When the Mikey Garcia vs. Adrien Broner fight was first announced, it was surprising to see Broner open as a 5/1 betting underdog. Though those odds have dropped drastically since then—as of Friday evening, he was a +170 underdog, meaning you could win $170 by wagering $100—that must be one motivating factor for Broner to pull off what would ultimately be a relatively mild upset.
“I laugh when people write me off,” Broner said this week. “I’m used to being the underdog coming from where I come from. People don’t know what I’ve been through to get to this point. I’m blessed to be where I’m at. Saturday night there will be a lot more room on the bandwagon.”
Broner (33-2, 24 KOs) certainly has the capability to beat Garcia (36-0, 30 KOs). He’s quick with fast hands, and he’s got good technique. But Garcia is probably the fresher of the two fighters, and he’s coming off two impressive knockout victories. Yes, Garcia is moving from 135 pounds to 140 pounds for the fight, but all three Forbes boxing experts predict Garcia to win—professional prizefighters, meanwhile, are certainly more split with their prognostications.
There are plenty of compelling reasons to watch Garcia take on Broner—both of whom will make a $1 million guaranteed purse—on Showtime at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT. Here are three of them.
1) How will Broner’s weight loss affect him?: Broner on Friday weighed in at 138.7 pounds, the lightest he’s been for a fight since 2013. Considering he checked in at 146.5 pounds for his split decision win vs. Adrian Granados in February, that’s a decent amount of poundage to lose. Sure he saved himself a $500,000 penalty by not weighing more than the 140-pound junior welterweight limit, but you have to wonder how difficult it was for him to make weight (and you have to wonder if that will show when he steps into the ring and it gets later into the fight). Some observers think he looked drained during the press conference on Thursday, but hey, at least Broner doesn’t have to give up part of his purse. “I ain’t giving nobody half of $1 million,” Broner said.
2) Can Garcia carry his power to 140 pounds?: After collecting a possible knockout of the year in his last fight vs. Dejan Zlaticanin at lightweight, Garcia will move up to 140 pounds for this fight. Can he bring his tremendous knockout power with him? Can he hurt Broner, who has a good chin? Will Garcia stay at junior welterweight if he wins? “I still have plans on coming down to 135 to unify the titles or have a big title, defend the lightweight,” Garcia said. “But after being in boxing so long and learning the policies on the business about it, you got to be flexible. You got to be able to adjust and make those adjustments and continue with my career. I'm not going to sit around, wait for a fight and chase anybody. I'm here to take on the biggest fights available, the biggest challenge available, whether that means at 135 or at 140 or possibly even 147.”
3) Can Broner knock out Garcia?: Every time he’s supposedly facing a heavy puncher, Garcia said he’s never felt their power. That includes Zlaticanin and Orlando Salido. But Broner clearly has power, and Garcia said he knows he needs to be cautious. “I think Adrien Broner is the guy that probably hits the hardest out of everybody, especially because we're moving up in weight,” Garcia said. “He is a bigger man naturally than me as far as weight. So we'll find out Saturday night.”
When the Mikey Garcia vs. Adrien Broner fight was first announced, it was surprising to see Broner open as a 5/1 betting underdog. Though those odds have dropped drastically since then—as of Friday evening, he was a +170 underdog, meaning you could win $170 by wagering $100—that must be one motivating factor for Broner to pull off what would ultimately be a relatively mild upset.
“I laugh when people write me off,” Broner said this week. “I’m used to being the underdog coming from where I come from. People don’t know what I’ve been through to get to this point. I’m blessed to be where I’m at. Saturday night there will be a lot more room on the bandwagon.”
Broner (33-2, 24 KOs) certainly has the capability to beat Garcia (36-0, 30 KOs). He’s quick with fast hands, and he’s got good technique. But Garcia is probably the fresher of the two fighters, and he’s coming off two impressive knockout victories. Yes, Garcia is moving from 135 pounds to 140 pounds for the fight, but all three Forbes boxing experts predict Garcia to win—professional prizefighters, meanwhile, are certainly more split with their prognostications.
There are plenty of compelling reasons to watch Garcia take on Broner—both of whom will make a $1 million guaranteed purse—on Showtime at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT. Here are three of them.
1) How will Broner’s weight loss affect him?: Broner on Friday weighed in at 138.7 pounds, the lightest he’s been for a fight since 2013. Considering he checked in at 146.5 pounds for his split decision win vs. Adrian Granados in February, that’s a decent amount of poundage to lose. Sure he saved himself a $500,000 penalty by not weighing more than the 140-pound junior welterweight limit, but you have to wonder how difficult it was for him to make weight (and you have to wonder if that will show when he steps into the ring and it gets later into the fight). Some observers think he looked drained during the press conference on Thursday, but hey, at least Broner doesn’t have to give up part of his purse. “I ain’t giving nobody half of $1 million,” Broner said.
2) Can Garcia carry his power to 140 pounds?: After collecting a possible knockout of the year in his last fight vs. Dejan Zlaticanin at lightweight, Garcia will move up to 140 pounds for this fight. Can he bring his tremendous knockout power with him? Can he hurt Broner, who has a good chin? Will Garcia stay at junior welterweight if he wins? “I still have plans on coming down to 135 to unify the titles or have a big title, defend the lightweight,” Garcia said. “But after being in boxing so long and learning the policies on the business about it, you got to be flexible. You got to be able to adjust and make those adjustments and continue with my career. I'm not going to sit around, wait for a fight and chase anybody. I'm here to take on the biggest fights available, the biggest challenge available, whether that means at 135 or at 140 or possibly even 147.”
3) Can Broner knock out Garcia?: Every time he’s supposedly facing a heavy puncher, Garcia said he’s never felt their power. That includes Zlaticanin and Orlando Salido. But Broner clearly has power, and Garcia said he knows he needs to be cautious. “I think Adrien Broner is the guy that probably hits the hardest out of everybody, especially because we're moving up in weight,” Garcia said. “He is a bigger man naturally than me as far as weight. So we'll find out Saturday night.”
