NEW YORK — Well, we can scratch Mikey Garcia-Yuriorkis Gamboa from our list of intriguing possibilities on the spring schedule. Representatives for Garcia (34-0, 28 KOs) and Gamboa (23-0, 16 KOs) have discussed matching them as early as May 17 at The Forum in Inglewood, Calif., but promoter Bob Arum doesn’t think the fight can be made.
One champion closed the show. The other kept his show going. Both walked the high wire and escaped in a fascinating pair of main events on Saturday night. In the end, Sergio Martinez remains the Middleweight Champion of the World. Danny Garcia remains with a claim to the top spot at 140 lbs. And fight fans remain entertained in a year where things just seem to be going right in the ring. Let’s go to the report cards.
The younger WBC/WBA junior welterweight champion Danny Garcia hit harder, was busier and doubled-up the gutsy Zab Judah in power shots landed. Zab landed 59% of his power shots - but averaged just 6 landed/11 thrown per round.
Bill Emes catches the post-fight press conference to Danny Garcia's twelve round decision victory over Zab Judah. Hear from Garcia, Judah, Golden Boy Promotions President Oscar De La Hoya, WBO middleweight champion Peter Quillin and more.
Bill Emes catches up with WBC/WBA junior welterweight champion Danny Garcia to discuss the victory over former champion Zab Judah.
WBC/WBA junior welterweight champion Danny Garcia unanimously won a twelve round decision over Zab Judah at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Garcia (26-0, 16 KOs) hurt Judah several times in the fight and scored a knockdown in the eight, but saw himself get rocked in the eleventh before weathing the storm to secure a win with scores of 116-111, 115-112 and 114-112. Garcia said Judah (42-8, 29 KOs) caught him with a very hard shot in the eleventh but he was able to use his ring smarts overcome the damage.
Bill Emes catches up with Zab Judah to discuss his twelve round decision loss to WBC/WBA junior welterweight champion Danny Garcia.
By Jake Donovan - The long-growing rivalry between Danny Garcia and Zab Judah reached a resolution Saturday evening at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. Months of trash talk, postponements and desperate efforts for promotion came to close as Garcia scored a mid-round knockdown and fended off a late rally to top Judah via unanimous decision. Scores were 116-111, 115-112 and 114-112 in the 12-round Showtime-televised main event. The action was slow in the early going. The most significant punch in the opening round was landed by Garcia, connecting with a right hand that momentarily forced Judah to change direction. The defending unified titlist picked up the pace in round two, tightening up the distance in his right hands and also scoring with body shots underneath Judah’s guard. Judah was expected to offer his usual all-in attack in the first four rounds of the fight. Instead, fans saw a faded veteran now 17 years into his career and no longer able to rely on his once blazing hand and foot speed. The occasional power shot would land for the Brooklynite, but nothing that caught Garcia’s attention early on.
Former champion Zab Judah has now been in the ring with both Danny Garcia (26-0, 16KOs) and Lucas Matthysse (33-2, 31KOs) - and indicates that Matthysse is a much harder puncher than Garcia. Judah won a razor-thin twelve round split decision over Matthysse in 2010 and lost a twelve round decision to Garcia on Saturday night. Matthysse has been the mandatory challenger to Garcia's WBC junior welterweight title for some time but the fight never seems to come together. If Matthysse beats IBF champion Lamont Peterson on May 18th, Golden Boy appears to be ready to put him in the ring with Garcia.
By Jake Donovan - Despite threats to the contrary, Danny Garcia left Brooklyn the same way he arrived – unbeaten and still a unified titlist. The 25-year old successfully turned back the challenge of former two-division champ Zab Judah with a unanimous decsion Saturday evening at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.