This Saturday night (March 4, 2017) at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, the Premier Boxing Champions promotion is delivering one of the biggest shows of the year, as WBC world welterweight champion Danny Garcia (33-0) takes on WBA world titlist Keith Thurman (27-0, 1 No-Contest) in a battle of undefeated fighters that will unify two major world title belts. This fight was put together in the September-October timeframe of last year, and Garcia entered his November matchup with unheralded Samuel Vargas aware that Thurman would be watching. Garcia got the job done with an impressive outing, and Thurman entered the ring to give the audience the first taste of March’s matchup. The tension between the two men was evident back in November, and it has not let up since. Social media has lit up ever since, and one press conference where the two men appeared saw Garcia’s father Angel Garcia go on a tirade that got him banned from future appearances around this fight. With all the back-and-forth between the two camps, it is hard to pick a winner in the verbal war. It is likewise hard to pick a winner when it comes to what will happen in the ring. Both men are undefeated world champions. Garcia spent time as a world titlist at 140 pounds, and this is his first title defense at 147 pounds, so Thurman may be more accustomed to the weight class, but the truth is that Garcia fought several fights as he built himself up to welterweight, and he is a match for Thurman in terms of height and weight. Each is in their prime at 28 years old, and in terms of ring craft, both are among the finest technical fighters in a crowded and talent-laden weight class. The huge 11-fight boxing card is promoted by Lou DiBella and his DiBella Entertainment, and several of the other fights on the card are expected at the sportsbooks as we get closer to fight time. One fight that is already up at the books comes in the light heavyweight division, as former world champion Chad Dawson (34-4) takes on fallen contender Andrjez Fonfara (28-4). Fonfara, who is still just 29 years old, is looking to bounce back from the brutal KO loss he experienced at the hands of Joe Smith Jr. in his last outing. In May of 2014, he lost his first bid at a world title against Adonis Stevenson, but he had rebounded from that loss with three wins in a row, including victories against high-profile opponents Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. and Nathan Cleverly. As for Dawson, he is now 34 years old, and if he is hoping to make one more run at a world title, he is going to need to win come Saturday night. Barclays Center – Brooklyn, New York Welterweight – 12 rounds Danny Garcia +190 o10½ -190 Keith Thurman -230 u10½ +165 Light Heavyweight – 10 rounds Chad Dawson +335 Andrzej Fonfara -505
PBC on CBS Sees Welterweight Title Unification in Brooklyn on Saturday (March 4, 2017)
