Keith Thurman vs. Danny Garcia: Keys to victory for both in welterweight clash 4
Jan 23, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Danny Garcia, pumps his fist after defeating Robert Guerrero (not pictured) during their WBC welterweight boxing title fight at Staples Center. Garcia won by decision. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

In what many anticipate to be the biggest fight of 2017, undefeated welterweights Danny Garcia and Keith Thurman battle to unify the WBA & WBC titles this Saturday at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY.

This is the first fight of 2017 for Thurman (27-0, 22 KO’s) since successfully defending his WBA strap in this same venue, defeating Shawn Porter in a 12-round slugfest that many claimed was the Fight of The Year in 2016. The narrow unanimous decision was the seventh consecutive victory for “One Time” since earning the belt back in 2013.

Garcia (33-0, 19 KO’s) last fought back in November 2016, earning a seventh-round TKO victory over journeyman Samuel Vargas in a tune-up bout in Philadelphia. After the win, Garcia & Thurman faced off and exchanged words in the ring.

There’s no love lost between these two pugilists or their camps. Just a month ago Danny’s father and trainer, Angel Garcia, stirred the pot by shouting racial and homophobic slurs at Thurman during a press conference. He was banned from their last presser and was nearly at risk of being denied a licence by the New York State Athletic Commission for his outbursts.

These two will certainly bring some power into the ring. Garcia made his name in the light welterweight division and has only been in three previous fights at the 147 lb. mark. He defeated veteran Paulie Malignaggi, won the WBC belt from Robert Guerrero and the aforementioned victory over Vargas.

Thurman throws a high volume of punches in every round. He landed over 44% of his total shots in the bout vs Porter, 34% in his TKO win over Luis Collazo, and 35% in his victory over Robert Guerrerro.

Fight Odds & Info

Keith Thurman (-215) vs Danny Garcia (+200)

Date: Saturday, March 4

Venue, Barclays Center, Brooklyn, NY

Time: 9:00pm EST

TV: CBS (Check Local Listings)

Prediction

I expect this fight to start quick and finish inside the distance. Thurman has the size advantage and his power and volume, I feel, will be enough to earn “One Time” a win and capture another belt in the Welterweight division. Thurman is a small favorite around -215. My advice is to wait closer to fight night to bet on him, as we will most likely see some money come in on Garcia at the underdog price, creating better value to wager on Thurman.

Alex B. Smith has been a Sports Handicapper since 2011. Emerging as one of the top up-and-coming Handicappers in the business, Smith has been heavily featured in Print and Radio Media over the years, Doing various interviews with WagerTalk on SB Nation Radio, PreGame.com, SportsXRadio on the Yahoo Sports Radio Network and on ESPN 1100 Radio in Las Vegas, Nevada, KDWN 720 in Las Vegas, Nevada, 93.7 The Ticket FM in Lincoln, Nebraska along with interviews & articles published in the Las Vegas Review-Journal newspaper. In addition to currently co-hosting "The Box Seats" with Bob Sullivan on Tuesday nights on LateNightSportsRadio.com, Alex has also previously done some freelance writing with Bleacher Report during a brief stint as a Cutman's Assistant in Boxing.