By Bart Barry–
Saturday in Brooklyn a junior welterweight special attraction broadcast by Showtime saw California’s Mikey Garcia decision Cincinnati’s Adrien Broner by three fair if fairly generous (to Broner) scorecards. There were no knockdowns, no kneetremblers and only a trickle of noseblood in 36-minutes of fistfighting.
It was an average fight, however much reporting so betrays the narrative.
Garcia, who has long been considered at least as good as he is and on occasion considerably better, decisioned convincingly a b-grade fighter and a-grade selfpromoter without once imperiling either man. It was, in other words, about the best fare for which one dares hope from PBC and its many broadcasting benefactors and affiliates and aliases. Now aficionados’re expected to attempt a contortion like: It was a great fight between two great fighters that lacked action because Garcia’s extraordinary class neutralized Broner till he was the sort of mediocre fighter who might get decisioned 8-4 or 9-3 in a championship match.
Afterwards Garcia’s brother and trainer said Mikey only looks basic when you watch him, 1-1-2 and 1-2 and 1-2-1-1, but in the ring, where we might assume none of us will spend time with Mikey, he’s altogether more complicated. Perhaps. But truly there’s nothing wrong with basic boxing – in fact in just about any confrontation any man is likely to have in any lifetime basic boxing beats the stripes off its myriad of alternatives. Even in prizefighting.
There was absolutely nothing wrong with Garcia’s performance Saturday. It was perfect for those who want to build Garcia as an undefeated attraction and for familiars who of course wishn’t see their brother or son elephantgunned, but it left a goodish amount to be desired by aficionados who watch for what entertainment spontaneity brings, which is different from watching to confirm one’s own expertise.
Broner never lacked offensive artistry and made himself famous in large part by being a large part bigger than his opponents; much of his early run happened via his ability to absorb others’ punches to deliver his own. It happened so fast, oftenly, and others’ punches so lacked effect, it was unapparent Broner traded evenly. Then Marcos Maidana, a slugger considered limited even by his fans then, exposed Broner in the fairest sense of the word and made 12,000 San Antonians euphoric in so doing. That win got Chino a chance at Floyd Mayweather that went so much better than expected Maidana got a second chance at Mayweather, but aficionados’ collective estimation of Broner improved little along the way. Maidana, after all, hit Floyd with sky hooks and sundry oddities, not clean lefthook leads – Broner’s defense against which was a stiffarmed thing he flashed in his other loss, to Shawn Porter.
Whether he extended his arms downwards, elbows locked knuckles ogling the canvas, or upwards, elbows locked knuckles saluting the ceiling, Broner did not have a fundamental sense of what to do when a likesized man charged him. Even the forearm shimmy Mayweather mentored him worked less well against a man of comparable strength. Broner ever suffered the imitator’s dilemma: He could passably ape an innovator like Floyd without understanding why. Where Floyd successfully improvised defensive adjustments, Adrien queried the database first what Floyd would do and when a nullset came back Adrien tried to improvise himself – which victoried his hands overhead or downed them pistonpopping.
Had he a classic sense of discipline Broner might’ve stayed at 135 pounds and enjoyed a historic run as a lightweight anyway but AB was about billions not selfrestraint which kept him in his best weightclass for merely a twofight.
Long forgotten in the Mikey remake is Garcia’s own struggles with discipline, specifically a 2013 featherweight title defense against cult hero Juanma Lopez that saw Mikey miss weight by 32 full ounces after comporting himself questionably enough against Orlando Salido five months before th’t aficionados who took him for boxing’s future in 2012 took a harder look. That harder look was only commencing when Garcia disappeared in a contractual conflict. Garcia’s comeback is but three fights along and in 37 prizefights Adrien Broner marked his sternest test; let us not hyperbole just yet.
There’s a frontrunner’s perfection about Garcia but nary an adjustment to be found. This makes him less entertaining than Terence Crawford, even while future comparisons of their reigns should prove apt. Crawford mightn’t have stopped Broner Saturday either but at least would’ve switched stances a halfdozen times between southpaw and orthodox. Garcia made no offensive adjustments and showed no creativity in the championship rounds because he was unsure his footing – whatever private desire he had to finish Broner stayed altogether private because after 30 minutes with Mikey’s fists Broner was not shaped half badly as expected.
Bullies and buffoons be expected to fold, but no matter Broner’s buffoonery the man does not fold. Ask anyone at Alamodome for Broner’s first loss: Aside from Richard Schaefer everyone in attendance was there to see Broner get jigsawed proper, so everyone in attendance was more than a bit tense after round 11. If this reads like a nostalgic sendoff for AB it shouldn’t; yes, there’s a wee bit of nostalgia one should give any man who courts others’ hatreds and does not bend, but no, Broner’s not going anywhere. Hell, PBC’s braintrust fully expected Broner to prevail Saturday because the company’s cultural cornerstone is a concert promoter, not a matchmaker.
Probably Broner’ll fight again before Garcia does, and probably Garcia’s next opponent won’t be anyone you want him to be. When 2018 begins Broner will remain about billions and Garcia will remain undefeated.
Bart Barry can be reached via Twitter @bartbarry
