by David P. Greisman - Danny Garcia hasn’t lost yet, though he hasn’t won everyone over yet either. And those doubters existed even before he officially moved from the junior welterweight division up to welterweight.
That debut at 147 came this past Saturday against Paulie Malignaggi. Garcia came out with the victory once again, winning by ninth-round technical knockout. He remains undefeated, at least so far as the record books read, despite what his critics and some of the sport’s other observers believe.
Yet even his most ardent supporters should acknowledge that Garcia still has plenty to prove in his new weight class.
Garcia actually hadn’t fought at 140 for more than 16 months. He fought twice afterward slightly above the junior-welterweight limit. While that made him by definition a welterweight, he definitely had not jumped into those ranks just yet, not when his opponents were still from the 140-pound division or below. Malignaggi truly was a welterweight, albeit an undersized, underpowered one. Garcia won clearly and won easily.
That’s one win at 147, and that one win wasn’t enough to show whether Garcia will be able to compete against the other contenders — never mind the titleholders — at welterweight.
His reputation has long been on a rollercoaster ride.
Garcia transitioned from being a prospect to being considered a contender to challenging for a world title very quickly. In 2011, at 23 years old, he outpointed an aged Nate Campbell and won a decision over Kendall Holt. By 2012, four days after his 24th birthday, he stepped in with faded veteran Erik Morales and left with his first world title. Then he knocked out Amir Khan to unify two belts, and next came a demolition of Morales in a contractually mandated rematch. [Click Here To Read More]
That debut at 147 came this past Saturday against Paulie Malignaggi. Garcia came out with the victory once again, winning by ninth-round technical knockout. He remains undefeated, at least so far as the record books read, despite what his critics and some of the sport’s other observers believe.
Yet even his most ardent supporters should acknowledge that Garcia still has plenty to prove in his new weight class.
Garcia actually hadn’t fought at 140 for more than 16 months. He fought twice afterward slightly above the junior-welterweight limit. While that made him by definition a welterweight, he definitely had not jumped into those ranks just yet, not when his opponents were still from the 140-pound division or below. Malignaggi truly was a welterweight, albeit an undersized, underpowered one. Garcia won clearly and won easily.
That’s one win at 147, and that one win wasn’t enough to show whether Garcia will be able to compete against the other contenders — never mind the titleholders — at welterweight.
His reputation has long been on a rollercoaster ride.
Garcia transitioned from being a prospect to being considered a contender to challenging for a world title very quickly. In 2011, at 23 years old, he outpointed an aged Nate Campbell and won a decision over Kendall Holt. By 2012, four days after his 24th birthday, he stepped in with faded veteran Erik Morales and left with his first world title. Then he knocked out Amir Khan to unify two belts, and next came a demolition of Morales in a contractually mandated rematch. [Click Here To Read More]
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