Garcia v Matthysse Post Fight – Danny Still Champion After Thriller
By Peter Wells
The lights were set and eyes were peeled, no one blinked, fearing they would miss something spectacular. Yet as boxing sometimes goes, the ones you expect to end early last the distance and that was very much the case in hand last night as knockout artists Danny Garcia and Lucas Matthysse went the full 12 rounds in a thoroughly entertaining co-feature to ‘The One’.
It was against the odds that Danny Garcia remained unbeaten with a thoroughly convincing boxer/puncher display, beating Lucas Matthysse by scores of 115-111 & 114-112 twice. I scored the bout 114-113 to Danny Garcia.
The heart wrenching moments never arrived but both fighters landed solid shots throughout yet neither fighter faltered. Matthysse did receive a count in the 11th round (the first of his career) when a left hook started the ball rolling before a shot to the back of the head seemed to do the most damage. So while the knockdown seemed harsh, Matthysse did get a 10-8 round back in the 12th when a blatantly low blow resulted in a point deduction for Garcia.
Matthysse was straight onto the front foot early on, having success as Garcia seemed overly tentative. The game plan was clear from both fighters, Matthysse’s plan was to walk Garcia down, either find a big punch early or drag him into the later stages where he can take over. Garcia was looking to move around the ring, not presenting a stationary target, countering with hard hooks and body shots whenever the opportunity arose.
Garcia’s body reddened as Matthysse sent in meaty right hooks to the ribcage, while Garcia looked on target at every attempt with the right hand and left hook. By the half way stage it seemed Matthysse just had the edge in a contest that was beginning to sizzle.
The two boxers continued to land big shots, even their jabs were thudding home with considerable effect. At the end of the sixth Matthysse came back to his corner with large swelling under his right eye, the eye was almost shut, leaving the Argentinian unable to see the dangerous left hook of Garcia’s coming.
As expected the left hook of Garcia became more and more potent, Matthysse’s sight hindered, and not only were the shots solid the fact Lucas could not brace for the impact, every hook took his balance away leaving him on the back foot. It was Garcia’s fight for the taking and he wasn’t going to let the opportunity slip through his fingers.
The Philly fighter continued to pummel Matthysse who fought hard but attempting to cover his right side meant he was neglecting his best weapon, the straight right hand. Matthysse continued to display his sensational punch resistance, as did Garcia who continued to take shots making the fight a tough one to score.
Matthysse touched down in the 11th but despite the punch to the back of the head the Argentinian was unfazed and offered no complaint at the count. A point deduction for Garcia made things very interesting on the scorecards, although Matthysse did his best to render the judges’ cards irrelevant, as did Garcia who obliged to trade toe-to-toe in the final seconds; the two fighters were met by a standing ovation to end the contest.
The scores were close but unanimous and with that Garcia moves to 27-0(16) and holds onto his prized possessions, the WBC & WBA ‘Super’ Light Welterweight titles. As for Matthysse this brutal puncher will be back in the mix despite his third defeat as he drops to 34-3(32).
A rematch between Garcia and Matthysse could be possible but no one will be calling for a rematch between Ishe Smith and new IBF Light Middleweight champion Carlos Molina. Smith offered little to hold onto his title and Molina won the fight on a slightly higher work rate alone.
Molina took several warnings for use of the head but the referee never once reduced a point from Molina. Their awkward styles won’t make for them hearing many phone calls from other fighters in the coming weeks.
The first of the televised undercard was a cracker though, as Pablo Cesar Cano found a second wind late on to defeat Ashley Theophane on a split decision. Cano hurt Theo early on but the British fighter showed tremendous heart throughout before seeming to take hold of the contest. A late flurry from Cano though was enough to convince 2 of the 3 judges he was the victor in a brilliant Welterweight 10 rounder.
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