See You At The Crossroads: Mikey Garcia vs. Adrien Broner

Perhaps the most intriguing boxing match of the summer takes place this Saturday night live from Barclays Center, 9:00 p.m. on Showtime. Adrien Broner (33-2-0 24 KOs) takes on Mikey Garcia (36-0-0 30 KOs) at the weight-limit of 140 pounds. This will be the first fight for Garcia at the lightweight limit and in opposites prospective a return to 140 pounds for Broner.

Both fighters have had success across many weight classes having won world championships in multiple weight-classes coming into Saturday’s non-title. The comparisons of the two will most definitely end there as the path of life that these two fighters have chosen couldn’t be more different. Obviously when you have a fighter who’s proud of his checkered past and party lifestyle being compared to another fighter who is trained to be a law enforcement officer, you get Broner vs Garcia.

 

Fighter Breakdown: Broner’s biggest opponent within his still young career has always been himself and nothing changes this fight. His defensive maneuvering and hand speed will all be for not if he continues to have problems on the scale of this fight at the cost of $500,000 if he misses weight. Bringing a precise game plan against a fighter like Garcia is imminent due to the fact that team Garcia will be prepared for this fight just as his trainer and older brother Robert did with Marcos Maidana, Broner’s first loss of his career. To give credit when due, Broner did make a camp relocation to Colorado for this fight to eliminate distractions. He knows this is a crossroads fight for his career and relevance to the sport.

Garcia brings a sound technique every time he enters the ring and Saturday he’ll need to bring his brand of skill to get the win over Broner. Garcia has reportedly been feeling great making the move-up to 140 pounds and expects to feel great come fight night. With boxing being the family business in the Garcia home, the focused fighter embodies all the mental discipline and work ethic one would expect out of a world class boxer.

When combining the knowledge of his brother Robert and natural talent, you get a champion dedicated to the right things. Garcia is a calculated fighter who hasn’t taken much risk versus opponents with ascent into pound-for-pound status. That can end with a solid victory over Broner who has not suffered a loss at 140 pounds during his career.

Look for Garcia to take advantage over an aggressive Broner who could possibly fade in the later rounds since he will be dealing with weight-drain during the fight. Garcia needs to stick to his game plan like he’s done 36 successful times in the past and make Broner make mistakes. Working off the counter and being able to cut off the ring will serve Garcia well in this fight.

 

Fight Prediction: This fight is truly a crossroads fight as Broner’s light is fading with his life choices effecting his boxing career. Garcia is fresh in the spotlight again looking hungry for belts. Only a certain amount of time in a boxer’s life can they rely on sheer talent to get them through a fight with a victory.

Broner has surpassed his talent without work ethic and it has cost him dearly. The difference between all other sports and boxing is the fighter dies alone. Saturday night could be a nail in the coffin of the expectations and once hype superstar as Garcia is expected to put the fight away either by late round stoppage or unanimously on the score cards. Garcia will be victorious by decision on Saturday night but if Broner should pull-off an upset, boxing will be roaring in July!

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