The top welterweight in the world will be decided Saturday when Keith Thurman faces Danny Garcia for a 147-pound title unification fight. The match is basically considered a toss-up, though Thurman is about a 2/1 betting favorite, and considering it?s on network TV during primetime (CBS at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT), millions of people likely will tune in to see the most anticipated bout so far of 2017.
Thurman (27-0, 22 KOs) and Garcia (33-0, 19 KOs) are skilled fighters, and though Thurman has good power in his hands, Garcia could counter him with boxing skills and smarts (though Thurman is also intelligent in the ring while Garcia has stopped two of his last three opponents).
The fight should be exciting, and it?s also somewhat historic.
?They’re both highly-skilled boxers who are also powerful punchers,? Showtime GM Stephen Espinoza said on a recent teleconference. ?And this is a rare battle of undefeated champions fighting to unify the division. It’s so rare, in fact, that this is just the 10th world title unification bout in the history of the welterweight division. This will go down among the likes of Leonard vs. Hearns, Trinidad vs. De La Hoya, Mayweather vs. Pacquiao. This is the kind of elite company this fight is in, in being a welterweight world title unification fight.?
Hopefully for fans tuning in to the telecast, the fight will be more like Sugar Ray Leonard-Thomas Hearns and less like Floyd Mayweather-Manny Pacquiao. Either way, here are some predictions from those fighters and experts who know these boxers better than most anybody else.
Amir Khan: The former lightweight and junior welterweight titlist is coming off a massive knockout loss to Canelo Alvarez but could end up rebounding nicely with a May matchup against Manny Pacquiao for his welterweight belt (and what would likely be a massive payday). Garcia stopped Khan in their 2012 fight, and perhaps unsurprisingly, Khan is picking Garcia to win. “I just don’t think that Thurman’s fought anyone who is dangerous…? Khan told Fight Hype. ?From what I’ve seen, I’ve not really been impressed. He’s good at knocking out bums and tin cans … he’s not really beat a big name or anything.”
