From the moment the fight was announced, Ryan Garcia and Luke Campbell summed up an important point of discussion: whether or not Garcia is ready to step up and prove that he is true as an elite boxer and not just as a star. social media.
But the lightweight WBC interim title on Saturday’s line in Dallas will not be a wrapped gift for Garcia. For Campbell, who suffered losses in the previous two world title fights against Vasiliy Lomachenko and Jorge Linares, there is another chance to show that he can step up and not disappear in the spotlight of an important moment.
And there is no doubt: the first major boxing card of 2021 is a wonderful moment. I’ve seen this kind of fight before – the young phenomenon towards a guy with enough experience to provoke him and cause him problems. And it might just be Garcia’s second main fight, but there’s every reason to think he’s up to it and to show that he has the skills to support everything.
In his most recent fight, his first major event, 22-year-old Garcia, took less than two minutes (80 seconds to be exact) to score a major playoff against Francisco Fonseca in February.
In the world of boxing, we talk about experience, about how important it is to be a veteran and fight all those rounds. In some cases, it is. But not this one. Garcia is younger. He is the greatest. – It’s stronger. It’s faster. It has exceptional synchronization.
We’ve seen Campbell, and it seems pretty safe to say we know who and what he is as a fighter. He disappeared into the spotlight. I saw it against Linares, when he fought hard in the middle rounds, but he couldn’t finish hard and lost that divided decision. I saw him fight Lomachenko, throwing a few good shots at first, but not being able to extend it throughout the fight.
It seems that somewhere along the way you lose concentration and concentration.
Campbell, stylistically, is not the type of fighter who should give Garcia any trouble. Campbell is a technical boxer who does his best when digging in his body and is a bit more aggressive. But he doesn’t keep it. He can’t sustain the kind of pressure needed to beat Garcia’s pace.
I think Garcia will face some tough challenges along the way, even though he has shown that he is a great fighter and that he is improving. I don’t think Campbell is the type to exploit the flaws Garcia is currently displaying, but there are a few. Fight with your chin in the air. Garcia often closes his knees and stands up straight. No need for too much pressure.
The reason I’m so confident in what Garcia can do comes from the way I analyze the fights. I look at five criteria and, although it is not an exact science, I think it is a good way to sketch how a fight will unfold most of the time.
Nr. 1: Which boxer is smarter? Who knows when to fight and when not?
I need to go to Garcia about this. He knows when to box, when to fight, when to suffocate, when to bond. He’s smart there. He is invincible for a reason. Campbell may show some of these skills, especially when lifting the body, but he does not have a good rhythm.
Nr. 2: Who can make adjustments as the fight progresses?
It’s true that I didn’t see Garcia have to adapt, because he catches the boys early. It has superior synchronization. Knock out rivals. I saw Campbell down against a younger guy from Lomachenko. He fell against Linares, who is not known as a big fist. Garcia has the power and speed of the shot and I think this projects him to find places to land fists, make decisions and make the right adjustments when they need to be made.
Nr. 3: Who has better concentration, conditioning and endurance?
Garcia, no doubt. He came at a distance only once, in a 10-round fight, and this will be his third 12-round fight. The first two did not come out of the first round. Campbell, on the other hand, disappears in the second half of the fight. This is his MO, especially in the big moments. He does not seem to have the condition and concentration to give 12 hard rounds.
Nr. 4: Who is ready at any time? Who lives the sport?
I have to go back to go with Garcia. He might be wrong about Campbell, underestimating how long he lives and dies with boxing. But I can tell you this: Garcia is always in shape. I saw him in San Diego not long ago. He looked thin, looked smart, and looked focused. Even as someone who has a bigger build than many other guys in the division, it looks like he won’t have much difficulty gaining weight. He always prepares, always at the gym. Live and breathe sports.
Nr. 5: Who has the best coach?
Nothing against Shane McGuigan and the work he does with Campbell, but Eddy Reynoso is an excellent coach. He has Canelo Álvarez, which tells you a lot about his reputation and what he thinks about García to work with him. Think of Garcia’s heart. Think about Garcia’s abilities. The moment of his photos. His left hook, which the boys don’t see coming. He has all the tools he needs to win this fight, and Reynoso sharpens them all.
prediction: Garcia has more to prove. This is Garcia’s time. Garcia should win this fight and I wouldn’t be surprised if he catches Campbell and beats him. I think that would be the midpoint of the fight, the sixth or seventh round. He’ll catch Campbell, hurt him, and finish him off.
The numbers
Kindness ESPN Statistics and information
5-0, 4 KOs: Garcia’s record for the transition from junior to easy.
2:58: Total fighting time for Garcia in his last two fights, a pair of first round knockouts against Francisco Fonseca and Romero Duno.
7.8 million: Total followers on Instagram for @kingryan. Among boxers, this places Garcia in the top four, behind three of the biggest names in the sport: Floyd Mayweather (24.4 million), Mike Tyson (14.3 million) and Anthony Joshua (11.9 million). ). Garcia recently defeated Canelo Álvarez (7.5 million).
0: Every time Campbell was eliminated. He was knocked down four times in his career and lost three decision losses, but Campbell was never eliminated.
33.5: The average number of shots per round Campbell throws, the seventh largest of all active fighters, according to CompuBox data.
0:32
The lightweight world champion gave a taste of his boxing ability in a video posted on social media.
bets
Kindness to William Hill’s Caesars Sportsbook by Friday AM
Ryan Garcia: -400
Luke Campbell: +310
Garcia de KO / TKO / DQ: +110
Garcia by decision: +240
KO / TKO / DQ Campbell: +500
Campbell by decision: +600
The fight goes to the end: Yes +130 | No. -175
Title defenses for the Alvarado twins
Currently, only two pairs of brothers hold world titles. Most might call the Charlo twins: Jermell, IBF / WBA / WBC World Junior Middleweight Champion and Jermall, WBC World Middleweight Champion. However, most would have difficulty naming the other pair.
It’s another set of twins, although it might be understandable if you don’t know Nicaraguans Felix and René Alvarado.
Felix (35-2, 30 KOs) is the IBF Junior Flyweight World Champion (£ 108) and is in a run of 17 victories dating back to his two professional losses, which came in back-to-back title challenges. -back. Despite being twins, Rene (32-8, 21 KOs) fights junior lightweight (130 pounds), a staggering 22 kilogram difference. René stunned the boxing world with a dominant win in a rematch against Andrew Cancio in November 2019, marking a seventh round KO when the referee stopped the fight due to a cut on Cancio’s left eye from a legal shot in the third round .
René’s eight-win streak, including winning the WBA junior lightweight “regular” title, is even more impressive given that René lost six fights in a span of 10 fights from 2014 to 2017, although most opposed tough competition, including their first fight. against Cancio and the loss of the decision for Yuriorkis Gamboa.
On the card under Garcia-Campbell, both fighters will risk their titles. Felix defends himself against DeeJay Kriel (16-1-1, 8 KOs), who has been undefeated in 17 fights (almost exclusively in his native South Africa) since losing his professional debut. René faces Roger Gutiérrez (24-3-1, 20 KOs) in a rematch of a 2017 fight won by René.
Complete book:
• Championship fight: Ryan Garcia Vs. Luke Campbell, 12 rounds, for the lightweight WBC interim title
• Championship fight: René Alvarado vs. Roger Gutiérrez, 12 rounds, for the “regular” WBA Junior Lightweight title
• Championship fight: Felix Alvarado vs. DeeJay Kriel, 12 rounds, for the June IBF title at Alvarado’s flyweight
• Raúl Curiel vs. Ramses Agaton, 10 rounds, welter
• Franchon Crews-Dezurn Vs. Ashleigh Curry, 8 rounds, super medium
• Alex Rincón vs. Sergio Lucio González, 6 rounds, junior middle
• Sean Garcia Vs. René Márquez, 4 rounds, easy
• Asa Stevens Vs. Francisco Bonilla, 4 rounds, rooster
• Tristan Kalkreuth vs. Jorge Armando Martínez, 4 rounds, cruiser
Tim Fiorvanti contributed to this report.