Boxing Junkie staffers are trying to have some fun while the sport is on hiatus because of the coronavirus pandemic.
One of the questions fans love to ask even amid a busy schedule is, “Who would win if …?” With that in mind, we decided to create our own “Who Wins?” feature, in which we pit a single fighter against each of five potential opponents and indicate who we believe would win the fights.
We started the series with our No. 1 boxer pound-for-pound, Vasiliy Lomachenko, and moved down the Boxing Junkie list to No. 2 Terence Crawford, No. 3 Canelo Alvarez, No. 4 Naoya Inoue, No. 5 Oleksandr Usyk and No. 6 Gennady Golovkin, No. 7 Errol Spence Jr., No. 8 Tyson Fury and No. 9 Juan Francisco Estrada.
Next up? No. 10 Mikey Garcia.
In this installment of Who Wins?, our staffers’ give their takes on how Garcia would do against Manny Pacquiao, Terence Crawford, Shawn Porter, Danny Garcia and Keith Thurman. We then tally Garcia’s record in those fights and present our standings.
Garcia was a dominating lightweight and junior welterweight before moving up to welterweight to face Errol Spence Jr., who dominated him en route to a shutout decision in March of last year. The brother of trainer Robert Garcia bounced back by stopping contender Jessie Vargas in February, proving that he can defeat a good 147-pounder.
He reportedly is on the short list to face Pacquiao in the Filipino’s next fight.
We want to acknowledge that the choice of possible opponents is subjective. We’re looking for the best possible but also realistic foes for our featured boxers. One caveat: We won’t consider promotional and managerial rivalries that often stand in the way of the best matchups. And we’re operating under the assumption that none of our featured boxers will fight with ring rust as result of their forced coronavirus-related layoff.
The plan is to work our way down our pound-for-pound list each day. That means our featured fighter tomorrow will be No. 11 Artur Beterbiev.
So here goes: Garcia vs. his five potential opponents.
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GARCIA (40-1, 30 KOs) VS. PACQUIAO (62-7-2, 39 KOs)
Rosenthal: Good matchup. The Pacquiao of five, six years ago probably would’ve controlled this fight with his speed and activity. The 41-year-old version of Pacquiao would have his hands full. The Filipino icon, who now fights only in spurts, would have his moments but Garcia would have more of them. His tight technique, precising punching and measured pressure would earn him the victory by a clear decision.
Frauenheim: A fight that should have happened years ago. Yet, it’s still interesting. Both looked good in their last bouts – Garcia in a unanimous victory over Jessie Vargas and Pacquiao in a split decision over Thurman. Garcia regained confidence he can be a factor at 147 pounds. His youth prevails, allowing him to score late. Garcia, unanimous decision.
Nam: Garcia has a good shot here for two reasons. First, he’s a counterpuncher by nature and counterpunchers have typically done well against Pacquiao. Second, Pacquiao is a small welterweight. Also, Garcia is conceivably much closer to his prime than Pacquiao is at this stage. Garcia wins on points in a mild upset.
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GARCIA VS. CRAWFORD (36-0, 27 KOs)
Rosenthal: Crawford isn’t a big welterweight but he’s stronger than Garcia, who is a natural 140-pounder. More important, as good as Garcia is skillwise, Crawford is better, more athletic and certainly more dynamic. Crawford would pick Garcia apart, break him down and score a technical knockout late in the fight.
Frauenheim: Garcia’s toughest fight. Garcia has a versatile skill set, one that he employs with great discipline. Crawford’s versatility is complemented by his quicksilver ability to switch between orthodox and southpaw. That figures to be a problem for Garcia in a fight that starts slowly and ends dramatically. Crawford, spit decision.
Nam: Crawford is all wrong for Garcia. They’ll try to outbox each other in the early going, with Garcia landing some nice right hands. But Crawford, one of the better improvisers in the ring, will start imposing himself in the second half of the fight. It’ll be violent. Garcia will get mauled. Crawford by late stoppage.
GARCIA VS. PORTER (30-3-1, 17 KOs)
Rosenthal: This isn’t a good matchup for Garcia, whose relative lack size will be his Achilles’ heel. Think about what Porter did against Spence, who went to hell and back to win a close decision in their fight. Garcia would have much more difficulty coping with the bruising Porter’s relentless aggression. Porter by wide decision.
Frauenheim: Porter is slightly bigger. He’s an inch taller and has an inch-and-a-half advantage in reach. Both advantages appear minimal, but Porter uses them effectively. He’s physical, strong on the inside, which was a factor versus Errol Spence, who beat him by split decision and dominated Garcia. Porter, split decision.
Nam: There are better ways to earn a living than going through the grinder that is Porter. Garcia will have success landing his counter right the way Kell Brook did against Porter many years ago, but he won’t be able to do it for 12 rounds. Eventually Porter’s kitchen sink aggression will wear out the much smaller Garcia. Porter wins late by stoppage.
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GARCIA VS. D. GARCIA (36-2, 21 KOs)
Rosenthal: The battle of the Garcias would be compelling. Mikey probably is the better boxer but Danny is an excellent, experienced counterpuncher who belongs at welterweight, which will work in his favor. Mikey will attack and have success in the first half of the fight but Danny will take control in the second half and win a close decision.
Frauenheim: A tricky fight. Danny Garcia is a little taller and has a reach advantage over Mikey. So did Jessie Vargas. Danny Garcia isn’t strong enough to wear down Mikey. But there’s lethal speed in his left hand. Is that enough to beat the multi-skilled Mikey? Not over 12 rounds. Mikey Garcia, unanimous decision.
Nam: No one is going to be clamoring to see two natural counterpunchers, but for what it’s worth, both Garcias are decent punchers. In this case, Mikey is a bit more dynamic and is a better puncher at range. Danny is best when he’s in closer and he can unfurl his coveted left hook. Amid all the feinting, expect Mikey to find a home for his overhand right. Mikey by unanimous decision.
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GARCIA VS. THURMAN (29-1, 22 KOs)
Rosenthal: Thurman is a big, strong, talented welterweight, which might not bode well for Garcia. The problem for Thurman is that injuries and time off have taken a toll on him, as we saw in his fight with Pacquiao. Thurman at 100 percent probably beats Garcia but we might never see that version of him again. Garcia by close decision.
Frauenheim: A couple of years ago, Thurman wins this fight. He’s strong. His long arms possess some lethal leverage. But injuries are a sign that he’s not quite the same fighter. A lingering injury to his left hand limited him in a narrow loss to Pacquiao. A healthy Thurman has a chance. Garcia, unanimous decision.
Nam: Even with all of his injuries, Thurman is a natural welterweight whose size, length and punching power immediately dwarfs that of Garcia. Thurman can also be somewhat elusive, given the way he tends to flit around the ring. All of which spells bad news for Garcia, who needs to be able to get in close to do any damage. If Thurman is as disciplined as Spence in not allowing Garcia to get comfortable, it’ll be his fight to lose. Thurman on points.
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THE FINAL TALLY
Mikey Garcia: 7-8 (0 KOs)
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THE STANDINGS
Canelo Alvarez: 15-0 (6 KOs)
Naoya Inoue: 14-0-1 (5 KOs)
Vassiliy Lomachenko: 14-0-1 (4 KOs)
Tyson Fury: 14-1 (8 KOs)
Terence Crawford: 14-1 (3 KOs)
Errol Spence Jr.: 13-2 (6 KOs)
Oleksandr Usyk: 10-5 (2 KOs)
Juan Francisco Estrada: 9-5-1 (1 KOs)
Gennadiy Golovkin: 9-6 (5 KOs)
Mikey Garcia: 7-8 (0 KOs)
Read more:
Who wins? Vassiliy Lomachenko vs. five potential opponents
Who wins? Terence Crawford vs. five potential opponents
Who wins? Canelo Alvarez vs. five potential opponents
Who wins? Naoya Inoue vs. five potential opponents
Who wins? Oleksandr Usyk vs. five potential opponents
Who wins? Gennadiy Golovkin vs. five potential opponents
Who wins? Errol Spence Jr. vs. five potential opponents
Who wins? Juan Francisco Estrada vs. five potential opponents