Danny Garcia vs Keith Thurman Preview March 4th
There’s a fine welterweight unification bout on the books at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York this Saturday, March 4th when a pair of unbeaten champions will meet. The contest pits WBC Champion Danny Garcia of Philadelphia up against WBA Titleholder Keith Thurman of Clearwater, Florida. The 12-round bout can be seen live in North America on the free CBS network while fans in the UK can catch the action on BoxNation. Garcia’s last fight was a seventh-round stoppage over Samuel Vargas in November, while Thurman beat Shawn Porter by unanimous decision back in June.
Garcia vs Thurman Betting Odds
Here are the betting odds from online sportsbook BetOnline.ag (full review here).
- Danny Garcia +185
- Keith Thurman -220
My Pick
Garcia, a former WBC and WBA Junior Welterweight Champion, won the vacant WBC Welterweight Title in January of 2016 with a unanimous decision over Robert Guerrero. He enters the bout with a perfect record of 33-0 and has 19 Kos to his name. He has power in both hands, but has just three knockouts in his past eight fights since 2013. He’s faced some top-quality opposition over the years such as Guerrero, Paulie Malignaggi, Amir Khan, Zab Judah, Mauricio Herrera, Lucas Matthysse, Kendall Holt, Nate Campbell, and Erik Morales twice. Garcia isn’t really a standout boxer, but he’s solid in all areas of the sport with good power, speed, defence, ring generalship and chin, and that’s why he’s yet to be beaten as a pro.
The 28-year-old Garcia has fought 206 rounds since turning pro back in 2007. He stands just over 5-feet-8-inches tall and has a reach of 68.5 inches. His current knockout ratio stands at 58 per cent and he doesn’t usually go looking for knockouts as he’s actually quite patient. He’s had some problems in the past with skilled boxers, such as Herrera and Judah and has to work hard against them since they don’t usually come to him and he’s forced to go after them. He prefers fighting opponents who are right in front of him as he can eventually wear them down with his jab and left hook.
The 28-year-old Thurman will also enter the ring with a perfect record as he’s 27-0 with 22 Kos. He also won his title with a unanimous decision over Guerrero and has defended it against Luis Collazo and Porter. Thurman is regarded as a skillful boxer/puncher who combines speed and power to produce a fan-friendly style. He’s got the power to stop most opponents and the boxing skill to wins decisions if he has to go the distance. Thurman possesses an effective jab which he often doubles or triples up on. He likes to back his foe up with the jab and then unleash power shots or quick combinations to the head and body.
Thurman is also quite an effective counterpuncher and an intelligent boxer overall who can throw punches from a wide variety of angles. His hardest shot is the left hook and his mobility makes him one of boxing’s best prospects at the moment. He’s not the easiest guy to hit, and so far his chin has appeared to be pretty solid. Garcia can’t afford to leave himself open when attacking Thurman or he’ll be tattooed with a quick barrage of punches. Thurman’s hand speed will give Garcia problems even though the challenger has quick hands himself.
Thurman also turned pro back in 2007 and has fought 124 rounds since then and owns a current knockout ratio of 79 per cent. He stands just over 5-feet-7-inches tall and has a reach of 69 inches, so is an inch shorter than Garcia, but has a half0inch edge in reach. His best wins so far have been against Collazo, Guerrero, Porter, Julio Diaz, Jesus Soto-Karass, Diego Chaves and Carlos Quintana. If there is a knock on him it’s that he hasn’t fought enough Grade A opponents as of yet with Porter being his stiffest test to date. Garcia’s best bet of beating Thurman is to throw a high volume of punches every round and make him back up if possible. However, there’s a good chance Thurman will be just as active and that’s not really Garcia’s style.
Prediction…
This is an excellent and close matchup and it’s not easy trying to pick a winner. Both are fine boxers with excellent speed and good chins. However, the pre-fight buildup was spoiled by the inappropriate outburst and rants of Garcia’s father and trainer Angel. Thurman probably has the edge in power here and when combined with his speed and mobility that could be the difference. I’ll go with Thurman to take Garcia’s title.
Another close call with any outcome being possible.
Play: Thurman -220 @ BetOnline.ag
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Danny Garcia betting • Keith Thurman betting