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HBO After Dark Garcia VS Burgos Preview

By Eliezer Garcia, RCM Boxing Correspondent

 

  New York, NY (January 24th, 2014)– Mikey Garcia of Oxnard, Cali will make his mandatory title defense against Mexico’s Juan Carlos Burgos on Saturday night, at the Theater at Madison Square Garden. Mikey Garcia (33-0, 28 KOs), is coming of a sensational year and is considered by many one of the top 10 p4p fighters .

Top Rank has huge hopes for Garcia to become a huge PPV attraction, but before looking ahead into the future, Garcia will have to get pass Juan Carlos Burgos (30-1-2, 20 KOs) who is looking to ruin any future plans.

In November, Rocky Martinez was able to knock Garcia down for the first time in his career. Garcia managed to shrug off the knock down and stopped Martinez in the 8th round. Coming into Saturday night Garcia is the favorite, but Burgos is no walk in the park. Juan Carlos Burgos is considered a big puncher and will try to land big shots in the early rounds of the fight. Garcia is known to be a slow starter, and this might fall into Burgos advantage. Garcia must apply his boxing skills early and keep Burgos off of him.

Mikey Garcia has a lot at stake, getting pass Burgos will open big doors for him, including a possible fight down the road with Manny Pacquiao. Garcia was In Macau in November to watch his pupil Brandon Rios square off against Pacquiao. During his stay he mentioned to others he looks forward to a potential bout with the Manny Pacquiao. As for Arum, he believes it can eventually happen, ” I am a big Mikey Garcia fan and I think it would be a good fight.

Before, planning a potential fight with one of boxing biggest stars, Garcia must not over look Juan Carlos Burgos who poses a tremendous threat. Burgos is a big puncher and has a chance to ruin any future plans.

Garcia said: “I do feel I am at least top 10 [pound for pound]. I’m just starting as world champion and I still have a lot to prove. I had some good fights last year, but I am just here to do my job. I don’t pay that much attention to ratings, to top-10 lists.”

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Jennings (17-0, 9 KOs), of Philadelphia, PA, is picking up steam, winning four of his last five bouts by knockout. One of the brightest lights among U.S. heavyweight contenders, Jennings, 29, captured the USBA heavyweight title in June of 2012, winning a 10-round decision over Steve Collins.  He successfully defended that title in December 2012, knocking out Bowie Tupou in the fifth round.  He only had one fight in 2013 — a sixth-round stoppage victory of Andrey Fedosov in June.  Collins, Tupou and Fedosov had a combined record of 71-5-1 when they faced Jennings, who enters this fight with a new managerial and promotional team.  He is currently world-rated No. 4 by the WBC and  No. 5 by the WBA.

Szpilka (16-0, 12 KOs), of Krakow, Poiland, enters this fight having won 10 of his previous 12 fights by knockout, including three of the four bouts he fought in 2013.  He has picked up an American following thanks to his two nationally-televised knockout victories over Mike Mollo in 2013, where both men hit the deck in each of their action-packed fights.  Another highlight for Szpilka was his 10-round unanimous decision victory over Brian Minto for the interim WBC Baltic heavyweight title.  He enters this fight world-rated No. 14 by the WBC.

One of New York’s top boxing attractions, Monaghan (19-0, 12 KOs), of Long Beach, NY, is the reigning WBC Continental Americas light heavyweight champion.  He captured that title in June 2012, knocking out Romaro Johnson in the eighth round, and has successfully defended it twice — via a 10-round unanimous decision in October 2012 and in his pay-per-view debut, on the Timothy Bradley vs. Juan Manuel Márquez welterweight champion card,  by stopping Anthony Caputo-Smith in the third round.  Monaghan enters this fight having won four of his last six fights by stoppage and world-rated No. 6 by the IBF and  No. 10 by the WBA.  He will be facing Fabio Garrido (19-4, 15 KOs), of Säo Paulo, Brazil, in a 10-round light heavyweight battle.  Garrido, who has won his last three fights by knockout, captured the vacant Brazilian light heavyweight title on December 7, knocking out Ernesto Gonzalez in the first round.

Verdejo (9-0, 6 KOs), of San Juan, Puerto Rico, has not only transitioned from a stellar amateur, where he fought on Puerto Rico’s 2012 Olympic team, to an exciting professional, he has also ignited the passions of his island’s boxing fans who currently have no world champions representing them.  In short, he is showing the potential for being Puerto Rico’s next big boxing star, following the lineage of Felix Trinidad and Miguel Cotto in attracting legions of fans to his all-action fights not only in Puerto Rico, but in New York, Las Vegas and Florida.  Verdejo, 20, fought eight times in 2013 and only went the distance twice.  He will be facing Lauro Alcantar (8-0, 1 KO), of Agua Prieta, México, in a six-round battle of undefeated lightweight contenders.

 

Hart (11-0, 10 KOs), of Philadelphia, PA , won all six of his 2013 fights by knockout, with only one of those bouts reaching the third round.  Trained by his father, the highly-rated middleweight contender of the late ’60s and early ’70s Eugene “Cyclone” Hart,  the younger Hart, 24, will be taking on durable veteran Derrick Findley (20-11-1, 13 KOs), of Gary IN.  Findley, who scored a second-round TKO of contender Ronald Hearns in 2012, has gone the distance against undefeated contenders Matt Korobov, Gilberto Ramirez  and J’Leon Love.

For fight updates go to www.toprank.comwww.banner-promotions.com www.thompsonboxing.com or www.hbo.com/boxing, on Facebook at facebook.com/trboxingfacebook.com/trboxeo, facebook.com/banner-promotions, facebook.com/thompsonboxing or facebook.com/hboboxing, and on Twitter at twitter.com/trboxingtwitter.com/trboxeo, twitter.com/bannerboxing,  twitter.com/thompsonboxing or twitter.com/hboboxing.  Use the Hashtag #GarciaBurgos to join the conversation on Twitter.

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