Strengths for Each Man
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Lamont Peterson and Danny Garcia are similar in that neither does one thing exceptionally well, but both men have some how managed to score unlikely victories over tough opponents.
Peterson’s strength in this fight will be his boxing skills. He isn’t known to be a power puncher or score a high percentage of knockouts, but he sure can put his punches together once he’s figured out enough about his opponent.
If Peterson can do this successfully, he can easily score a decision over Garcia. In order to do so, it is important that Peterson uses his nearly four-inch reach advantage to keep Garcia on the outside when he wants to, and decide when to put combinations together.
Peterson is at his best when he’s walking his opponent down, throwing quick, unsettling combinations to frustrate the hell out of the other guy.
Perhaps this plan won’t lead to a knockout, but if his opponent is so frustrated he can’t get any punches off, that could work too. A knockout isn’t the best goal for Peterson in his fight—he needs to use his head, not lose it.
Photo by Amanda Kwok/Showtime
Picking out strengths for Garcia is not the easiest task. He’s not a formless fighter; maybe borderline mediocre is a better description. You can’t put your finger on what makes him good, but you also can’t deny he has talent with all the top fighters he’s managed to defeat.
There are a few things that may work for Garcia against Peterson, including his power, decent chin and patience in the earlier rounds.
Peterson is patient too, so we may see the fight get off to a slow start. Garcia tends to be more reactive than aggressive in fights, which he might get away with in the earlier rounds.
Garcia’s “lucky left hook” will also be an asset if he has the horseshoe facing up, knocks on wood, finds a four-leaf clover, etc. (You get the point).
