Preview: Danny Garcia, Adamek vs Glazkov, Saturday Night Boxing In NoVa
Danny Garcia photos by Tom Casino for Showtime
by Gautham Nagesh
Friday night is a little light this week, but Saturday night will be packed with boxing, on TV and live in Northern Virginia.
The big show will come to you on Showtime from Bayamon, Puerto Rico, where junior welterweight champion Danny Garcia will stay busy against sturdy veteran Maurcio Herrera. A solid undercard from Golden Boy includes unbeaten Alabama heavyweight Deontay Wilder in a step up against Malik Scott on the main telecast, and Juan Manuel Lopez vs. Daniel Ponce de Leon on Showtime Extreme.
Back on the East Coast, Polish heavyweight Tomasz Adamek will headline a Main Events show on NBC Sports Net from Sands Resort in Bethlehem, Pa. against Vyacheslav “Czar” Glazkov. The winner will be well-positioned for a shot at heavyweight champ Wladimir Klitschko, unless the Wilder-Scott winner gets there first. Isaac Chilemba vs. Denis Grachev at light heavyweight highlights the undercard.
Meanwhile, closed to home in Springfield, Va., the ABC Sports Complex will host a card featuring middleweights Brandon Quarles (below), Antoine “Action” Douglas, and super middleweight Jerry “2 Tickets 2 Paradise” Odom.
Full previews and predictions after the jump:
Danny Garcia vs. Maurcio Herrera (Showtime): This is the main event for the weekend, but also one of the least compelling fights. Herrera is a warrior, a tough, veteran fighter with a great chin that refuses to quit. He’s even got a win over Ruslan Provodnikov, which stood up under further review. But he’s also a light puncher, and has lost three times to fighters worse than Garcia.
The unbeaten, 25-year-old Garcia is the true champion of the world at 140 lbs. and the reigning Stiff Jab Boxer of the Year. He is coming off a remarkable run in which he beat Lucas Matthysse, Zab Judah, Amir Khan and Erik Morales twice. If anyone has earned a slight break in competition, it’s Garcia. But Herrera still feels a little too safe from our point of view.
This fight feels like an obvious attempt to ingratiate Garcia with the Puerto Rican fanbase, and we’re not sure it will work. Garcia has a chin carved out of granite, and Herrera is going to have a tough time winning a decision against Garcia in his ancestral homeland. At the same time, Herrera is a tough fighter to look good against, due to his guile and ring craft. And he’s damn near impossible to stop, just ask Provodnikov. Odds are that Garcia wins handily, but doesn’t do anything spectacular.
Fortunately the co-feature between heavyweights Deontay Wilder and Malik Scott is virtually guaranteed not to go the full 12 rounds. Wilder was won all 30 of his fights by stoppage, and has yet to see the 5th round. Scott is more of a boxer than a puncher, and has come up short at the top level. Still, if Wilder proves to be more hype than hope, Scott will expose him. We like Wilder, the last American man to win an Olympic medal (bronze, 2008), to win by sensational knockout early.
The Showtime Extreme undercard is highlighted by a 10-round rematch at 130 lbs. between Juan Manuel Lopez and Daniel Ponce de Leon. The loser will be staring opponent status squarely in the face, and Lopez remains a huge draw in Puerto Rico, so we’re expecting a good fight as long as it lasts. Ponce de Leon may win on late stoppage; Craig will bring you full coverage from the telecast.
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Adamek vs. Glazkov (NBC Sports Net): This heavyweight bout hasn’t been getting a lot of attention, even though the winner could be in prime position to challenge for the heavyweight title. That’s probably more of a statement about the winner’s chances against Klitschko than this bout itself. The lone blemish on Glazkov’s record is a draw against Malik Scott, but given Scott’s other losses, it raises questions about whether the Ukrainian can hope to challenge the proven Adamek.
It’s hard not to like Adamek, who draws big crowds and conducts himself like a consummate professional. Adamek has looked a little older of late, struggling more than expected against the likes of Travis Walker and Steve Cunningham.But he’s still a top-five heavyweight, and Glazkov hasn’t fought anyone even close tot hat level. We’re picking Adamek to win this one going away. The co-feature is a 10-round light heavyweight battle between Isaac Chilemba and Denis Grachev; we like Grachev in a close fight. Sarah will be in the stands for us in Bethlehem to capture the action.
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ABC Sports Complex on March 15: Tomorrow night’s show at the ABC Sports Complex in Springfield, Va. is shaping up nicely, according to this report from Gary “Digital” Williams at Boxing Along the Beltway. It looks like this card from Gulfstream Promotions will feature a number of the area’s top prospects, though it doesn’t appear any of them will face much of a challenge.
According to Digital, the main event will feature Alexandria middleweight Brandon Quarles against Travis Davidson of Vinton, Va. Blue-chip middleweight prospect Antoine “Action” Douglas (above) will stay busy in a six-rounder against Jeremy Yelton of Forest City, N.C. New Jersey tomato can William Gil will try to be the first opponent to last four rounds against Bowie, Md. super middleweight Jerry Odom, while local welterweight Edgar Torres will get an easy outing in his own backyard against Edgar Torres. Also making their pro debuts on this card: Ashburn, Va. lightweight Seth Billups and middleweight Bobby Gunn Jr.
The promoter for this fight has no website and virtually no information has been posted outside of Digital’s report. I’m headed home for a much-needed break this weekend, and Digital will be at the Golden Gloves, so as far as I know, there won’t be any coverage of this show. All the more reason to head out to Springfield and catch it in person. If you do, please email and tell us what happened.
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Telemundo has a show tonight from Kissimmee, Fla. headlined by Jonathan Oquendo vs. Guillermo Avila at 122 lbs….Fourth-ranked flyweight Juan Carlos Reveco will defend his WBA belt against Manuel Vides in Buenos Aires on Friday…Michael Katsidis returns tonight in Toowoomba, Austrailia against Eddy Comaro…Second-ranked lightweight Richar Abril of Cuba defends in Moscow against Eduard Troyanovsky….Tony Bellew moves up to cruiserweight in Liverpool, Kell Brook vs. Alvaro Robles is chief support.
