’s punches looked far heavier and more dangerous, when he bothered to let ‘em go. Nah. Mikey MADE his luck. He got in Broner’s ass before The Problem could muster any real confidence or build any sort of rhythm or momentum.

I got to see Broner-Garcia ringside on Saturday and even though it was a one-sided fight, it’s cool sitting so close and seeing faces you recognize from TV. Do you get desensitized to that or is it still a thrill after all these years? It’s still a thrill a to cover live fights and to experience the amazing in-arena atmosphere that only anticipated prize fights can deliver, but I’ve never been one to pay much attention to ringside celebrities (unless they’re boxing legends, such as Roberto Duran).

OUTCLASSED

Hi Doug,

Adrien Broner was simply outclassed against Mikey Garcia. He had never faced a fighter as complete as him and it showed. Broner was in tip top shape and didn’t show any signs of being weakened by the drop in weight and that’s what made this win for Garcia even more impressive.

It took 2 and a half minutes for Garcia to figure out Broner, his feints and body work had Adrien with a big “Problem” that he could never solve. I have to give it to Broner, he never stopped trying and had a good late rally that Mikey adapted to beautifully.

This fight kind of reminded me a little bit of Chavez-Camacho, just not as brutal. Once the fight started it was evident that Mikey was on a different level, Broner tried to use his speed and size on him and couldn’t reach Mikey. I was also surprised at how good Mikey can be defensively. He barely got touched in the first 8 rounds. He also used a very basic combination to dominate Broner: double jab, straight right, hook and then switching it down to the body, something nobody had ever done against Broner. Garcia has functional speed and power for the weight and can be a good threat for Terrance Crawford IMO.

Right now I like Garcia over anybody below 135. At 140-147 he might be a little small for the bigger welters/jr. welters, yet I wouldn’t count him out against anybody. How do you see Garcia staking up against Crawford? Thanks Doug. – Juan Valverde

I would favor Crawford, as well as the top welterweights (Thurman, Spence, Porter) to beat Garcia. I think he’s live against lower-top-10 welterweights, such as Danny Garcia, Lamont Peterson, Pacquiao, Jeff Horn, Lucas Matthysse and Jessie Vargas, but their size and activity would give him problems that “The Problem” wasn’t able to present this past Saturday.

I think Garcia is much better suited for 135 or 140. I think he can beat most junior welterweights (not named Crawford, Indongo or Postol) and I wouldn’t pick any lightweights to beat him, although I think both Linares and Easter Jr. can give him a run for his money.

Adrien Broner was simply outclassed against Mikey Garcia. He had never faced a fighter as complete as him and it showed. True, but what made Garcia’s domination so impressive is that he’d never faced an opponent who was more accomplished but also naturally bigger and still in his prime as Broner was. And Broner was also perceived as the better overall athlete.

It took 2 and a half minutes for Garcia to figure out Broner, his feints and body work had Adrien with a big “Problem” that he could never solve. I agree. And by Round 5, it appeared to me that Broner – a cat who some still viewed as “skillful,” while other pundits believed Garcia lacked the inside craft to compete with him – was reduced to a game, stalking “tough guy.”

I have to give it to Broner, he never stopped trying and had a good late rally that Mikey adapted to beautifully. Yes indeed. I scored Rounds 9 and 10 for Broner. (And, I was being kind in giving him the 10^th.) The fact that two of the official judges found four rounds to give to Broner tells me that if Garcia had “only” legitimately seven or eight rounds, they would have robbed him. But whatever, the right man – the better boxer and fighter – won.

But that doesn’t mean Broner should dry up and blow away. He fought as best he could. He was outclassed by an elite, near-perfect boxer. Broner’s not elite (probably never was), and he sure as hell isn’t perfect.

That’s OK in my book. I think there’s more than enough room in boxing for non-pound-for-pound players and even young veterans who are no longer legitimate top-10 contenders as long as they’re matched right and make for entertaining fights. Most fighters – even former or current world titleholders – are flawed. There are more than a few accomplished former/would-be stars that are viewed as past prime but are still relatively young that Broner can dance with over the next year or two: Amir Khan, Brandon Rios, Andre Berto, Omar Figueroa Jr., and the aforementioned Vic Ortiz.

JAPANESE CONVEYOR BELT

Hi Doug,

I imagine you’ll be inundated with Garcia-Broner questions/opinions so thought I’d try my luck with something else that happened this weekend.

After Sho Kimura knocked out Zou Shiming over the weekend, Japan now has 11 world champions. Some people might not be aware as they are all super bantamweight or below. But what an achievement for the country.

Also, Japan tends to produce these prodigies who win world titles in under 10-15 fights: Ioka, Inoue, Tanaka, Shiro, etc.

Why do you think they’re the only country really to produce such precocious talent that win titles at such a young age? No other country has such a steady stream of elite talent at the lighter weights or above. – MM

Hiroto Kyoguchi with the IBF 105-pound title. Photo / Naoki Fukuda

I believe there are four main reasons we see Japanese boxing prodigies go for world titles so soon after turning pro (two weeks ago “The Dynamite Boy” Hiroto Kyoguchi, with only seven bouts under his belt, outpointed rugged, vastly more experienced Jose Argumedo to win the IBF 105-pound title just 15 months after he turned pro):

1) There’s a well-supported amateur boxing system in Japan (it’s a high school sport there and the fighters you mentioned – Ioka, Inoue, Tanaka, and Shiro – all had standout amateur careers, as did Kyoguchi), as well as a strong gym culture that cultivates young talent;

2) there’s a legacy of notable Japanese fighters winning world titles early in their pro careers – from hall of famer Yoko Gushiken who won the WBA junior flyweight title in his ninth pro bout to wildly popular Joichiro Tatsuyoshi who won the WBC bantamweight belt in his eighth pro bout to current promoter Hideyuki Ohashi who won the WBC 108-pound strap in his seventh pro bout – that young boxers and their trainers/managers seek to emulate;

3) as Kyoguchi’s manager told RingTV’s Anson Wainwright prior to the Argumedo fight, the business of boxing is robust in Japan’s urban centers where the fans and the networks that televise the sport want to witness young talent roll the dice against world titleholders, so there’s public pressure to do so;

4) and, finally, sub-bantamweight boxers mature much faster than those in the heavier weight classes and typically do not have long pro careers (it’s not uncommon for 105-to-115-pound fighters to “burnout” before their late 20s), so it makes sense for a talented little guy to “go for the gold” so to speak as soon as possible.

Anyway, I think Japan’s thriving boxing scene is good for the overall international health of the sport and I hope to see some of these young Japanese stars travel to the U.S. to take part in significant fights as Inoue will next month.

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