Danny Garcia vs Mauricio Herrera
Prize fighting is more than just a boxing match. To justify its very existance there has to be drama. Prizefighters make a lot of money, generate a lot of hype and there are long build ups to their fights which we all eagerly anticipate for weeks and sometimes even months. If there is no drama during the actual fight it is just another 36 minute sporting event. If that’s all a fight offers there are plenty other options to watch on the weekends. Danny Garcia won a boxing match in his fight against Mauricio Herrera but if he wants to maintain his reputation as a prize fighter he will have to do better against 2nd tier opponents.
Danny outboxed Hererra but he did not deliver what the viewers wanted which was a dramatic beat down.
There has been the usual cries of ‘robbery’ and ‘controversial decision’ in the aftermath of this fight but in reality it was nothing of the sort. Danny outboxed Hererra but he did not deliver what the viewers wanted which is a dominating beat down. In the absence of this kind of expected victory the perception becomes that this was a close fight.
Herrera tried to win with the jab. The jab is a punch to be used for many reasons, but mainly distracting and occupying your opponent and also for timing and positioning to land power shots. It is not supposed to be used to win fights. On the rare occasion he did throw a ‘power’ shot it was not thrown with conviction. Fighting like this you will never hurt your opponent which is the main objective of professional boxing. Throwing a power punch is risky as when it is actually thrown with power, if you miss or even if you land you can find yourself off balance and out of position. This opens you up to counters. Herrera, by never throwing with power rarely left himself open.
Throwing a power punch is risky, as if you miss or even if you land you can find yourself off balance and out of position opening yourself up to counter punches.
As a consequence of this strategy Danny found it hard to land any dramatic big shots. His strategy is mainly to counter punch but if his opponent doesn’t open himself up this ability is restricted. If Garcia wants to be a prizefighter however he must initiate attacks a lot more. Agaisnt a light hitter like Herrera he should have been applying constant pressure but this lack of attack first shows up in his jab stats. Of his 675 punches thrown only 273 were jabs. A good jab is a near necessity to set up and initiate attacks and Danny clearly needs to work on his.
This fight was a clear win for Danny as he threw 402 power punches to Herrera’s 276. He landed on 150 to Herrera’s 82 for a much higher land percentage. They also landed with a lot more power and conviction. Garcia showed the skill and athleticism to distiguish himself as a world class fighter vs the 2nd tier Herrera, but if he wants to maintain his fame and prize fighter reputation he will have to win in a lot more dominating fashion in the future. He did not provide the drama required to make a large audience required for blockbuster fights to sit up and take notice.
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