On March 15th, 2014, things were expected to go very differently for Danny Garcia at the Coliseo Ruben Rodriguez, Puerto Rico. The WBC and RING Champion was supposed to make easy work of Mauricio Herrera, wearing him down and most likely taking him out in the later rounds. But sometimes the script gets re-written in boxing.
Garcia managed to pull off the win in front his heritage homeland crowd, but the legitimacy of that win is now being fiercely debated in the boxing fandom. The Majority Decision comprised official scores of 116-112, 116-112, and 114-114. BoxingBase.com had the bout at 114-114.
Garcia vs Herrera Underdog Fancies His Chances
Garcia’s underdog dance partner was most effective, not possessing fight-changing power, but enough savvy and awkwardness to break Garcia’s rhythm and take away his deadly left hook. Now, anyone who can do that has a good chance of toppling the Junior Welterweight star. And Herrera came incredibly close to doing it – in fact, many who watched the fight said he did.
Garcia didn’t press the action in the early rounds, which allowed Herrera to get a comfortable lead in the fight. This lead to a confidence boost in Herrera, and despite being the lighter hitter of the two, began coming forward. When this happened, it was clear Herrera had come for more than the pay check.
Garcia worked the body well, but Herrera’s awkward angles and slippery lateral movement meant he couldn’t get off his big punches upstairs. With Garcia’s left hook – his most devastating punch – more or less neutralized, the Philadelphia-born fighter had his work cut out. He started to apply more pressure, of course, and managed to briefly find success with the left hook going into the second act, landing two to the jaw of Herrera.
But it wasn’t enough to seriously hurt or discourage his foe. In the later rounds, Herrera came forward with a flurry of straights, which caused Garcia’s nose to explode with blood. With Garcia’s nose now likely broken, rage inhabited his face and punches. He laced his offense with greater poison in the rounds that followed, but couldn’t get rid of his opponent before the final bell. (Garcia vs Herrera Highlights)
Herrera will be disappointed having picked up another loss despite his spirited performance; but Garcia won’t exactly be brimming with satisfaction over his victory either. It is what it is, however, and Garcia’s unblemished record now improves to 28 wins, 16 knockouts, while Herrera’s falls to 20 wins, 7 knockouts, 4 losses.
Garcia vs Herrera: Undercard
The evening’s co-feature saw Deontay Wilder at his usual devastating best as he derailed the senses of Malik Scott in the 1st round. Many had thought Scott’s boxing brain would have presented problems for the unbeaten wrecking machine, but after being concussed following a one-two combination, those potential problems never came to fruition. The end came at just 1:36, courtesy of Wilder’s first two punches, winning the much-feared Heavyweight the WBC title eliminator. Could a fight with Bermane Stiverne be on the horizon?
How did you score Garcia vs Herrera? Did the right man win, or was a Draw more accurate? How much will this performance effect Garcia’s career? And has boxing received yet another low blow courtesy of its ringside officials?
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