HALIFAX, NS -June 16, 2013 – In his classic rock anthem, Meat Loaf sang, ?Two out of three ain?t bad.? For Mikey Garcia, one out of three ain?t bad.
Garcia lost his WBO featherweight title during the weigh-in for his defense against Juan Manuel ?Juanma? Lopez this weekend. Garcia scaled two pounds over the division?s 126-pound limit. Mikey also lost a cool $150,000 from his bank account in a penalty he was obliged to pay to the Lopez camp.
That was the end of Garcia?s losing streak, as he won Saturday night?s fight in spectacular fashion. He dropped Juanma in the second round, then put him away in the fourth. Garcia left the ring without his title, but he gained further respect by easily disposing of a two-time former champion.
True, Lopez had lost some of his previous luster coming into this fight. It wasn?t so long ago that Juanma occupied a position similar to that of Garcia now: A young, undefeated, charismatic puncher with a bright future ahead of him. But a pair of knockout defeats at the hands of Orlando Salido darkened that future.
Still, Lopez was too talented to write off so soon. After a few comeback victories, he thought he was ready for Garcia. As it turns out, he wasn?t.
Even after Saturday?s devastating defeat, Lopez possesses an impressive 33-3 record, with 30 knockouts. But all three of his losses came by brutal kayoes in which he took a lot of punishment. It now appears that Lopez simply cannot handle a skilled, determined opponent. There is no doubting Juanma?s own determination. But his defensive acumen doesn?t match his offensive skills, and ? like Amir Khan ? his chin has a tendency to let him down in the crunch.
For Garcia, the sky would be the limit ? if not for his difficulty in making weight. Not only has he dismissed Lopez; he has also defeated Lopez?s other conqueror, Salido. There are several intriguing rivals available for Garcia at featherweight, including Chris John, Daniel Ponce De Leon, Evgeny Gradovich and Jhonny Gonzalez. But if the weight limit proves to be too formidable a foe for him, he can move up to junior-lightweight, where Yuriorkis Gamboa awaits.
Before Salido upset the applecart, Lopez was headed for a high-profile, lucrative showdown with Gamboa. Now, Garcia could be the one on the way to a Gamboa superfight. Gamboa is talented and undefeated. But if Garcia can prevail in his struggle with the scales, he would be at the very least a live underdog against the Cuban.
Right now, Mikey Garcia has everything except a title belt. Don?t expect him to remain without one for long.
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Charles R. Saunders is the author of several books including Sweat and Soul: The Saga of Black Boxers in the Maritimes from the Halifax Forum to Caesars Palace, as well as the Imaro series of fantasy/adventure novels. Considered by many to be one of the leading authorities on boxing in Canada, he is the current Vice-President of Boxing for the Society of North American Sports Historians and Researchers. His award-winning novel, Damballa, which centers around a fictional heavyweight title bout, is available at Amazon.com.
