Garcia Faces Potential Banana Skin In Herrera Tonight In Puerto Rico

WBC/WBA light welter champ Danny Garcia is fighting three opponents tonight at Coliseo Ruben Rodriguez in Bayamon, Puerto Rico: Maurico Herrera, distraction and pressure.

The Philadelphian has been short-listed to face Floyd Mayweather Jr later this year, a monumental distraction to the task at hand, and with the added pressure to perform in spectacular fashion in front of fans in his father’s homeland, this is not just another fight.

Additionally, challenger Herrera has a 2011 win over current WBO light welter titlist Ruslan Provodnikov, who has a similar style to Garcia.

Is this an upset on the making?

Over the course of the last two years, Garcia has met and defeated Amir Khan, Zab Judah, Lucas Matthysse and on two occasions, Erik Morales, winning and defending the WBC and WBA titles.

After a schedule like that, at least on paper, Garcia is due a defense against a less experienced opponent but Herrera could be anything but an easy mark for “Swift”.

Digging deeper in Garcia’s resume, Judah and Morales were many years past their prime, with Morales also at least two weight classes above where he should be, while less than iron-chinned Khan was outboxing Garcia until dubiously deciding to trade with a much harder puncher, leaving only the Matthysse victory as a genuine, clear cut world class triumph.

But, that lineup of opponents is a far cry above anyone Herrera has faced with the exception of Provodnikov, and the Californian has lost to Mike Alvarado, Mike Anchondo and Karim Mayfield, which, as they are all very good fighters and the losses were competitive, is no shame.

But the Provodnikov contest will be the one that matters when the bell rings tonight in Bayamon as Herrera will have already successfully dealt with a stronger, younger slugger who likes to pressure the opponent, go to the body and swing wide roundhouse punches.

That being said, Provodnikov and Garcia aren’t the same fighter but Herrera has the basic blueprint on spoiling Garcia’s father/trainer Angel’s homecoming party.

As Judah and Khan showed against Garcia, the WBA/WBC champion has problems with good boxers. Herrera is definitely a good boxer, although probably not as quick-handed as Judah or Khan, against Provodnikov he showed he can take a very hard flush punch from a heavy-handed fighter, which is more than
could be said of Judah/Khan.

Herrera’s biggest problem in Bayamon might not actually be Garcia, but the fact that the fight is somewhat on Garcia’s home (transplanted) turf and that Herrera is no knockout puncher; he’ll also be fighting the judges.

In order to walk out of Coliseo Ruben Rodriguez with the titles, Herrera would likely have to win every single round, and that probably isn’t going to happen, particularly in the later rounds when the challenger will likely tire and have to trade with an expert in trench warfare.

Despite distractions, pressure and a difficult opponent, Danny Garcia should retain his belts and head into a very lucrative, but losing bid, for Floyd
Mayweather’s pound for pound crown later this year.

The undercard in Baymon has two interesting bouts on tap.

In the first, heavyweight KO artist Deontay Wilder, 30-0 (30), meets veteran Malik Scott, 36-1-1 (13), in a 12 rounder that will reportedly get the victor a shot at the winner of the Bermane Stiverne vs. Chris Arreola rematch for the vacant WBC title.

While Wilder can definitely punch, and possesses an Olympic bronze medal, he only turned to the sport in his late teens and as far as boxing skills go, is a work in progress.

But, his level of ability right now should be more than enough to get him past Scott, although the 30 consecutive knockout streak could be in jeopardy.

Wilder has faced and KO’d a very long list of grade B and lower opposition. The same can be said of Scott, subtracting the knockouts.

The only opponent of note that Scott has faced, Dereck Chisora, didn’t have much difficulty beating Scott in London last July. While the stoppage may have been a bit premature in round six, Scott was just basically spoiling and surviving with no real genuine ambition on display.

Did Scott get jobbed against Chisora? At face value, yes, as he did beat the count and should have been allowed to continue but he also waited until the last possible second to rise at the count of nine and perhaps was looking for the referee to stop the bout as a way of quitting without apparently doing so.

This isn’t to say that Scott was “afraid” to continue against Chisora but without the punch to produce a KO, was he ever going to beat the British Chisora on points in London?

In a way, Scott faces a similar situation with Wilder. Obviously, Wilder, of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, isn’t the hometown fighter in Puerto Rico but he is one of Golden Boy Promotion’s top up and coming boxers and therefore, the “house” fighter on this occasion.

Wilder will likely win but Scott should present some problems and could do better than many expect.

At super feather, local hero Juan Manuel Lopez, 33-3 (30), rematches Mexico’s Daniel Ponce De Leon, 45-5 (35), in a ten round battle of southpaws.

Lopez ended Ponce De Leon’s reign as WBO super bantam champ in 2008 with a first round KO and both have gone on to bigger and better, as well as smaller and worse things.

Ponce De Leon won and lost the WBC featherweight crown while Lopez continued as WBO super bantam boss, adding the WBO feather strap but then losing it and then getting denied twice in attempts to regain the title.

Both these guys can really punch, both are past their best years but are still world class operators. Despite the result of the pair’s first contest, Ponce De Leon can hold the better shot and that may be the difference here as neither man has the best defense.