The potential clash with Mikey Garcia (34-0) and Top Rank Boxing stablemate Manny “Pac-Man” Pacquiao is still on track. Garcia successfully defended his WBO super featherweight title on Saturday from Madison Square Garden Theater in New York against Juan Carlos Burgos (30-2-2).
Garcia won the fight by a lopsided unanimous decision. HBO Boxing has the official scores:
It obviously wasn't the spectacular knockout we have become accustomed to seeing from Garcia, but it was still a dominant performance for the champion.
Early on, the fight was partially competitive, but Garcia took over around the third round and coasted the rest of the way.
HBO's Jim Lampley offers his take on Garcia's latest victory:
This wasn't the type of explosive performance that Garcia has given his fans over the last three years. However, in some ways, it was even more impressive. Garcia showed he was capable of dismantling a well-schooled veteran with his boxing skills—not just his power.
This diverse skill set is why his promoter is so high on him.
Top Rank head man Bob Arum told Steve Kim of Max Boxing that he would like to have Garcia face Pacquiao by the end of 2014. It would require a two-weight-class leap for Garcia, but the 26-year-old looks like the type of talent who could pull off the trick.
Maintaining his spotless record keeps Garcia moving up the pound-for-pound list, and it helps romanticize the thoughts of major bouts with the likes of Pacquiao.
Even if something falls apart en route to that clash, Garcia is on a path to face someone who will represent a big payday. The name Yuriorkis Gamboa was mentioned multiple times during the HBO broadcast. Garcia was asked by HBO's Max Kellerman after the bout how he would handle Gamboa and Pacquiao's speed.
Per Isaac Estrada of Real Boxing News, Garcia said:
Burgos’ loss was just the latest in a string of disappointing results for him. He had to settle for a draw in each of his last two bouts. The first in that string was a disputed decision against the man Garcia defeated to win the title, Roman Martinez.
Overall, Saturday’s loss was Burgos’ third unsuccessful attempt to win a world title. He’s only 26 years old, so the boxing world will be seeing more of him shortly. But at some point, he’ll have to break through to avoid being seen as nothing more than a gatekeeper.
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