On Jul. 30, 2022, fighting for the ninth time at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center, fan favorite Danny Garcia was back in town in hopes of winning a world title in the 154 lbs. division, junior middleweight.
There are plenty of names in the 154 lbs. division, including the undisputed champion (WBA/WBC/WBO/IBF) Jermell Charlo and all other mandatory fighters in line for a shot at that division’s crown. Some boxing trainers have said that Danny Garcia is undersized for the new division. Danny won world titles at 140 lbs. and 147 lbs. This time, Danny Garcia battled Jose Benavidez, Jr. and proved his critics wrong. There were reports that Benavidez had rehydrated up to 172 lbs. and in addition to a weight advantage had a slight height advantage as well.
Benavidez was the bigger fighter but did not use that to his advantage.
The first four rounds of the fight were competitive. This writer scored it even at two rounds a piece for each fighter. By the 5th round, Benavidez was more interested in showboating and clowning at Garcia instead of working behind his jab to set up combinations. Benavidez was the bigger fighter but did not use that to his advantage. Garcia worked behind his jab, used good movement, and picked his shots well. At the end of the fight, Garcia was awarded a rightful decision victory, improving his record to 37-3, 27KOs, while Benavidez drops to 27-2-1, 18KOs .
What’s next for both fighters? Garcia will likely fight for a vacant title against a top contender if Charlo vacates or is stripped of one if his titles and continue to cash million dollar checks. Benavidez has to decide if he wants to continue with his career or retire because it will be a tough road back, and he will need a signature victory (win against a top contender) before he headlines another Pay Per View Card.
In the Co-Feature, fan favorite Adam Kownacki (20-3,15KOs), who is originally from Poland but fights out of his adopted hometown of Brooklyn, lost a 10 round unanimous decision to Turkish Olympian Ali Eren Demirezen (17-1, 12KOs). Fourteen months ago Kownacki was close to a world title shot and was selling out Barclays, but he lost twice to Robert Helenius (31-3, 20KOs) by knockouts, one in the 4th round in March 2020, another in the 6th round in October 2021. Kownacki desperately needed a victory to get his career back on track. Kownacki was non-committal regarding his future plans. He stated he planned to speak with his wife, but also wanted to provide his fans with one last win. Let’s see what happens.
As for Demirezen, he can expect a high profile fight (possibly a title shot) with a nice payday in the future.
