One of the best welterweight fights that can be made today is set to take place on August 25th at Brooklyn, New York’s Barclays Center. Danny “Swift” Garcia, the former unified 140lb. champ & former WBC world welterweight king, will meet former IBF world welterweight titlist “Showtime” Shawn Porter in what promises to be a Fight of the Year candidate.
The bout will be aired by Showtime, promoted by Tom Brown’s TGB Promotions, and presented by Premier Boxing Champions (PBC).
The 30-year-old Garcia, 34-1 (20 KOs), lost his WBC title via split decision to WBA champion Keith Thurman (28-0, 22 KOs) in March 2017. Check out the highlights here:
Garcia has been calling for a rematch ever since. Thurman’s been sidelined with injuries since. Thurman was expected to return last May but suffered another injury in camp. No word on his return, but the unified world welterweight champion opted to vacate the WBC strap until he returned. He remains the WBA Super world welterweight champion.
The 30-year-old Porter (28-2-1, 17 KOs) has also been calling for a rematch versus Thurman. In June 2016, the two warred for 12 rounds in a fight many thought was the best of the year. Thurman won a tight unanimous decision. Watch highlights here:
Porter bounced back with a ninth-round stoppage of former world champion Andre Berto to become the mandatory challenger to Thurman’s title. See those highlights here:
With the belt now vacant, the top two contenders must battle it out. Garcia-Porter is considered one of the best matchups in boxing. The two exchanged harsh words last Month, when Porter got into the ring and confronted Garcia following Garcia’s ninth-round KO of Brandon Rios at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. Watch the confrontation here:
The winner of this bout will be a prime candidate to unify versus undefeated IBF world welterweight champion, Errol “The Truth” Spence Jr (23-0, 20 KOs). First, Spence must get by his mandatory challenger, undefeated Carlos Ocampo (22-0, 13 KOs) on June 16 in Dallas, Texas.
And, of course, the division will get even hotter once Keith Thurman returns.
Stay tuned to BoxingAfrica.com for details.
