Opinions and Observations: Thurman-Garcia

"He had technique but I had superior technique. And I was able to read his technique. Ultimately, it comes down to who lands the most punches and who is the most accurate...it was a nice night of boxing in my opinion."

– Keith Thurman 

Danny Garcia has notched a number of impressive wins in his career. He defanged the wild beast that was Lucas Matthysse. He trapped a jackrabbit in Amir Khan. In both of those signature victories, Garcia waited patiently in the pocket to exploit an opportunity. For Matthysse, it was a counter right hand that helped to close his eye. Against Khan, a sweeping left hook ultimately changed the fight.  

Until Saturday, Garcia's style had suited him well throughout his time in the professional ranks. With a mixture of poise, opportunism and execution, he had defeated a number of talented fighters to become a multi-divisional titlist. Yes, he had a couple of close calls and perhaps a win or two that was fortunate, but Danny's talent and approach in the ring had propelled him into becoming one of the top American fighters of his era.  

However, as Saturday demonstrated, Keith Thurman presented a series of challenges for Garcia that required him to ditch his preferred, deliberate style in favor of something more daring. But ultimately, Danny just couldn't leave behind the girl he brought to the dance. 

Early in the match, Thurman was the sharper fighter. Landing a variety of big punches, he bested Danny with power and accuracy. As he continued to pile up points, he decided to turn the fight into a boxing match. Instead of trading bombs in the pocket, he circled the ring and connecting with quick flurries.  

Garcia needed to land a devastating punch or a series of powerful shots to change the trajectory of the fight. He did throw his patented counters in the pocket, but most often his biggest shots failed to connect. As rounds continued to go Thurman's way, Garcia stuck with his usual ring style, unable to adjust or adapt. In the fight's final third, he did pick up the pace somewhat but he wasn't able to hurt Thurman or fully seize the initiative. Ultimately, there wasn't a real Plan B.  

When the final scores were announced, one judge was kind enough to give Garcia the nod but to be frank, only the most magnanimous of ring observers could find seven rounds for Danny. I thought that he won three. Maybe he took five. But he certainly didn't do enough to win. Saturday's action required a different Danny Garcia, one who fights with more urgency, one who takes more risks in the ring. That fighter never materialized.  

*** 

When trying to identify an elite or next-level fighter, one attribute I find significant is a boxer's ability to change his style to win a fight. In short, can a boxer who's down on the cards, use another approach to get a victory? 

On occasion, even the best boxers find themselves behind in a fight. And part of the reason why the elites deserve their hosannas is the adjustments they make against difficult opponents. Consider some of the truly elite fighters from the modern era. They often exhibited this characteristic of changing their style to win. Pernell Whitaker went for the knockout of Diosbelys Hurtado. Sugar Ray Leonard had to become the slugger against Tommy Hearns. Floyd Mayweather engaged in a shootout against Marcos Maidana. None of these fighters preferred to win in that style but they had to transform their approach in hopes of salvaging a victory.  

However, it's not just enough to want to do something different; these fighters were successful enough to win with the alternate style. So there are two parts to this equation: the recognition that a preferred style isn't working, and the ability to win with a different approach.  

The cold reality of Garcia's performance on Saturday is that Danny was unable to realize that he was well behind in the fight, and/or he was unwilling to change his approach to get a victory. Thurman was landing more frequently and with better scoring blows. As he boxed more in the second half of the fight, he was winning the battle of ring generalship. He dictated when most of the action would commence.  

What Garcia needed to do was to sell out for the win. He had to up the tempo and apply consistent pressure. One punch should've become three- and four-punch combinations but only seldom did Garcia let his hands go freely. Even when Garcia would connect with a counter right or a left hook, there was nothing coming behind it.  

Perhaps one reason why Garcia didn't go after Thurman more aggressively later in the fight was Keith's impressive power punching display in the first round. In an attempt to trade fire-with-fire in the opening frame, Garcia got the worst of the action. Keith scored with a potpourri of power shots: right crosses, left uppercuts, looping right hands and left hooks. After the rough opening foray, Garcia fought more conservatively. And even as he slightly increased his punch output in the fight's final third, he never let his hands go like he did in the first round.  

Garcia isn't a natural pressure fighter. He's more often a pocket fighter, a counterpuncher, someone who wins by being more intelligent and poised. Yet, the final half of Saturday's fight didn't call for poise and intelligence, but instead action and urgency. Garcia needed to take Thurman out of his comfort zone, rough him up and take risks. But throughout the fight, Danny still had his cruise control set to 55 mph. In the championship rounds, he upped it to 65, but by that point, he should've been careening around the ring with reckless abandon. 

Ultimately, Garcia was too controlled and that caution contributed to his loss. When it was obvious to almost everyone in Barclays Center that something radical needed to change, Garcia never went to the next gear. He either didn't have it or didn't want to push it, not the response of an elite fighter.  

*** 

Kids, let me tell you a story. Once upon a time, there was a fighter named Keith Thurman whose punches were so wide you could literally drive a Mack truck between them. When Keith was a boy... 

Ok, let me end story hour early tonight but that part about Keith being wide, well that was 100% true. He would throw shots from across the arena. When they landed, they were often spellbinding; when they missed, he was a sitting duck.  

It's worth recounting these earlier times because the Thurman of yore probably would’ve gotten knocked out on Saturday night. Garcia threw his best counterpunch haymakers – the sweeping left hooks and the chopping right hands – but Thurman evaded them all night. When Garcia went big, he was unsuccessful. Many of his shots sailed by Thurman while others just whisked past his chin or nose. Garcia just couldn't land his home run.

Much has been made about Thurman's gradual shift from a knockout artist to a boxer-puncher. And that transition has certainly been impressive. When he initially appeared on premium TV, Thurman was a crude slugger – a damn entertaining one – but crude nevertheless.  

Flash forward five or so years and Thurman would be scarcely recognizable. Boxing just as much as slugging, getting in and out of the pocket, blocking and parrying shots, moving lightly on his feet, Thurman has emerged as a polished combatant. He still lands big shots but he's ready to defend counters. In tough fights against Diego Chaves, Luis Collazo and Shawn Porter, he's learned that he can be vulnerable in the ring. He now respects what his opponents can do and understands the importance of a game plan.  

Dan Birmingham's tireless work in the gym has helped elevate Thurman to the next level. Thurman seems fully prepared for what his opponents’ best weapons are. When hit cleanly, he knows how to tie up, use his feet or fire back. On Saturday, he seemed to know where and when Danny would throw his counters even before Garcia did.  

It's clear that Thurman has considerable intelligence and is an apt pupil in the gym but it's Birmingham's attention to detail that has helped prepare Thurman for this stage of his career. Thurman fought confidently on Saturday but he executed in a way that reduced Garcia's effectiveness. After the first few rounds, Thurman fought his fight, not Garcia's. From Thurman's perspective, Garcia offered nothing unforeseen.  

With his work with Winky Wright and now Thurman, Birmingham has clearly established himself as one of the elite trainers in boxing. On the surface, there are few commonalities between Wright and Thurman. Wright was a flat-footed southpaw with little athleticism or power but had an almost impenetrable defense. Thurman is an athletic, hard-hitting banger who took a lot longer to grasp basic defensive fundamentals. However, the through line with both fighters is their intelligence in the ring. Like Wright, Thurman doesn't beat himself and he has an acute understanding of what he needs to do to win. In addition, both Wright and Thurman have been almost devotional in their praise of Birmingham. 

A humble guy, Birmingham most likely would deflect my compliments and steer them to his fighters. And that modesty is refreshing in a sport where many coaches think that they are the stars. But let's make sure Birmingham receives his due: he has shaped two unconventional fighters into elite talents. That they so scarcely resemble each other in the ring further speaks to his greatness.


Adam Abramowitz is the founder/head writer of saturdaynightboxing.com. He's a member of the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board. 
Email: saturdaynightboxing@hotmail.com 
@snboxing on twitter. SN Boxing on Facebook.

Thurman-Garcia: Keys to the Fight

Undefeated titleholders Keith Thurman (27-0, 22 KOs) and Danny Garcia (33-0, 19 KOs) clash in a welterweight unification fight on Saturday at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. This matchup features two of the higher-profile fighters in American boxing as well as one the sport's more confrontational figures in Angel Garcia, Danny's father and trainer. Thurman-Garcia has had a long gestation period. Thurman hasn't been in the ring since June although he was on-hand for Garcia's last win in November against Samuel Vargas. After that fight, Thurman confronted Garcia during the post-fight interview and a verbal conflagration ensued. Thurman-Garcia was officially announced almost immediately after that episode.

To the greater boxing community, this fight will answer several questions. Although many have predicted greatness for Thurman, Garcia will represent his proving ground. Will Thurman rise to the challenge or will he come up short, like other betting favorites have against Garcia? (Thurman is essentially a 2-1 favorite.) And boxing enthusiasts have waited for years to see Garcia take on another elite boxer. Will his success at 140 lbs. translate against the best at welterweight? Also, will the winner of this fight want to challenge the victor of the Kell Brook-Errol Spence matchup scheduled to unfold later in the year? Saturday will provide some needed answers. 

Below are the keys to Thurman-Garcia. My fight prediction will be at the end of the article.

1. Ring Geography

Perhaps the most important aspect of Saturday's fight is where the action will take place. Thurman will have a decided speed advantage. He can certainly box on the run or quickly potshot and get out of the pocket. Those approaches will help reduce Garcia's ability to counter and may be Thurman's best avenue to picking up points. Garcia has good footwork but he's not the athlete that Thurman is. He struggled with Lamont Peterson's movement and failed to land decisive blows in that contest despite getting the nod on the judges' scorecards. 

Neither fighter really is at his best at close range. Although Thurman does have a punishing right uppercut and Garcia can cause damage with his left hook, both of those punches are rather long and they are at their best from mid-range. It's unlikely that Thurman-Garcia will develop into a phone booth war.  

In the pocket, both fighters have a multitude of offensive weapons. Danny will feature his full complement of counterpunches, including his right hand (which he throws from a variety of angles and trajectories), left hook and uppercuts. Thurman can score from that distance with his jab and three major power punches: right hand, left hook and right uppercut. The conventional wisdom for this fight states that when the fight is at mid-range, Garcia should be at his best. His counters are creative, accurate and crisp. He also finds ways to punish his opponents for their mistakes. However, Thurman can certainly excel from this distance as well. His considerable power manifests at mid-range. It could be anyone's fight in the pocket. 

2. Who wins the exchanges?

Thurman may have the better natural power of the two punchers but he also makes more mistakes in the ring than Garcia does. He can get very wide with his shots, leaving him out of position to defend. Like most counterpunchers, Garcia often will take a few rounds to figure out his opponent. It's certainly possible that Thurman could win the fight's early exchanges before Garcia fully commits to his punches or makes adjustments to Thurman's speed. 

Over his last few fights, Thurman has improved at not fighting as straight up and he now consistently attacks behind his jab. These technical and strategic improvements have helped him against his recent opposition. Although never a defensive marvel, Thurman now picks off shots better because of a technical improvement with his glove positioning. Overall, he's become more defensively responsible than he was earlier in his career. Nevertheless, Thurman was certainly hit hard at points by Shawn Porter in his last fight. And if Garcia lacks Porter's urgency in the ring, he does have far superior accuracy and poise than Thurman's last foe. Garcia will have opportunities to connect.  

Variety will be very important for both fighters. Thurman will want to use his jab, but not so much that Garcia starts timing him with overhand rights. Employing angles against Garcia will be helpful. As for Garcia, he can't just wait for big counters. At times, he'll need to put punches together to create openings; he'll have to make his own luck instead of counting on potential Thurman mistakes. 

Both of these fighters have a variety of tools to best or hurt an opponent during exchanges. Will it be Thurman's speed and power or Garcia's accuracy and variety of counterpunches that will be more effective?

3. What will Danny improvise?

To Danny Garcia's detractors (and they are legion), they can't understand how a fighter who is so "ordinary" on the surface beats quality fighters. (And to be fair, much of the antipathy toward Danny is attributed to a couple of questionable decisions that he won.) Garcia doesn't have superior speed (hand or foot), athleticism or power. 

But there are two aspects of Garcia's that are exceptional in the ring: his poise and his improvisational ability. I think it's clear that his poise is well understood by now. He wasn't rattled by the ferocious punching of Lucas Matthysse. Amir Khan's considerable hand speed advantage was eventually neutralized. Garcia never beats himself in the ring. He remains calm, even when under duress. 

But Garcia's gift of improvisation is rarely discussed. He can throw all sorts of right hands: crosses, looping shots from distance, overhand rights and hooks (he's a rare conventional fighter who throws a right hook). Even though Zab Judah took away Garcia's left hand, Danny still found a way to land his right from seemingly every angle and trajectory. When Lucas Matthysse wound up getting out of position, Garcia maneuvered himself to score a knockdown. Everyone remembers the sweeping left hook that Garcia landed against Khan. 

Garcia takes what is given by his opponent and finds a way to capitalize. If a foe puts up ear muffs, Garcia goes to the body. If Garcia only has one hand to work with, he'll use that arm to win. His gifts of surprise and improvisation help level the playing field against bigger punchers and athletically superior opponents. 

4. Round-to-Round Consistency

Since the end of 2011, Garcia has had seven fights go the distance. All of them have been competitive. He's had fights where he's won the opening rounds (Judah, Peterson) and others where he's come on in the second half (Matthysse, Morales I), but he has yet to put 12 consistent rounds together. At times, Garcia has been a front-runner but he's also been a slow starter. What is apparent though is that he can lose focus in fights and he's yet to prove that he has top conditioning over 12 rounds. 

Thurman has his own issues with consistency but his are of a different variety than Garcia's. Thurman often gets trapped between styles. He can box, bomb, load up on knockout punches, run, or trade in the pocket. However, not all of these stylistic shifts flow seamlessly. At points he'll be indecisive about how to attack, and in what manner. The result is that he'll have rounds where he'll fail to impose himself decisively. He'll box for a touch, move around the ring, potshot, throw a big shot or two, but it all won't add up to a winning round against a more committed opponent. 

Both Garcia and Thurman have exhibited issues with consistency. Garcia doesn't seem to have enough physically to impose himself over 12 rounds. Instead, he'll pick his spots at points or take rounds off. Occasionally he will sleepwalk during fights once he's up big. Thurman just doesn't always know what he wants to do. The lack of a cohesive plan can harm him. Whoever minimizes these consistency issues stands to fare better on Saturday. 

5. Recuperative Powers

Like almost all fighters, Thurman and Garcia have been hurt in the ring. Thurman almost went down from a body shot against Luis Collazo. Jesus Soto Karass clocked him with an uppercut and even Diego Chaves' ferocious body attack in their first four rounds forced Thurman to try to win on the outside. Garcia was staggered against Zab Judah, absorbed huge shots from Lucas Matthysse and was roughed up by Lamont Peterson during the second half of their fight. Although neither Thurman nor Garcia was knocked down in any of these fights, it's clear that they can be vulnerable. 

To this point in their careers, it seems as if Thurman doesn't take shots as well as Garcia does but he also appears to rally better after being hurt. He forced Collazo to quit just a round after he was hurt. He wound up stopping both Chaves and Soto Karass. Once Garcia's been seriously hurt, he hasn't responded as well. Judah was the fresher fighter in the championship rounds and almost everyone can agree that Peterson was the boxer who caused far more damage in their fight, even if he didn't win enough rounds to get the victory. 

For this particular matchup, it should be fascinating to see how each fighter responds to getting hurt. In my estimation, Thurman will be the biggest hitter that Garcia has faced north of 140 lbs. As for Thurman, I don't think that he has ever faced the type of sharp puncher that Garcia is. Perhaps Thurman gets hurt easier but if Garcia is in real trouble maybe he doesn't come back? Who really knows? However, I definitely want to find out which one can take the other boxer's shots better and who can recover more quickly. 

Prediction:

It's going to be close. I think that Thurman will pull out to an early lead. He'll take the initial rounds by boxing on the outside. His jab and athleticism will win the fight's first third. Eventually, the distance will be closed by a combination of factors: Thurman will start to get too brave and/or Garcia will figure out Thurman's rhythm and timing. As the fight progresses, Garcia will have success with left hooks to the body and straight or overhand counter rights. Although Thurman will have moments in the pocket, I think that he'll realize that he's much safer working at a distance. 

The fight will essentially come down to a series of swing rounds where Thurman boxes and moves while Garcia is the aggressor, although not necessarily an effective one. I don't expect the fight to be fantastic to watch aesthetically but it should be tense and competitive throughout the 12 rounds. Ultimately, I think that Thurman does just enough boxing to squeak by with a decision, although many will believe that Garcia's periods of clean punching should've earned him the victory. 

Keith Thurman defeats Danny Garcia by split decision.  

Adam Abramowitz is the head writer and founder of saturdaynightboxing.com.

He is also a member of the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board. 

@snboxing on twitter
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Contact Adam at: 

saturdaynightboxing@hotmail.com     

Punch 2 the Face Podcast

Brandon Stubbs and I hosted another edition of the Punch 2 the Face Podcast this week. We talked about the Broner-Granados card, previewed and gave our picks for Wilder-Washington, Harrison-Hurd, Thurman-Garcia and Brook-Spence, and we also lamented Roy Jones' ongoing boxing career. Click on the links below to listen:

Blog Talk Radio link
iTunes link
Stitcher link

Adam Abramowitz is the head writer and founder of saturdaynightboxing.com.

He is also a member of the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board. 

@snboxing on twitter
SN Boxing on Facebook

Contact Adam at: 
saturdaynightboxing@hotmail.com

Opinions and Observations: Broner-Granados

Adrien Broner's sometimes-mentor, Floyd Mayweather, likes to say that there are levels in boxing. To Mayweather, it doesn't matter how much heart or determination a fighter has; what's paramount is the innate collection of skills and talent that a boxer possesses. In his view, the more talented fighter, which of course would be him in any hypothetical construct, should always win. 

Mayweather's "levels" philosophy has been parroted throughout boxing over the previous few years by many of his sycophants and others who should know better. In truth, fighters with inferior talent win bouts all the time. Boxing presents dozens of examples every year where, to invert a hackneyed phrase from the sport, skills don't necessarily pay the bills. It should also be mentioned that the two opponents who gave Mayweather his most difficult fights, Jose Luis Castillo and Marcos Maidana, had innate talent levels significantly beneath Mayweather's. 

Nevertheless, the "levels" construct still persists in boxing. It's not that Floyd's necessarily wrong in his beliefs and philosophies but upsets happen all of the time in boxing. Talented fighters fail to reach their potential. A top guy can struggle with a certain type of style. Ultimately, the variation of boxing styles is one of the sport's draws. There are ways to beat an expert boxer, a knockout artist or a supreme athlete. Talent is and will continue to be crucially important but strategy, preparation, execution and personal intangibles will always play a role in determining who wins a given contest. 

As for Adrien Broner, the essential disconnect with his career is that many expected him to be fighting on the elite level, where rare breeds like Mayweather reside. From a certain perspective, Broner can look at his career to this point as a success. Winning titles in four divisions by the age of 27 isn't an easy feat. However, there certainly is a "yes, but" to many of Broner's accomplishments. Many of his title fights, especially above lightweight, were cherry-picked encounters against lesser opponents. He's blown weight a number of times and has lost two titles on the scales. At 140 and above, Broner has never been regarded as the best in his division despite securing championship belts. 

Since leaving lightweight in 2013, Broner has amassed a record of 7-2. He lost to Maidana, who dropped him twice at welterweight, and Shawn Porter, who thoroughly outworked him, despite a Broner-mandated catchweight of 144 (this was in hopes of draining Porter, who had spent most of his professional career fighting at welterweight and above). Broner also eked out decision wins against Paulie Malignaggi (for a title) and Adrian Granados on Saturday. With different judges, it's certainly possible that Broner could be 5-4 in this run – that’s no one's definition of an elite fighter. 

Granados has a hard luck record of 18-5-2. All of his losses have been either split or majority decisions against him. He certainly beat Kermit Cintron in 2013 yet could only muster a draw on the scorecards. He knocked out rising prospect Amir Imam in 2015. He recorded majority decision losses to Frankie Gomez, who was one of the top prospects in boxing when they fought in 2011, and to Felix Diaz, a talented Olympian who beat Sammy Vasquez and many felt bested Lamont Peterson. Granados has victories over five undefeated fighters (an impressive number – Broner has only beaten two) and conceivably could've gotten notches over a few more. In short, Granados has been matched tough and he's been competitive in all of his bouts. 

What I'm getting at is that Broner and Granados, in fact, fight at similar levels at 140 and above. Broner has been competitive but not dominant against titleholders at these weight classes and Granados has exhibited the same type of form. Thus, it wasn't shocking that Saturday's fight was as close as could be. The final scores were 97-93, 96-94 (Broner) and 97-93 (Granados) but even the split decision doesn't do the competitive nature of the fight justice. Maybe seven or eight rounds of the bout were swing rounds where either fighter had a legitimate case of winning. 

The bout ultimately came down to Granados' aggression and punch volume vs. Broner's accuracy and clean counters. I scored it a draw. It seemed that social media was fairly evenly split on the fight's winner. 

There are some who ripped Broner after the match for going life-and-death against a fighter who had a number of blemishes on his professional record. However, that contention diminishes both fighters. Granados is one of those guys, like Orlando Salido, who is far better than his record suggests. He almost always has been the B-side in major fights and has been brought in to lose. We know how boxing works. The B-side is far less likely to receive the benefit of the doubt in close bouts. Granados is a solid B+ fighter. On the right night, he could give most top junior welterweights and welterweights a run for their money, and maybe even beat them. And it's certainly possible that he won on Saturday. 

As for those who continue to disparage Broner, he fought as well as he could on Saturday. He didn't dog it in the ring and he dug down to pull out the last few rounds of the fight. Even when bested by Porter, he still got a final-round knockdown. When Maidana beat him pillar-to-post early in their fight, he staged a mid-round rally. He fights; he doesn't quit. Ultimately, Broner's fiercest critics have failed to recalibrate his true talent level. Similar to Granados, he's a B+ fighter above 140. He doesn’t have the power to hurt top fighters and his punch volume remains paltry. He's susceptible to anyone with a decent work rate and self-belief. That's his level. 

So if Broner's only an entertaining B+ fighter, what's the crime? The sport needs big personalities and fighters who bring in viewers. Does Broner have too high an opinion of himself and his talents? Probably, but that's certainly not a unique trait among professional athletes. People tune in to his fights. Maybe they like his flamboyant antics. Others really want to see him lose. Pure boxing fans love to watch his clean counters. It's not as if Broner isn't a real fighter in the ring. He just hasn't reached the lofty perch that many expected for him half-a-decade ago. 

Ultimately, many talented fighters don't reach their potential. And although Broner hasn't lived up to expectations, he certainly has provided many entertaining fight nights. Yes, his out-of-the-ring lifestyle has contributed to his professional shortcomings, but again, that's not exactly a unique position in or out of boxing. Broner continues to compete and entertain and as long as he remains in this position (and is matched carefully), he'll be an asset to the sport. 

The problem that Broner and his team face at welterweight is that there are very few easy fights for him. With his low-volume punch output and defensive lapses, he's a threat to lose to any top-15 guy in the division, and Broner's only relevant if he continues to win more often than not. There are some good fights out there for him at his level, such as Amir Khan, Andre Berto and Lamont Peterson, but he could lose at any time. Still only 27, Broner's going to need Al Haymon to do his best work to stay relevant into his 30s. 

Finally, after the fight, I had a little spat with Mark Kriegel, a sportswriter who contributed taped interviews with Broner and Granados to the Showtime broadcast. Kriegel tweeted out after the bout that Granados essentially lost the fight at the negotiating table. The match was originally scheduled for 142 lbs. but Broner insisted on moving the fight up five pounds to 147. Granados also wanted a 12-round fight but Broner and his team demanded it be for 10. 

What's so rich about Kriegel's tweet is that he knows that Granados had no leverage. Granados has been a B-side opponent fighting for scraps his whole career. Was he suddenly going to walk away from a career-high payday of $250,000 so he could fight in six months for $30,000 at a club show in Chicago? Was Granados an Al Haymon favorite? Did he bring the TV date? Essentially, Granados had no bargaining power. The deal was 10 rounds and 147 lbs., take it or leave it. Granados did what 99% of boxers would've done in his position – he accepted the fight, even if conditions were less than ideal. 

Kriegel's been around boxing long enough to know that Granados had no good choices. To pretend that Granados and/or his team somehow failed because they negotiated poorly is a startling misrepresentation of the realities of the sport. Granados’ situation leading up to the fight provides another example of the “Plight of the B-Side.”

Furthermore, Kriegel's position is incomplete. One main reason why Granados lost is because judge Steve Weisfeld scored it 97-93 for Broner. Now, I can assure you that Weisfeld is one of the best officials in the sport. I'm not saying that I agreed with his card on Saturday, but he's been one of the most consistent and accurate judges in professional boxing over the last 20 years. He's not a "Haymon judge" or a guy happy to be earning a few extra bucks and getting a room. He's a pro. Somehow he found seven rounds to give to Broner. He’s not on the take; he just saw a particular fight one way. Perhaps a judge like Dave Moretti, who favors aggression more, would see the fight differently. 

Granados lost because of the “Plight of the B-side” AND the mechanics of the sport. Yes, he faced a screwjob in negotiations leading up to the fight but also, a fair, out-of-state judge preferred Broner's cleaner work. That's boxing. Saturday's result wasn't a robbery. Legitimately, both fighters had a case to be the victor. Unfortunately, the loss was a(nother) case of bad luck for Granados. 

Hopefully U.S. networks won't abandon Granados because he has talent and makes for good TV. And at worst, he fought one of boxing's Golden Geese on essentially even terms in a headlining fight. Less than two years ago, he was still appearing in six-rounders. So, Saturday was a disappointing loss, but now he's on the map. That's progress.

Adam Abramowitz is the head writer and founder of saturdaynightboxing.com.

He is also a member of the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board. 

@snboxing on twitter
SN Boxing on Facebook

Contact Adam at: 
saturdaynightboxing@hotmail.com

Opinions and Observations: Easter and ShoBox

Let's start off with some positives. Robert Easter, Jr. cuts an imposing figure in the ring. At 5'11" with power and athleticism, it will take an excellent lightweight to beat him. He possesses a solid jab, a cracking right hand and a developing left hook. He seems to be a well-conditioned athlete. Even though he already has a title belt, at 26 and with only 19 professional fights, there still exists the possibility that he hasn't reached his ceiling. 

If Easter is content with his existing level, the "titleholder" one, then his current efforts will suffice. However, if Easter wants to make the jump to the elite echelon in the sport, he must improve in a critical area: he has to learn how to finish fighters. 

As I noted after his last fight, Easter almost dropped a decision to Richard Commey because he couldn't put his opponent away. Easter landed a devastating right hand at the beginning of the final round; Commey was essentially out on his feet. Yet, Easter couldn't finish Commey off. He smothered himself along the ropes and couldn't find the appropriate distance to land a finishing blow. He allowed himself to get tied up and consistently sailed right hands over Commey's head. Eventually, Easter would win the fight by a split decision but by being unable to end Commey's night, he left the decision to the judges, placing himself in danger of losing the fight. 

On Friday, Easter dropped an undistinguished foe, Luis Cruz, three times. In the 10th and 12th rounds, Easter had more than half the round to work with to finish Cruz off and yet the same issues that manifested in the Commey fight returned. With an opponent ready to go, Easter again misjudged distance and couldn't find the range to finish Cruz, who was offering essentially nothing in return. Swinging wildly at certain points and smothering himself at others, Easter, because of his inadequacy in finishing a fighter, allowed Cruz to survive. 

If I'm being particularly hard on Easter it's because the ability to close is a skill that can be taught and learned in the gym. It's not that Easter lacks the power or offensive arsenal to stop opponents; however, he completely loses form in these potential fight-ending scenarios. This is a skill that Easter will have to acquire for the next level. Commey, a limited banger, dropped Easter and found him repeatedly with right hands. What I'm getting at is that it's not as if Easter is so dominant that he'll never need to stop an opponent to win a fight. 

With excellent talents such as Mikey Garcia, Jorge Linares and Terry Flanagan in the division, Easter can't always guarantee that he'll be up on the cards. A 10-8 round is fine but that's not enough to ensure a victory (see my comments below on Rau'shee Warren's fight on Friday). 

From range and in the middle of the ring, Easter is certainly an imposing fighter. However, an inability to finish fighters could be his fatal flaw. Hopefully Easter's team drills him on the fight-ending scenario. It could be the one thing holding him back from being elite. 

*** 

To say that things were going swimmingly for Rau'shee Warren in the first round of his fight against Zhanat Zhakiyanov would be a massive understatement. Warren, an athletic southpaw who won a bantamweight title last year, had a fantastic opening to the fight, dropping his foe twice. It looked like the early knockout was just one or two punches away from happening. 

However, Zhakiyanov found a way to stick around. And by the third round, he started to time Warren with right hands from distance. Even though Warren had significantly faster hands thank Zhakiyanov, his offensive attack was becoming predictable. With Warren beginning exchanges with a single lead left or a right hook, Zhakiyanov made the necessary adjustments. In addition, Warren, who possessed superior foot speed, remained in the pocket when not throwing, enabling Zhakiyanov to land with off-angled right hands.  

As the fight progressed, Warren let Zhakiyanov march right into close range without worrying about return fire. Warren's jab stayed holstered. His legs were often an afterthought. He countered here and there but by the middle of the fight it became clear that Warren would have trouble overcoming Zhakiyanov's offensive surge. 

This bout was essentially won/lost in the respective corners. Zhakiyanov, trained by former champion Ricky Hatton, didn't let his early adversity dissuade him from sticking to his game plan. He fought from the right range, trapping Warren along the ropes and hammering him to the head and body with power punches. Warren, trained by Barry Hunter, didn't use his feet enough to evade his opponent and rarely bothered to jab or throw combinations, tactics that would've helped keep Zhakiyanov at bay. 

Zhakiyanov wound up winning a split decision. He certainly deserved credit for persevering after a rocky start. However, Warren just as much lost the fight as Zhakiyanov won it. Having a four-point advantage after two rounds, Warren refused to play to his strengths, which allowed for his lead to be whittled away. A stronger corner would've re-emphasized what Warren needed to do to secure the win, but that didn't happen. Now Warren and Hunter will be left to ponder how they let a fight that they should've won slip away. 

*** 

Like Rau'shee Warren, Terrell Gausha was a 2012 U.S. Olympian. However, his career has been much slower to develop than that of his teammate. Even though he's already at the advanced age of 29, Gausha was relegated to the opening bout of Friday's Bounce TV broadcast, against journeyman Luis Hernandez. Gausha's fighting peak should be now and yet prior to Friday he had only recorded 19 professional fights in the four-and-a-half years since the Olympics, including just two in 2016. (Warren had fought even less frequently, but at least he had received title opportunities.) 

Many boxing observers have been critical of Gausha's manager, Al Haymon, for not keeping his fighters active enough (and often deservedly so) but sometimes a manager or a promoter knows that he doesn't have the goods. And after watching Gausha get dropped by a third-rate pressure fighter on Friday, you could see why he hasn't been on the fast track.

Even after badly hurting Hernandez later in the fight, Gausha couldn't put his opponent away. Like Easter's foe, Hernandez had no business lasting the distance in the fight. 

The junior middleweight division features a number of excellent fighters and it's doubtful that Gausha will be added to that list. Lacking a killer instinct, a consistent work rate or elite-level power, Gausha's future seems to be title "opponent." Yes, he certainly has skills but he'd be a big underdog against any titlist at 154 lbs. 

***

The ShoBox main event on Friday featured a dandy of a match between Ivan Baranchyk, a pressure-fighting knockout artist (an unusual combination) from Russia against Abel Ramos, a boxer-puncher from Arizona. Both fighters had distinct advantages: Ramos – boxing skills, accuracy, a larger punch arsenal and range; Baranchyk – power and conditioning. 

Each hit the canvas in a fabulous third round. Baranchyk launched a beautiful overhand right that sent Ramos down and Ramos later connected with a nifty left hook below the neck that dropped Baranchyk. Baranchyk again knocked down Ramos in the fourth and the fight eventually settled into a pattern – one that made for great television viewing. Ramos would pepper Baranchyk in the middle of the ring with stinging combos but by the end of the round Baranchyk would unload on Ramos against the ropes with ferocious right hands and left hooks. 

Eventually, Baranchyk's power proved to be too much. Ramos' face fell apart and by the latter rounds, his shots had lost much of their steam. Baranchyk wound up winning a deserved unanimous decision. On one hand, he remains an undefeated, hard-hitting prospect. However, it's become apparent that he'll have difficulty at range. 

At just 5'7" and with short arms, Baranchyk has few weapons in the pocket or from the outside. He lacks consistent offense from distance and usually will just eat shots attempting to come forward. That approach is fraught with risk. Granite-chinned pressure fighters can win with that style but Baranchyk has already been down twice in his career; he's vulnerable from the outside. 

However, hitting the canvas isn't necessary a death sentence for a fighter. It certainly didn't end the careers of Juan Manuel Marquez or Orlando Salido, both of whom always managed to get back up after being sent down. To this point, Baranchyk has shown impressive recuperative powers after getting dropped. 

On the plus side of the equation, Baranchyk features fight-stopping power. At close range, his right hand and left hook are weapons that could take him to the top of the division. If he learned how to disguise those shots a little better, either with feints or by setting them up with the jab, the results could be even more devastating. It will be interesting to see if Baranchyk believes that he needs to round out his offensive skill set. As of now, he's an exciting one-trick pony. And make no mistake; it's a hell of a trick. However, as he's seen in his last three fights, he'll face opponents that can take him the distance and trouble him at range. Having power isn't always enough. 

***

In the opening bout of the ShoBox card, Jon Fernandez, a fluid, hard-hitting prospect from Spain, stopped Ernesto Garza III in the third round. At this level, Fernandez is an exciting offensive talent. His combinations flow seamlessly and he features a menacing right uppercut. 

Fernandez's team includes notables such as former middleweight champion Sergio Martinez and promoter Lou DiBella, so there are some significant expectations for him. At just 21, Fernandez is already 11-0 with nine knockouts. As of now, he's fighting around the junior lightweight division but with his 5'11" frame, expect him to grow into his body over the next few years. I wouldn't be surprised to see him settle into junior welterweight in the near future. 

It's still too early to project what type of fighter Fernandez will become. He certainly got hit some on Friday. As with any prospect, enthusiasm should be tempered appropriately, but he can punch and he can certainly put shots together. It's a start. 

Adam Abramowitz is the head writer and founder of saturdaynightboxing.com.

He is also a member of the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board. 

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