A brand new champ was crowned last night.
And for the first time in 20 years, the FOX network broadcast live boxing for the mainstream masses. Last night’s show ignited from the STAPLES Center in downtown Los Angeles and featured Danny “Swift” Garcia going toe to toe with Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero in an entertaining welterweight clash that went the distance.
In a town known for Hollywood glitz and glamour and sports galore, it was the sport of boxing that ruled the night. In a venue in which the NBA’s Clippers and Lakers and the NHL’s Kings all call home, it was the sweet science that reigned supreme at the STAPLES Center Saturday night. With over 12,000 attendees filling the arena, this Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) and TGB Promotions card gave the crowd their money’s worth.
If you wanted some good live boxing, last night’s show was the place to be. If you wanted to spot your favorite champ sitting ringside, you got it. If you wanted to see your favorite actor strolling through the aisles, that was there for the taking too. Boxing ignited the City of Angels last night with a rousing Garcia-Guerrero undercard headlining this PBC FOX broadcast.
Spotted among the spectators were boxing’s biggest superstar Floyd Mayweather, new heavyweight champ Charles Martin, WBC #1 mandatory welterweight challenger Amir Khan, rising champ Keith Thurman, “Showtime” Shawn Porter, Olympic gold medalist Henry Tillman, along with a mix of current and former fighters including Antonio Tarver, Israel Vazquez, Daniel Ponce de Leon, Gabe Rosado, Paul Banke, Giovani Segura, Ivan Redkach, Oscar Negrete, Ivan Delgado and more. Hall of Fame referee Joe Cortez came in from Vegas to catch the action. Actor/comedian Eddie Murphy was also in attendance at this January 23 fight night in which boxing was king once again.
The build-up for this event had featured verbal wars between the main event fighters’ fathers/trainers Angel Garcia and Ruben Guerrero. Known for speaking their minds and going head to head themselves, the sparks were lit. But when the first bell rang, it was up to the sons to go to work.
And after 12 rounds of battle, Philly’s Danny Garcia proved he is a force in the welterweight division besting rival Guerrero in this 12-round scrap.
Robert Guerrero has been in plenty of rough, tough fights and has the heart and will of a warrior. The southpaw from Gilroy, California had a huge showing of support from fans in the stands who cheered for every punch he landed. He started out landing his jabs and connecting with body shots as he pursued Garcia. “The Ghost” is a former champ who has been in the trenches many times before this matchup and at 32, he wanted this win and wanted this WBC strap around his waist once again. And for the first half of the fight, Robert found success with both his jab and come-forward aggression while giving the Guerrero fans in the stands hope for a possible upset.
But the momentum changed and the tide turned at the midway point in the fight when Danny “Swift” Garcia found his rhythm, got in the groove and went bombs away beginning in the six stanza. Landing hard shots on the chin and face of his foe, Garcia began to take charge. At 27 years old, the younger, fresher and not as battle-scarred pug was showing no mercy on the face of “The Ghost.” With power and pop, the Puerto Rican star silenced his critics and proved his mettle in the ring. After colliding for 12 action-packed rounds, the two combatants let their fists fly down to the final seconds of the bell. Hanging in tough, giving it his all, Guerrero grasped at a final chance to claim victory but as the time ran out, it was going to be Garcia’s hand held high in victory.
The CompuBox punch stats said it all; the proof is in the pudding. After their war of attrition, the numbers were tallied. Total punches landed were 32.9% for Garcia, 24.8% Guerrero; power punches landed saw Danny scoring a whopping 45.6% to Robert’s 27.2%. But Guerrero did win in the jab category landing 18.1% of his jabs to Garcia’s 4.6% in this duel.
And it was a clear unanimous decision from the official judges Max De Luca, Steve Weisfeld and Rey Danseco who all scored the bout 116-112 in favor of Garcia. With the win, Danny is the new
WBC World Welterweight title (which was vacated by Floyd Mayweather).
The Philly puncher is an exciting boxer to watch, an explosive power puncher in a talent-rich division. Young and strong, he says he will face anyone.
Who do you want him to face next?
In the post-fight press conference, Robert Guerrero and his dad/coach Ruben Guerrero insisted they deserve a rematch. Robert said repeatedly that he thought he won the fight and that he feels he won “8 or 9 of the rounds.” While his face might have been battered and bruised, the heart of a champion still beats strong. A Garcia-Guerrero rematch looks highly unlikely but respect for “The Ghost” remains strong. Questions arose about how much does Guerrero have left for him in the future? But Robert says he will continue to bang.
And at age 27, the future looks quite rosy for Team Garcia. Claiming this WBC title, all eyes will be on Danny’s next matchup.
British boxer Amir Khan has been ratified as the mandatory WBC challenger for the title. He was sitting in the arena (behind Floyd Mayweather) taking in all the action. Will this Garcia-Khan rematch materialize in the future? Another fighter in attendance Saturday night was Keith “One Time” Thurman. While he’ll be facing Shawn Porter on March 12, Keith told me he’d love to take on the winner of Garcia-Guerrero in the future.
We will all have to wait and watch when new champ Danny “Swift” Garcia steps into the ring again.
For now, Team Garcia will celebrate their latest victory.
https://youtu.be/X7gE-lyk5E0