For boxing fans, the 147 pound Welterweight division is, in many ways, the sport’s top division these days, and Saturday night sees a pivotal fight there when Danny Garcia (34-1; 20 KOs) faces Shawn Porter (28-2-1; 17 KOs). The fight is for the vacant WBC Welterweight title last held by Keith Thurman. Ring Magazine ranks Porter at #4 in the division, Garcia at #6. The fight takes place this Saturday, September 8 and airs on Showtime with a fight time of 9:00 p.m. ET. Garcia vs. Porter headlines a triple-header that night.
How do these two stack up?
Garcia: 30 years old | 5’8” | 68” reach | orthodox stance
Porter: 30 years old | 5’7” | 69” reach | orthodox stance
What have these two done recently?
Garcia: W – Brandon Rios (TKO) | L – Keith Thurman (SD) | W – Samuel Vargas (TKO)
Porter: W – Adrian Granados (UD) | W – Andre Berto (TKO) | L – Keith Thurman (UD)
How did these two get here?
Danny Garcia is an interesting figure in the Welterweight division. He had a tremendous run back in 2012-13 defeating Amir Khan, Erik Morales, Zab Judah, and Lucas Matthysse. He then took a couple of much maligned fights against Mauricio Herrera and Rod Salka, and the tide turned against him. He continues to fight good talents (at least sometimes), and he continues to win – his lone loss was a close decision to the division’s #1 Keith Thurman. Yet he’s fallen all the way to #6 in the division. That’s partly a reflection of the depth at Welterweight, but it’s also a commentary on the concerns over his strength of opposition. Which, frankly, is a bit undeserved – he could easily become the sport’s top Welterweight at any moment. But it is what it is.
Shawn Porter similarly had a big run back in 2013ish, though not quite at the same level as Garcia. He suffered a major setback in a slight upset loss to Kell Brook in 2014. Since then, he’s 4-1 with the 1 loss coming against, yep, Keith Thurman (there’s a reason Thurman is ranked #1). Those 4 wins have included some names like Andre Berto and Adrien Broner, but Porter has never seemed to really land that one, major, signature win. Danny Garcia would certainly be that win if Porter can pull it off.
What can fans expect?
We know what to expect from Shawn Porter. He’s going to push inside, he’s going to try to make it rough, and he’s going to try to win a war. Garcia is willing to go there, but he’s also shown more varied dimensions to his game. Against common opponent Thurman, both men had some success, but Garcia came closer to getting it done. In the end, Garcia has defeated opponents at or near Porter’s level – but the same can not be said for Porter. Look for Garcia to deal with the inside game, land the cleaner shots, and pick his way to a close points win. Then look for everyone to get really angry about the scores.
Prediction: Danny Garcia, SD
Should you watch?
Yes. It’s a solid fight that should be high on action and it has real ramifications for the top of the rankings in a stacked division.