Adrien Broner and Mikey Garcia fight Saturday, July 29 at the Barclays Center on Showtime.
Adrien Broner enters this fight with a 33-2 record that includes 24 knockouts. Broner has won six of his last seven fights, and he’s coming off a February win over Adrian Granados. Broner has won three straight fights since his loss to Shawn Porter and hopes to throw himself in the mix as one of the top welterweights in the world. Broner will be 28 years old for this fight, he stands at 5’6”, has a 69 inch reach and an orthodox stance. Broner is obviously a super talented boxing, as his hand speed, athleticism, explosiveness and head movement are all high quality. Broner can be as good as he wants to be in the sport, but the problem is his has lazy habits in the ring and can be a bit passive at times. You’re never quite sure what you're going to get with Broner, and that's why he's in that second tier of a boxing division that has tons of quality names. This will be Broner’s third fight in New York.
Mikey Garcia enters this fight with a 36-0 record that includes 30 knockouts. This will be Garcia’s third fight since 2016, and he’s coming off a January win over Dejan Zlaticanin. Garcia will fight for the second time this year and can become one of the better pound for pound fighters with a win here. Garcia is a 29-year-old boxer who stands at 5’6”, has a 68 inch reach and an orthodox stance. Garcia is known for his punching power with 13 of his last 14 fights ending in stoppage, and there's some quality names on that resume who have tasted the canvas. Garcia is also a patient boxer, as he has a high IQ, has been around the sport forever and finds openings in the defense rather than swinging haymakers wildly. However, Garcia says he'll be more aggressive than usual for this bout. This will be Garcia’s fifth fight in New York.
Another great matchup for boxing fans, as 2017 has been full of great showings and has brought life back to the sport. You could make a case for either fighter here. If Garcia goes to his patient style and picks his spots, he can frustrate Broner and possibly even wear him down over time. However, being more aggressive, which Garcia says he’ll be, kind of plays into Broner’s hands, as The Problem wants to be aggressive on the offensive end and give the fans the knockout they want. Garcia will probably be better prepared for this fight and you never know what you're going to get with Broner, but it’s hard to call an upset considering the big move up in weight. While Garcia does have great punching power, Broner is a massive and wellbuilt welterweight, something he doesn't see in the lightweight division. It's going to be tough to hurt Broner in this bout.
So, while always risking picking Broner because of the unpredictability, this is a fight he should win because of the size advantage.