By Keith Idec
NEW YORK – The Keith Thurman-Danny Garcia fight wasn’t quite as close on Shawn Porter’s scorecard as the judges had it.
From Porter’s viewpoint, Thurman “exposed” Garcia’s limitations by pressuring him and then by moving away from him at times. Porter predicted he’ll be able to duplicate Thurman’s success and then some when he faces Garcia on Saturday night at Barclays Center in Brooklyn (Showtime; 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT).
“I thought he lost to Keith,” Porter told BoxingScene.com prior to a press conference Thursday at Dream Hotel Downtown. “I thought the scores were a little lenient. I thought they gave him more rounds [than he won]. Once I started studying him, I watched the fight and I did think that he did much better than I thought he did in the moment, when I was there at ringside.
“But I still think there are some holes in his game. I think that he’s been exploited before and I think that Keith really exposed him. And I think that I have the same abilities as Keith, and it’s gonna be even better.”
Philadelphia’s Garcia (34-1, 20 KOs) suffered the first defeat of his career against Thurman (28-0, 22 KOs, 1 NC), who won their 12-round, 147-pound championship unification bout by split decision in March 2017 at Barclays Center.
Two judges – John McKaie (116-112) and Joe Pasquale (115-113) – scored their fight for Thurman. Judge Kevin Morgan gave Garcia credit for the victory (115-113).
McKaie’s scorecard was more in line with how Porter (28-2-1, 17 KOs) saw their fight unfold.
“He had trouble when Thurman started moving on him,” said Porter, who lost a close unanimous decision to Thurman in June 2016. “Thurman beat him to the punch and he wasn’t able to hit Thurman with those punches that he feels are his strengths, you know, his big hook, his big right hand.”
Las Vegas’ Porter prepared to take those strengths away from Garcia as well when they fight for the WBC welterweight title an injured Thurman vacated late in April.
“I think he has trouble with pressure,” Porter said. “And I think that it’s so funny because he also has trouble with guys that move well. So we’ll mix it up.
“I understand how and why he lost to Keith Thurman. I’m gonna use some of those same things to go after him with, and I think that every fighter takes steps up. I don’t think that he’s necessarily taken the steps that I’ve taken, and I think that makes me more ready for this fight.”
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.