Opinion will be split over the victor of Danny Garcia vs Lamont Peterson at the weekend. It was close, but, there was a clear winner in BoxingBase.com’s opinion.
For once, observers could actually feel for the judges who had to score this fight – especially the opening act. And since judges are encouraged to score rounds objectively – avoid awarding them even – they truly had their work cut out at the Barclay’s Center, Brooklyn.
The result: Danny Garcia, Majority Decision. The scores: 114-114, 115-113, 115-113. Here at BoxingBase.com we had it 116-112, Garcia. The fight itself seemed to somewhat echo Saul Alvarez vs Erislandy Lara, a bout still disputed in the boxing fandom.
Before we rewind and examine Garcia vs Peterson, it’s worth commending both fighters on a hard-fought bout. Both were exceptional, so hats off. (Following the grizzly Garcia vs Salka mismatch, it was great to see a competitive matchup.)
Garcia vs Peterson: The Fight
The first three rounds were painfully hard to score. The only way to score them it seemed, was to be as objective as possible. So let’s just cut to it: Garcia was more deserving of these rounds.
Why? Because although Peterson looked ‘pretty’ bouncing around the ring, he was also back-peddling, or as Garcia put it post-fight: “running away”.
And that’s not harsh. Peterson was less stick-and-move than he was chronically mobile and flicking out a seldom landing jab. Meanwhile, Garcia was coming forward throughout, hunting down his man, but like his foe, landing very little.
Let’s remember that judge’s – certainly in the US – score highly on aggression. Granted, boxing is both as much defense as offense – but we have to be objective here. You can’t change judging criteria. If you want to win rounds, you’d be doing yourself a huge favor by being the aggressor, i.e. coming forward, looking the boss.
Garcia couldn’t cut the ring off or mount a considerable offense in these early rounds, but it has to be said he was taking the fight to Peterson. (It was the same problem with overly-elusive Erislandy Lara in the later rounds of his close fight with Saul Alvarez – dude, you can’t secure rounds by staying on the back foot!)
Going forward, the rounds became less subjective and easier to score. Round 4 saw little action, but the round seemed to be edged by Garcia. He also landed the cleaner shots in the 5th. The 6th was also arguably bagged by Garcia, though one cannot deny Peterson had a big round himself, seeing him become more mauler than mover.
Credit to Peterson here in the 6th: he can be slippery as an eel but also plant his feet and become a banger at the flip of a switch. Versatile, indeed.
The 7th was a round where Peterson once again stood his ground, but was out-pointed by his foe who landed the cleaner blows. The fight was beginning to change drastically, with Peterson beginning to fancy the fight big time. Interesting stuff.
That confidence was undeniable in the 8th when the puncher vs mover dynamic changed completely. Peterson started pushing Garcia back, bullying him, and landing some big, eye-catching shots. An unquestionably big round for Peterson.
The 9th was another winner for Peterson as he effectively got his shots off while remaining elusive. Beautiful stick-and-move stuff.
But it’s anyone’s guess what the Washington fighter was thinking in the 10th. Instead of clawing his way back into the fight as he had been in rounds previous, he decided to throw more showboating than punches. A lot more. So instead of action, we got a few Ali shuffles and some John Travolta struts.
The judges scoring manual doesn’t need to be checked for this one – showboating only raises enthusiasm in the crowd. This was a Garcia round without doubt – plus, he actually came forward and landed the more punches.
In the 11th, Peterson got back to being the boss and ditched his dancing shoes. Big skills, big shots, big round. He then just about edged the 12th which saw him land the more telling punches during exchanges. (Garcia vs Peterson Fight Highlights)
Garcia vs Peterson: Close, But the Right Man Won
So there it is. That’s how BoxingBase.com saw the fight: 116-112, Garcia. But the fight was close, it’s true. So let’s say Peterson won another round – even then Garcia still would have been our victor. Give Peterson another round on top of that to make it a Draw? – well, that would seem a little unjust, but wouldn’t exactly cause outrage either.
This was a close, close – close – fight, but it’s hard to argue a Peterson win. The simple fact is that though he was highly effective and memorable in the fight, he made his work count a little too late. You’ve got to be the aggressor and make every round count. Period.
Garcia now stands at 30 wins, 17 knockouts, no losses, while Peterson drops to 33 wins, 17 knockouts, 3 losses, 1 draw.
But now we want to hear your thoughts. Your take on the fight. Do you agree with Boxing Base’s scoring and analysis? What about your own scorecards? How did you see the fight? Let us know in the comments!
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