Had it not been for a twist of fate, or a rather talented Lucas Matthysse, we would have seen Lamont Peterson take on Danny Garcia nearly 18 months ago. Instead, Peterson endured a crushing defeat at the hands of Matthysse, while Garcia outclassed him and earned more respect from boxing fans alike.
This Saturday, Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) on NBC delivers once again. There is no title on the line for this fight, but there is much at stake for both contenders. Since the loss to Matthysse, Peterson has been making noticeable strides, scoring back-to-back victories against Dierry Jean and Edgar Santana. He needs this victory moving forward in the effort to revitalize his career and be taken seriously again in his division.
Garcia aspires to move up in weight, but he still believes he needs to prove himself, telling RingTV.com he’s taking the fight with Peterson seriously.
“I’m ready to make a statement with this (Peterson) fight, but I’m not ready to say because I beat [Matthysse] I’ll have an easy time with Peterson,” Garcia said. “I know I have to go out there and dominate. I also know this is a different fighter and a different situation I’ll be faced with. I’ll be ready for whatever.”
His confidence aside, Garcia certainly does have something to prove. Although his past victories against elite fighters like Amir Khan, Zab Judah and Matthysse brought recognition to the Philadelphia native, his last two wins over Rod Salka and Mauricio Herrera attracted the wrong kind of attention.
Herrera seemed to give Garcia more trouble than expected; some even believe Herrera was robbed of a victory. And then there was Salka, undoubtedly easy work for Garcia, but it did nothing to reaffirm why Garcia should be considered the next big star in boxing.
Behind the name Danny Garcia is the question, “So what?” He will need to answer that question when he faces Peterson in the ring to again remind us why he warrants the respect of an elite fighter. We may get to see some action in this fight, but prepare to mostly see a mental war as Peterson and Garcia try to figure each other out.
Only one of these guys can be the better man, and neither can be overlooked.
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