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
