Adrien Broner Vs Mikey Garcia: The Stats, The Facts & The Fight Prediction Is In!
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By Joshua “City” Brewer
You gotta fight! For your right! To paaaarrrtty! Hear that, AB? Now is most certainly the time. The upcoming fight is critical for both fighters this Saturday night, as Adrien “The Problem” Broner, 33-2, 24 KO’s, takes on the undefeated Miley Garcia, 36-0, 30 KO’s. The dearth of criticality does differ between the fighters, though. For Broner, this is a crossroads fight. He had long been touted as the heir apparent to Floyd “Money ” Mayweather, JR. Fast forward a few years and any inkling of that version of Broner has all but disappeared. It’s not that the talent and skill isn’t there. It’d be a far cry to state otherwise. The reason for Broner’s decline has been self imposed. Neither you or I can say for certain that he took Marcos Maidana lightly in their 2013 welterweight fight. Only Broner knows the answer to that. What we do know is that the aura of a dominant fighter was diminished when he was all but taken to school by Maidana. He does deserve somewhat of a pass because his fight prior with Paulie Malignaggi proved, in a sense, that he wasn’t quite ready for 147 pounds. This was echoed even more when he was physically dominated by Shawn Porter in their 2015 matchup.
That stuff aside, one of the real problems for “The Problem,” was his seemingly lack of dedication to the sport. Unlike Mayweather, JR., Broner ballooned in weight after fights walking around well above his fighting weight. Thrown into the mix was Broner’s run ins with the law. This included a DUI arrest as well as a warrant for beating up an individual outside of a bowling alley. That’s just to name a couple and I won’t even dwell into the other stuff. He was essentially tripping over his own feet. There were always signs of immaturity, more excelled by his hair brushing gimmick after each win. Take all of this stuff and mix it up and you get a fighter with worlds of potential seemingly throwing it all away for a few moments of glamour. History has shown that regardless of whether a fighter is loud and brash or as quiet as a mouse, actual fighting is what put fans in the stands. To his credit, Broner has vehemently stated that he’s turned over a new leaf and he looks to be in the best shape I’ve ever seen him leading up to this fight. He seems to now know that the window for an elite fighter is small and capitalizing on your prime years is the most optimal way of securing your future.
Speaking of quiet as a mouse, the guy standing in front of Broner on Saturday, pretty much does all of his talking with his fists. Garcia, in my eyes, is one of the top 10 fighters in the world. Which is why I’m crazy for picking against him in this fight. We’ll get back to that later. Anyway, Garcia is a very technical boxer with the type of punching technique to take a fighter out via precision accumulation or with one punch. Garcia fits more into the narrative of clinician. He breaks fighters down. Garcia is on a two fight win streak since his 2016 return from a two year hiatus. This streak includes a knockout of the year caliber knockout over Dejan Zlaticanin in January. This will be Garcia’s first fight at 140 pounds and it may be a very comfortable weight for him given his past weight struggles. Garcia has defeated everyone placed in front of him during his rise to boxing stardom. Garcia has wins over Orlando Salido, Juanma Lopez, Robinson Castellanos, and Rocky Martinez. Garcia hasn’t been in many tough spots because his ring prowess allows him to adjust and work his craft. That said, Broner will fit a very different narrative in terms of competition.
Garcia has yet to face an opponent like Broner. The odds should and will certainly favor Garcia. He’s the fighter who’s taken the sport serious on all fronts though there were points in which boxing wasn’t considered to be his passion. My thought is that if Garcia can win the early part of the fight then he should be able to hang on for the distance. Broner has shown that he has a pretty solid chin after taking shots from Maidana and Porter. We’ve seen that when taking into deep waters in the past, Broner hasn’t been able to provide a breakout performance. Garcia is built for the distance from an overall style perspective. Broner has gone the distance many times as well, the nod must go to Garcia on that front. Both fighters have shown the ability to get opponents out of there early, though Broner’s power hasn’t translated as well as he’s moved up. When Broner wants to box, he can box. His trouble will likely come if he sits in the pocket and tries to trade with Garcia.
I’ve thought long about it and I’m picking Broner to win this fight via unanimous decision. I believe his footwork and defensive skills will be the key to this victory. As mentioned, he doesn’t want to get into a punching contest and wants to use lateral movement to keep Garcia at bay and not allow him to plant his feet. He must force Garcia to move and see how he adjusts to such. Both fighters have been dropped in their careers, so getting tagged either way isn’t out of the question. This will likely come down to will as opposed to skill because both fighters bring great skill sets to the table. Is Broner going to be focused for all 12 rounds? Will we see Garcia remain composed if forced to take the lead? These are all questions that will be answered on Saturday. Everyone has an opinion but the fighters fight the fights. Anything can happen in boxing. Sunday morning will surely define each fighter one way or another.
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