On almost any other card, the bout between WBA super world and WBC light welterweight champion Danny "Swift" Garcia (26-0, 16 KO) and Lucas "The Machine" Matthysse (34-2, 32 KO) would be the main event. On Saturday, it will play second fiddle to the Floyd Mayweather Jr.-Canelo Alvarez superfight.
Boxing fans should rejoice, because all this means is that for the price of one pay-per-view event, they'll get two main event-level bouts.
Garcia is facing his toughest test yet against the hard-punching and driven Argentinian. Both men are coming off impressive victories in their last fights, and the winner could make himself a potential opponent for Mayweather, should the latter beat Alvarez.
There is a lot on the line at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on Saturday night. Here's how you can watch.
The Book on Garcia
Some critics may wonder how Garcia continues to beat fighters who appear to be more physically gifted than he is. It is really a very simple concept. Garcia is tough, composed and fundamentally sound.
His toughness allows him to take the type of punishment he endured against Amir Khan in July 2012, before clocking him with a left hook that brought him the WBA title.
His in-ring intelligence shined through when Zab Judah was making a late-round comeback against him in April. Judah was charged by the Brooklyn crowd in the Barclays Center, and he rocked Garcia. A clash of heads even split Garcia's forehead open. Despite those adverse events, Garcia did not panic.
His fundamentals are on display every time he gets in the ring. He isn't blessed with great speed, so it is imperative he stick to the rules of his craft to be effective.
Because he does these things, he is still undefeated. At 25 years old, Garcia still has a bright future ahead of him.
Will Matthysse put that future on hold?
The Book on Matthysse
There may not be a more intimidating fighter who has yet to be crowned a champion in the sport. Matthysse hits like a ton of bricks, and this is evidenced by his 86.49 knockout percentage, per BoxRec.com. Almost no one wants to get in the ring with The Machine.
Lamont Peterson decided to take the challenge of facing Matthysse in May. Before the fight, he said the following to Tim Smith of The Ring:
When they said no one wants to fight him, that got under my skin. He’s in my weight class. I wanted to fight him to prove that there was someone out there that wants to fight him.
After Matthysse destroyed him in three rounds, Peterson found out first hand why fighters are avoiding the 30-year-old slugger. Matthysse does have two losses on his record, but both were controversial decisions.
He lost a split decision to Devon Alexander and Judah. Will Matthysse be the first to hand Garcia a loss?
Prediction
As good as Garcia is, the fighters who have given Matthysse trouble are fleet-footed boxers. Garcia fights flat footed, and he's willing to absorb some punishment in hopes of countering and potentially landing something big.
That simply isn't a good strategy against Matthysse. The Machine punches too hard, and any light welterweight or welterweight who stands in front of him is going to succumb to his power.
Garcia may very well be champion again later in his career, but Matthysse is going to knock him out and take his titles on Saturday night.
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