Danny "Swift" Garcia, the king of the 140-pound junior welterweight division, will make his Premier Boxing Champions debut Saturday against IBF junior welterweight champion Lamont Peterson. Despite holding the WBC and WBA titles, this fight is not going to unify the weight class. It's scheduled for 10 rounds, and will be contested at a 143-pound catch weight. Still, it's one of the bigger matchups that can be made in boxing, and Garcia is a favorite.
Peterson will come into the fight as a +280 underdog per Sportsbook.com, but he should be considered a live dog. Here are three important things Peterson must do that will allow him to pull off an upset.
Vary His Angles
Peterson looked like a whirlwind in his most recent fight, a one-sided beatdown of Edgar Santana at the Barclays Center in August 2014. While Peterson isn't the type of fighter that carries one-punch power, he's accurate and his shots sting opponents.
Santana was a game tough guy, but even he succumbed to the bevy of shots Peterson threw his way. Peterson mixed them up, throwing shots to the body and head in combinations, and kept Santana spinning around by ducking under wild hooks and changing angles.
This will be the most important part of his game against Garcia. The lineal champ is known as a jack-of-all-trades and master of none. He was the underdog vs. Lucas Matthysse, a powerful slugger who brutally knocked out Peterson when they fought, but Matthysse's straightforward approach against Garcia backfired and opened him up to counters.
Veteran Mauricio Herrera had more success vs. Garcia by coming forward despite a lack of power, and not allowing Garcia to time him. Peterson must do the same.
Keep A Jab In Garcia's Face
Garcia has a strong chin and quick countering reflexes, but any fighter can be vexed by a consistent, effective jab. That is another phase of the game that Garcia struggled with against Herrera, and could make Peterson difficult. Peterson has very quick hands, and if he can get off first vs. Garcia, he can make him hesitant.
That would allow Peterson to control the fight; if that happens, Garcia will be in trouble, because his output is not usually high enough to survive a busier opponent that's landing with frequency.
Keep His Hands Up
In his haste to control the pace of the fight, Peterson cannot afford to be lazy defensively. Garcia doesn't strike fear into opponents' hearts like Matthysse does, but his counter left hook can be devastating--just ask Amir Khan.
Peterson must fight smart in there, and not get tagged. It's hard to say Peterson has a questionable chin-strong men have been viciously hurt by Matthysse--but once a fighter goes down in a heap it's a tough rep to shake. He might prove fans wrong about his chin if he gets clocked and survives it, but his chances of winning rise dramatically if he can escape those hard counters altogether.