This past Saturday at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, NV was all about finding out who was “The One.”
Most had already conceded that Danny Garcia would lose to Lucas Matthyse and that it would be “The Machine” moving on to possibly move up in weight and face Floyd Mayweather.
Not only did we find out that Mayweather was still the one, but we also learned that Garcia is still the one at 140 pounds.
Scroll through to read my takeaways from Garcia vs. Matthysse.
Photo by Mark J. Terrill
Danny Garcia Has One Heck of a Chin
Coming into Saturday night’s fight, Danny Garcia—the boss in the 140 pound Junior Welterweight division—was an underdog against Lucas Matthysse, who had knocked out his last six opponents.
The Machine has frightening power. I think everyone in the building, including Matthysse, was shell shocked when Garcia didn’t even flinch after he took Matthysse’s best shots.
Photo by Hogan Photos
Danny Garcia Also Has Power
No one had ever knocked down Lucas Matthysse through all of his fights as a pro. Danny Garcia became the first man to do so Saturday night.
Garcia had been billed as the guy who didn’t do anything great, but did everything very well.
We spent so much time building up the scary power of The Machine that we underestimated the power of the champion.
Photo by Tom Casino
What Would Lucas Matthysse Do if He Faced Adversity?
After seeing Mike Dallas Jr., Lamont Peterson and a few other opponents crumble from shots from his hands of steel, the question was how would Lucas Matthysse react when he faced an opponent who wasn’t as greatly affected by his power.
I believe he was definitely shocked that Swift was able to keep taking his punches. He also kept looking for one big knockout shot instead of looking for combinations.
The other adversity Matthysse faced was his eye being shut in the middle rounds. He had to fight the latter part of the fight basically with one eye. He fought a determined fight, but the eye, his power not having its normal affect, and the effectiveness of Danny Garcia’s own power were too much to overcome.
Photo by Tom Casino
Where Do Both Guys Go from Here?
Danny Garcia has now essentially cleaned out the 140-pound division. He has the same advisor and promoter as Floyd Mayweather.
I imagine that Richard Schaffer and Al Haymon will put him on a path to face Money May next May on Cinco de Mayo weekend. It would be smart to have him fight at least once in the 147-pound division before making that leap.
Lucas Matthysse can still beat many of the fighters in the 140-pound division, people now know his name and even in his loss, promoters and TV executives know that he equals exciting fights that people want to watch.
When that is your reputation, you will always be able to make money and get yourself into big fights.
