Thurman vs. Garcia – Tale of the Tape

Keith Thurman Danny Garcia Record 27-0 33-0 Nickname “One Time” “Swift” Country USA USA Age 28 28 Height 5’7 1/2″ 5’8 1/2″ Reach 69″ 68 1/2″ KO% 79% 58% Last 5 5-0, 2 KOs 5-0, 3 KOs

Thurman vs. Garcia – Fight Preview

Thurman-Garcia will happen on March 4th at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. The bout will be televised nationwide on CBS (9 PM Eastern time) in the U.S. and is the biggest fight so far in 2017. The winner of Thurman-Garcia will become a unified champion in the best division in boxing (welterweight) and prove that he is one of the top pound-for-pound fighters in the world.

Danny “Swift” Garcia, who owns the prestigious WBC belt, is the slight underdog going into the match-up with Keith Thurman. The Philadelphia native boasts an excellent resume with wins over the likes of Amir Khan, Zab Judah, Lucas Matthysse, and Roberto Guerrero (whom Garcia beat to claim the vacant WBC title in early 2016). Now, at 28 years old, Danny Garcia has a chance to take the next step and become an international superstar if he can beat Keith Thurman and distance himself from a stacked crowd at 147 pounds.

Garcia, like many Puerto Rican fighters, is known for his accurate and powerful left hook, but he also possesses a hard right hook that he uses in combinations with his left hand especially on the inside. Garcia is a fairly technically sound boxer as well and can fight on the outside with solid footwork, though he can get a bit sloppy in the heat of the moment. One weakness that may be exploited by Keith Thurman is Garcia’s tendency to occasionally throw wide hooks (both left and right) from the outside, leaving him vulnerable to be parried and countered.

Keith “One Time” Thurman is the WBA welterweight champion and the favorite by experts to win on March 4th. The Clearwater, FL native is undefeated in 28 pro bouts (one no contest) and holds victories over Diego Chavez, Jesus Soto Karass, Robert Guerrero, Luis Collazo, and Shawn Porter. While not as popular as Danny Garcia among boxing fans, Thurman has had a very good career so far and is the type of fighter who has what it takes to grind out a Hall of Fame career if he can come out victorious in the biggest fight the storied welterweight division has had since Mayweather-Pacquiao.

Thurman follows in the footsteps of elite American fighters like Sugar Ray Leonard and Bernard Hopkins (stylistically) as a classic boxer-puncher. Thurman possesses elite-level speed, good footwork, a strong chin, and of course, “One Time” knockout power. Thurman has the ability to go after opponents and finish them, and he proved against Shawn Porter that he can move around and box effectively against top-level competition. One way to beat a boxer-puncher like Thurman is to sit and force him to come to you, and then counter punch him. Shawn Porter’s constant pressure and inside fighting also caused problems at times for Thurman, and he has been hurt with body shots in fights before.

On paper Keith Thurman and Danny Garcia are very evenly matched. Both are 28 years old, both are undefeated champions, both are known for their power, and they even started their professional career in the same month, November of 2007. Danny Garcia will need to use his head to beat Thurman, and by that I mean fighting smart and letting Thurman come to him; the big shots for Garcia will come with a patient approach. The gameplan for Keith Thurman should be to move around and effectively use his jab to set up his right hand. If “One Time” can get Garcia to chase him around like Porter did, than even better for Thurman.

Thurman vs. Garcia – Prediction

I predict a late knockout victory for Keith Thurman. This is a very hard fight to predict because both fighters have their flaws and each has the power to make the other pay for their mistakes. However, I think you have to give the speed and power advantages to Keith Thurman. Danny has been hit in fights before, but he has not been hit by a true welterweight on the caliber of Thurman. Thurman hit Shawn Porter with the type of shots that make most fighters crumble, and Keith is a lot more skilled than your standard power puncher.

If Danny Garcia stays focused and works the body, he could certainly knock out Thurman. Thurman is coming off of a great win over Shawn Porter, a guy who would definitely give Danny problems and most would agree he is the bigger puncher. Remember, Garcia came up from light welterweight and has only fought three times at welterweight, while Keith Thurman actually started out at junior middleweight. Still, if Thurman comes in recklessly we all know Garcia has excellent timing on his hooks and he can crack.

Thurman vs. Garcia – Undercard

The Thurman-Garcia undercard will include*:

Erickson Lubin vs. Jorge Cota (12 rounds, junior middleweight)

Andrzej Fonfara vs. Chad Dawson (10 rounds, light heavyweight)

Heather Hardy vs. Edina Kiss (10 rounds, featherweight females)

Lubin is a big, undefeated junior middleweight on the rise and a win here against a solid fighter like Cota would push him up in the rankings. Fonfara and Dawson are veterans looking to get back into title contention. Heather Hardy, who is from Brooklyn, is one of the top fighters in her division, while her opponent Kiss is also a top-level female fighter.

*not necessarily limited to just the above featured fights, some undercard fights may not be televised

Do you agree with my prediction? Probably not, so feel free to comment below!