Some people have claimed that Garcia was beating Matthysse convincingly throughout the whole fight and that Lucas only won a few rounds, but I actually had Lucas winning 4-2 after 6. It seems like many boxing writers (the judges also had to give Lucas rounds somewhere given that they were pretty close) had similar scores and the compubox numbers (except for activity/punches thrown) through 6 were in Lucas' favor. Garcia had apparently connected on 24% of his punches, while Lucas had connected on 36% (same percentage after 12) of his shots. Lucas had also outlanded Garcia by 22 punches through 6 according to these numbers.
I understand that you can reasonably argue Garcia landed the cleaner shots, but I rewatched it and Lucas landed some pretty solid shots himself. I just don't think Danny's punches were significantly cleaner to give him some of those early rounds, although I could definitely spot instances where Danny braced for or neutralized Lucas' power with his positioning. He looks to have a heck of a chin regardless though.
I also just want to make it clear that I believe Garcia won the fight and made some nice adjustments to do so. IMO, a rematch may be warranted in the future if both fighters continue to compete at a high level and Lucas makes some improvements, but I would like to see both fighters move on for the time being. I picked Matthysse to win, but Garcia definitely continues to improve and impressed me a lot. I look forward to seeing what he does next at WW or LWW. Boxing could certainly use more young champions like Garcia who are willing to take risks.
I understand that you can reasonably argue Garcia landed the cleaner shots, but I rewatched it and Lucas landed some pretty solid shots himself. I just don't think Danny's punches were significantly cleaner to give him some of those early rounds, although I could definitely spot instances where Danny braced for or neutralized Lucas' power with his positioning. He looks to have a heck of a chin regardless though.
I also just want to make it clear that I believe Garcia won the fight and made some nice adjustments to do so. IMO, a rematch may be warranted in the future if both fighters continue to compete at a high level and Lucas makes some improvements, but I would like to see both fighters move on for the time being. I picked Matthysse to win, but Garcia definitely continues to improve and impressed me a lot. I look forward to seeing what he does next at WW or LWW. Boxing could certainly use more young champions like Garcia who are willing to take risks.
Comment