Underrated Underachievers: Danny Garcia vs. Robert Guerrero

The bout between Robert Guerrero and Danny Garcia on Saturday in Los Angeles has the potential to be an intriguing one, if for no other reason than it forces these two solid fighters to put forth the best of their capabilities.

It is my opinion that these men are almost criminally underrated by boxing fans, and yet it’s understandable why. They both have decent enough resumes. They have all the right wins in all the correct winnable fights you want to see from young fighters, but they lack the breakout performances against other young talent that people expect from someone they call a champion. In fact, it seems both of them are often harshly judged by their key losses. Garcia is judged mainly for his fight with Lamont Peterson, a bout with fairly little action which saw Peterson do everything in his power to avoid Garcia’s power. Yet Garcia seemed a bit befuddled as to how to convince Peterson to engage as much as he wanted him to or how to pin him down along the ropes or in the corners. I scored the bout for Garcia but just barely.

Garcia did have an excellent win against Lucas Matthysse. This was a bout where I felt Matthysse would come out on top due to them being similar; Matthysse was better at standing and banging. Garcia must have agreed because he outboxed Matthysse, so he’s not simply the rustic puncher everyone took him for after his win over a shopworn Erik Morales and his stoppage of Amir Khan. These events have left fans divided and uncertain on just what to think about Garcia’s quality.

Guerrero has encountered similar events in his career. He is a modern fighter who has come to be known more for his losses than his wins. He showed versatility in outboxing the rugged Michael Katsidis, but unfortunately for Garcia, Juan Diaz had already done so. Boxing insiders began to question Guerrero from his bouts at lighter weights with Orlando Salido and Duad Yordan. The loss to Salido became forgivable when “Siri” tested positive for a banned substance. The fight with Yordan brought Guerrero’s heart into question for many, as he sustained a bad cut and chose not to continue. It seemed as if Yordan was pulling ahead right when that happened. However, “The Ghost” proceeded to resurrect his career to the level of being offered bouts with Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Keith Thurman. Guerrero came up short in both those fights, but he was there the whole way. There shouldn’t be much shame in dropping decisions to two guys who either outbox everyone they face or stop everyone they face. However, in the eyes of fans, these are the most defining things about Guerrero.

The paths their careers have taken have led to both Garcia and Guerrero being incredibly underrated and underappreciated as fighters.

Garcia has become a skilled boxer-puncher. Though not quick-footed, he has skill in moving around the ring. It just seems that -- as was the case against Matthysse -- he is better at retreating than in being aggressive and cutting off the ring. That’s the key element that was missing against Peterson. His plan seemed to be to draw out Peterson, but when an opponent refuses to cooperate, you have to be able to get to him. Still, Garcia possesses enough skill and precision to at least hurt everyone with whom he has shared the ring. He has also improved from his days of landing wide hooks with his eyes off the target, as was the case in one of his bouts with Morales. Garcia seems to fire his punches with better positioning and more precision as he has matured at the world level. His punch selection is also quite good, and while his hand-speed is average, his timing and perception of distance make up for his lack of rapid-fire combinations.

Guerrero is also someone who would fit the mold of being a boxer-puncher. He is aggressive but not hyper-aggressive. He can move laterally when he needs to, though he does have trouble with opponents who constantly circle him and keep his feet turning. While not quick of foot, Guerrero possesses a measure of hand speed that is a bit better than Garcia’s, with less power per shot. He is also a southpaw, and he is adept at using the reverse angles to his advantage. I would say he needs to spar people who are effective against southpaws themselves, as it seems to disturb him if his opponents are not bothered by the fact that he is a southpaw. The other big question about Guerrero: Did the Thurman fight take anything out of him? He had a poor outing in his return bout against journeyman Aaron Martinez, winning by split decision. That bout saw Guerrero floored by a guy with only four knockouts among 19 victories. However, he seemed to be in subpar shape and chose to stand and slug with probably the best version of Martinez anyone has ever seen.

Seeing as though Garcia and Guerrero are troubled by fleet-footed boxers, this bout has the potential to produce big fireworks since both can be drawn into slugfests. They’ll likely start out a bit tentative, but it won’t take long for one of them to find a rhythm if he realizes the other isn’t going to run around the ring. However, they have both faced aggressive opponents in the past and chosen to fight off the back foot, so there is potential for this fight to become a cautious stinker if they give each other too much respect. If that’s the case, at least we can count on the fact that the pre- and post-fight shenanigans from their colorful fathers will be well worth the price of admission.

Luis Monda is currently a full-time boxing trainer at Johnny Tocco’s in Las Vegas, which is the oldest gym in Sin City. He has a deep knowledge of combat sports history and has spent significant time researching lineages in boxing. He has been involved in the local fight scene for nearly a decade, first as a potential competitor, then as the manager of Tocco’s and now as an instructor to boxers, kickboxers and mixed martial artists.