Danny Garcia Stops Amir Khan, Stakes Claim as Champ

Photos by Trey Pollard for Stiff Jab

by Gautham Nagesh

Philadelphia junior welterweight titlist Danny Garcia has won every professional fight of his career. Bolton, England native Amir Khan has been knocked out once and hurt on multiple occasions. Yet somehow Garcia was a huge underdog heading into Saturday night’s 140-lb unification bout in Las Vegas, mostly because Khan won a silver medal in the 2004 Olympics at age 17. Like a high school valedictorian that struggles in college, Khan has never quite lived up to his potential. But that hasn’t hurt his appeal in a sport completely fixated on the past.

Garcia, on the other hand, isn’t blessed with any of those freakish talents that send the boxingheads a-tweeting. He’s not a huge puncher, nor is he incredibly fast or extremely elusive. He’s simply a tough kid from Philly that knows how to fight. Until now, that hasn’t been enough to make him a headliner. But after Saturday night, Garcia will have trouble walking down the street in his hometown unmolested.

Garcia found Khan with a gorgeous, sweeping left hook in the third round on Saturday night, sending the Brit to the canvas and pulling the curtain on his days as a top contender. Khan gamely kept fighting on uncertain legs, but he simply didn’t have the chin or the wits to survive and recover. Instead, he bravely absorbed a number of hard blows before referee Kenny Bayless was forced to stop the carnage. With one punch, a new star was born in Garcia, and Khan’s trajectory was turned firmly downward for the foreseeable future.[[MORE]]

The 140-lb division has typified boxing’s ills of late: it is seemingly blessed with a number of prospects at any given moment, but they generally falter on their way to the top, or refuse to face one another once they reach the summit. Khan was the exception, a prized prospect willing to travel anywhere and fight the best. His penchant for taking fights with real risk turned him into an international attraction, but also may have cost him a lengthy run at the top.

Garcia seemed loose and confident while approaching the ring before the fight, unperturbed by any supposed controversy surrounding the build-up. Clad in Tiger stripes and a decided underdog, the unbeaten Puerto Rican American seemed confident that Khan’s hype exceeded his ability. Khan looked focused and intense, perhaps aware that his stock in the boxing world would rest almost entirely on his performance on this night. Both men appeared extremely fit for the bout, with Khan at risk of having overtrained after his failed rematch with Lamont Peterson was cancelled at the last moment.

Khan immediately came out landing his straight one-two punches thanks to his electric handspeed, and Garcia was quickly responding with counter left and right hooks. Khan’s advantage in quickness was immediately apparent, but Garcia’s timing allowed him to touch the Brit almost every time he attacked. Both men wore Reyes gloves and neither carried a reputation as a huge puncher, but Khan still appeared to be searching for the dramatic knockout. A low blow by Garcia forced a momentary pause in the frantic action, but otherwise the two exchanged punches steadily for the full stanza. By the end of the opening round, the pace settled, and both fighters were able to land clean shots at times.

Khan grew more aggressive to start the 2nd, landing combinations from the outside and looking much calmer than against Peterson. Garcia was similarly placid, taking his share of punches, but digging hard to Khan’s body in response. Khan for the most part ignored Garcia’s body, since the Philly fighter’s head was wide open for the right hand. A shot from Khan opened up a cut over Garcia’s right eye, who forced his looping right hand into Khan’s cheek in response. Both men were happy to stand their ground and fight, confident they could take each other’s punches. One thing that can’t be denied about Khan is his fights are always entertaining. Garcia is quickly gaining a similar must-see reputation.

Garcia stopped countering as consistently to start the third, and began moving his head more, as if sizing up the Englishman for a big shot. What punches he threw were hard and sweeping, clearly attempts to turn the fight with a single blow. Khan pot-shotted and jabbed in between, turning his opponent out of position before springing forward with a lightning-quick combination. So Garcia went back to the body, looking to slow down the Bolton Flash. His strategy finally worked with 30 seconds in the round. Khan jabbed his way forward, paused, then dove back in to fire a left hook-right uppercut combination.

Garcia anticipated Khan’s combination and immediately began turning his entire weight into a left hook, while simultaneously moving his head to avoid Khan’s right hand. The home run shot connected squarely with Khan’s neck, and the Brit felt the full force of his opponent’s punch explode below his right ear. Garcia patiently waited in the corner, as referee Kenny Bayless generously gave Khan what amounted to an extra eight-count before sending him back into the ring. But Khan’s legs were gone, and they wouldn’t return until well after the fight had ended. He lasted the remaining seconds of the round, but seemed unaware of where to go when the bell sounded.

Trainer Freddie Roach gently instructed Khan to grab onto his opponent to survive the next round, but the Briton’s heart and ability have somehow prevented him from mastering this vital skill. Garcia came out for the 4th firing huge right hands that couldn’t miss, and Khan stumbled to another count as his legs wobbled unsteadily. He rose and attempted to hold on, but his lower half was incapable supporting his substantial heart.

Instead, Khan stood in the center of the ring and threw punches, even landing a few as Garcia pelted him with huge shot after huge shot. Still, Khan kept fighting on pure moxie and grit. But his shots lacked snap, and another grazing left hook to the back of the head sent him down for a third time.

Amir rose and responded to the eight-count, but Bayless saw in his eyes that Khan had been defeated. Amir protested in disbelief as Bayless waved the fight, and his days as a superstar, to an end. Garcia ascended the ropes in victory, and just like that, boxing had traded one young star for another.

After his loss to Garcia, it will be difficult to sell Khan in the U.S. as anything more than a gifted fighter with a suspect chin. But labeling him as such would underrate the effort by Garcia. Khan lost a four-round war between two junior welterweights of the highest class. Tommy Hearns suffered a similar defeat to Marvin Hagler, and somehow recaptured his greatness in later fights.

If a move up to welterweight doesn’t improve Khan’s ability to take a punch, he should consider carefully before getting in the ring with any more heavy hitters. Khan could still out-class almost any European opposition with just his fast hands and superlative jab.

Regardless of what one thought of the fight, we cannot fault Bayless’ refereeing. He allowed the two fighters to decide the fight, and gave Khan every chance to rescue his titles by according him the respect a champion deserves. Garcia was simply the better man, and a fighter that must be reckoned with now on the world stage. He could not have announced his arrival more loudly, or made his hometown Philadelphia, a fight town of the first order, more proud. We would love to see him spend some time cleaning out the 140-lb division, starting with Zab Judah, Lucas Matthyssee, and Juan Manuel Marquez.

“I look like a pretty boy. But I’m a killer, baby. I’ll fight anybody, anywhere, any time,” Garcia proclaimed after the fight. He said he has been consistently underestimated, and after this performance, it’s difficult to argue with him.

As for Amir Khan, well boxing is known as the cruelest sport for a reason. His reward for acting like a throwback fighter is being thrown back to fight whomever they put in front of him next. It’s not unthinkable that Khan could return to the top, but questions about his fortitude will dog him now until the end of his career.

Having already used up his mulligans, there’s also a decent chance Khan will have to take a couple fights against prospects or fringe contenders before looking for another big money fight. A return home to Merry Old England wouldn’t be a bad idea, all things considered.

But for boxing fans, Saturday night was an example of the best the sport has to offer. Two of the top fighters in one of the hottest divisions squared off, with the winner now having a strong claim to being the best in the world. Garcia earned The Ring magazine title in the process, which used to mean a lot more than it does now, but he still remains the Man at 140 until further notice.

In the process, Garcia dispatched Khan, a true champion in conduct, if not results. When the best fight the best, everybody wins. Here’s hoping it’s the start of a trend, and not just a one-off highlight.

This post was updated on April 22, 2013.