Broner vs Garcia

Head tilted slightly downward and eyes focused forward, Mikey Garcia seemingly saw nothing other than the obstacle in front of him: Adrien Broner.

Mikey Garcia kept the pressure on Adrien Broner over 12 rounds and earned a unanimous decision in their 140-pound showdown at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. (Ed Diller/DiBella Entertainment)

Moving up in weight to face “The Problem,” Garcia remained in constant control of their 140-pound showdown, turning in a dominating performance to earn a unanimous decision before a crowd of 12,084 at Barclays Center.

With his victory over Broner, a former four-division world champion, Garcia further elevated his status as one of the world’s best pound-for-pound fighters.

Garcia, a three-division world champion and current 135-pound titleholder, landed 244 of 783 total punches (31 percent) to Broner’s 125 of 400 (31 percent. His edge was even more apparent in power punches, with Garcia connecting on 152 of 328 (46 percent) and Broner landing 72 of 161 (45 percent).

The 29-year-old Southern California native calmly dictated the distance between himself and Broner, and stayed in his opponent’s face for almost the entire fight. After a slow first round that Broner won on all three official scorecards, Garcia went to work as he began to pick apart his opponent.

Over the next several rounds, Garcia showed off an impressive arsenal as he used his jab to penetrate Broner’s high guard before slipping shots to the body.

By the latter rounds, it was all but apparent that Broner needed a knockout to win, but even then, Garcia was able to counter the Cincinnati native’s desperate attempts. In the end, Garcia easily prevailed by scores of 117-111 and 116-112 twice.

Garcia, who earned his 135-pound world title in January with a third-round KO of unbeaten champion Dejan Zlaticanin, said he would weigh his options before considering his next fight.

While Garcia has returned to a place among boxing’s elite after returning to the ring a year ago following a contractual dispute that kept him inactive for 30 months, Broner is left to ponder his future after losing for the second time in five fights and for the first time in his career at 140 pounds or less.