Khan-Garcia Aftermath

Danny Garcia pulled one of the upsets of the year last night, knocking out Amir "King" Khan in the fourth round of their 140 lb title unification.

Khan out-boxed Garcia in the first two rounds, proving faster and more active.  Though  impressive, some ring-siders prophetically noted that he was a little too aggressive.  In round 3, Khan's aggression played into Garcia's hands as Garcia landed a left hand counter bomb that sent Khan to the canvas.  Though Khan got up from the punch, he never fully recovered, and referee Kenny Bayless stopped the contest toward the end of round 4.

Whoa.

In one fell swoop, the undefeated Danny Garcia has become the face of the division and Amir Khan is looking at back-to-back losses.  So what's next for both?

For Garcia, any fight in the division makes sense for him.  The public has just become aware of him, and all he needs is activity, to gain more familiarity.  People will watch.  In my opinion, some compelling matches might be against Marcos Maidana and Juan Manuel Marquez.

Khan needs to clear his head and pick smart fights to get himself back into contention.  A lot of people are going to give up on him after this loss, so he has to start afresh.  After a good break, he should fight frequently—once a month—taking out lesser contenders to regain his own confidence.  After that, it may be appropriate to consider rematches against Marcos Maidana and Lamont Peterson.  Then Danny Garcia.

What we witnessed this weekend was a fine example of one of the most intriguing aspects of the sport: the fact that one punch can change everything.  Of late, we've seen fights where the ultimate winner—or ultimate deserving winner—appeared as such throughout the fight.  Those can be fun, but in my opinion nothing is as special as boxing's theater of the unexpected.  Not as pertains to unexpected decisions—those are pesky.  I'm talking about unexpected, sudden, violent shifts in momentum during the action of a bout.

In this particular case, the violent shift, a counter left hook, not only changed the tide of the fight; it changed the whole landscape of the division.  A little known fighter before the fight is now one of the top guys at 140 pounds.  A potential Mayweather opponent before the fight is facing a blow to his career from which he may never recover.  This is boxing, ladies and gentlemen.

-JD

Khan vs. Judah Reflections

Well, we thought it would be close.  We thought it would be the classic youth versus experience battle.  We thought that with one good punch on either side it could break out into a war.

...And we were wrong.  Last night, from the opening bell to the finish, one guy was clearly faster, smarter, more conditioned, more effective, and all-around dominant.  That guy was Amir "King" Khan, who knocked out Zab Judah in the fifth round.

Marquez vs. Ramos

Tonight Juan Manuel Marquez fights Colombian Likar Ramos at 140 lbs.

The fight's a tune-up for the Pacquiao match in November.  Marquez will be fighting above 135 pounds for only the second time ever, the first being in his notorious lopsided loss to Floyd Mayweather, Jr.  This fight will be telling of how Marquez deals with the added weight.

Problem is, if Marquez loses tonight, the fight with Pacquiao is off.

He shouldn't lose.  Ramos is lightly regarded and nowhere near the class of Marquez.  Then again, so was James "Buster" Douglas when he fought Mike Tyson, and we all know what happened then.

The fight streams on www.toprank.tv at 9 pm ET.  This is an important fight, and as with all Marquez fights, it's a must-watch.

JD's Prediction
Marquez by TKO in 5.

Update
Marquez KO'd Ramos in the first round.  Seemed like it could have been fake.  It came off of a powerful straight right hand to the chin, but not powerful enough.

Hate to say it--it could have been a setup.  Marquez may get heat for this one.

-JD

Khan vs. Judah

The highly anticipated matchup between Amir Khan and Timothy Bradley on July 23 fell through for good.  Bradley decided against fighting Khan at this time for various reasons.

Instead, Khan's been given the alternative 140 unification bout--IBF belt-holder Zab Judah.

Timothy Bradley

140 is a stacked division right now.  Tons of tremendously talented fighters--Amir Khan, Marcos Maidana, Devon Alexander, Zab Judah, and Andriy Kotelnik to name just a few--have kept this weight class bubbling with excitement.  The talent is astronomical and the competition is fierce.

One belt-holder in particular stands out among the rest, though: the Desert Storm Timothy Bradley.