On Saturday night in Brooklyn, New York, Keith “One Time” Thurman (28-0-1,22 KOs) scored a split-decision win (116-112, 115-113, 113-115) over Danny Garcia (33-1, 19 KOs). He took Garcia’s WBC title to accompany his WBC title.
It wasn’t an action-packed fight, but it was a good professional performance between undefeated, elite fighters in their prime. That’s what boxing fans have been begging for, but will it be enough to grow the audience for boxing in America?
Armed with a Saturday night primetime network-TV spot on CBS in New York, Thurman-Garcia was put in an enviable but tough position. America wants action fights, but fighters also have to fight to win.
Part of the reason Al Haymon brought the Premier Boxing Champions series to network television was to deliver the sport back to the masses. Back in the 1980s, the best fighters in the world fought on free TV. Many believe that could be the route the sport takes back into America’s consciousness.
The problem is, most Americans don’t know the intricacies of the sport. The casual fan sometimes fails to appreciate fights that don’t end in a KO or aren’t at least jam-packed with wild exchanges. Early on, Thurman vs. Garcia looked like it was going to be a replay of Thurman vs. Shawn Porter last year. That fight was a firefight, but styles make fights.
To win this bout, Thurman thought it better to be more careful.
Around the fourth round, the action slowed down considerably as Thurman began to use his legs more to stay out of punching range. He might have moved a little too much in the final three rounds, which explains the split decision, but it was a strategy and it ultimately led to a victory and the partial unification of the 147-pound titles.
Every fight isn’t going to be a brawl. That’s the beauty of the sport. When we do see an all-out action fight, it gives us something to appreciate.
Tactical battles like the one we saw on Saturday are just as impressive. Hopefully, the TV ratings and long-term interest will grow. Ultimately, PBC succeeded in delivering a fight between two elite fighters at their best. That’s all fans can reasonably ask promoters and fighters to produce.
