Highlights
–Robert Guerrero showed no hesitation in coming after Danny Garcia, peppering him through the first five rounds, especially with stinging shots to the body.
–Garcia turned the corner in the sixth, though, hammering home counter hooks from both sides to take back control of the fight.
–Both men, sensing a close scorecard, went for broke in an absolute thriller over the final minute of the fight, but Garcia locked up a 116-112 decision across all three cards.
Robert Guerrero knew Danny Garcia is sometimes a slow starter in fights. So it’s not surprising that he came out firing at Staples Center in Los Angeles, hoping to score the quick strike.
For five rounds in the 147-pound title clash, “The Ghost” blasted away with body shots that kept Garcia on the defensive and fighting backward. But by the sixth, Garcia settled into a groove and drove home thunderous counter hooks that took some of the wind out of Guerrero’s sails.
Some, but not all.
Guerrero shook off a few punishing shots and kept on coming. In what was still a fight well within reach, Guerrero came back and took the 10th after Garcia dominated the middle rounds, putting the outcome of the bout once again in doubt.
The 12th proved to be the most thrilling round not only of the night but of a young 2016, as both fighters went all out, trading heavy punishment as the crowd jumped out of their seats.
Neither man could put the other one on the canvas, though. In the end, Garcia’s dominant middle rounds proved too much for Guerrero to overcome, as all three judges saw it 116-112 for the unbeaten Philadelphia native, who with the victory became a two-time world champ.
Danny Garcia clocks Robert Guerrero with a right to the jaw during Saturday's 147-pound world title fight in Los Angeles. Garcia prevailed by unanimous decision. (Suzanne Teresa/Premier Boxing Champions)
