The Garcia-Granados style matchup means they'll bring out the best in each other—and promises for an action-packed welterweight showdown Saturday night on FOX.
Once again, the talented welterweight division takes center stage this Saturday, April 20, when two main stage players with much to prove, much to gain and everything to lose, face off in a “must win” battle.
Former two-division world champion Danny Garcia (34-2, 20 KOs) meets hard-charging battler Adrian Granados (20-6-2, 14 KOs) for the vacant WBC silver welterweight title, live from Dignity Health and Sports Park in Carson, California, in a 12-round contest on PBC on FOX (8:00 p.m. ET/5:00 p.m. PT).
The winner gets himself back in the mix of a thick and lucrative 147-pound class.
Most hardcore fight fans know the story of Garcia, who was an elite-level prospect, riding a well-crafted skill set and high-end physical gifts to a spot among the very best fighters in, arguably, the very best division in boxing.
The road from prospect to established pro, however, has not been a smooth ride. Coming into Saturday’s fight, the Philadelphia native has dropped two of his last three; a March 2017 close split decision loss to Keith Thurman and then to Shawn Porter in September 2018 via razor-thin unanimous decision.
A case could be made for Garcia deserving the win in both of his pro career setbacks, but the losses counted and, whether he likes it or not, they pushed him down a notch or two on the welterweight food chain.
Against Granados, Garcia, 31, needs a strong performance to remain in the running for the big, lucrative fights at welterweight. Anything less, win or lose, could represent one more step backward in a division increasingly dominated by names such as Errol Spence Jr., Manny Pacquiao, and Thurman and Porter.
“He's not on my level and I got to go out there and beat him,” Garcia said of Granados. "It's very important…I got to go in there and look good. I got to go in there and dominate. I got to go in there and send a message."
Granados, meanwhile, is the prototypical boxing tough guy and tough luck contender.
Without a big name, prodigious raw talent, and the powerful business connections that facilitate a rise to the top of the sport, the Berwyn, Illinois native has had to battle for every inch of territory advanced, enduring robberies and setbacks on his road towards stardom.
In 2017, what many felt should’ve been a breakthrough win against Adrien Broner, turned into a split decision loss in Broner’s hometown of Cincinnati when the judges’ scorecards were read. Nine months later, Granados would drop a unanimous decision to Shawn Porter, but not without having his moments against the past and future world welterweight champion.
Coming off a 2018 that saw him go 2-0 against limited opposition and work around an odd no decision to Javier Fortuna (caused by Fortuna’s fourth-round fall from the ring) in a temporary return to junior welterweight, Granados has some career momentum working for him and has established a boatload of goodwill among fight fans who have come to enjoy his honest and earnest all-action ring style.
Time, however, is never on a blue-collar boxer’s side and it’s clear that the pressure to beat a “name” opponent is present for a fighter who may not get another opportunity to do so.
“This is my last chance to become a star in boxing,” Granados said. “Over the years, he’s mentioned my name in a negative, derogatory way. There’s a chip on my shoulder…I want to keep him on his heels and my pressure may be able to break him.”
Stylistically, Garcia-Granados is not a hard fight to map out.
Garcia has the edge in all-around skill and athleticism. His left hook is still among the pound-for-pound best offensive weapons in the game. A cool, collected counter-puncher by nature, Garcia can sometimes be too cool, allowing opposition to steal rounds (or moments in rounds) while he looks for openings and analyzes opportunities.
Granados, on the other hand, can be an overachieving round-stealer if given half a chance. Although not in possession of an elite skill set or elite athleticism, he’s no slouch in either, and what he lacks in both, he makes up for with grit and determination.
Make no mistake about it, Granados will make Garcia work and he’ll make him fight. He could very well bring out the best in the Philly fighter. In return, Garcia will force Granados to be sharper than ever before.
The old saying about iron sharpening iron most applies to Garcia-Granados as both fighters’ strengths and weaknesses play into each other’s. The fighter who emerges victories in this important welterweight clash will be well-positioned to take aim at the 147-pound elite.
For a closer look at Garcia vs Granados, check out our fight night page.
- Topics
- Garcia vs Granados
- Danny Garcia
