Mikey Garcia & Bryant Jennings Make Headway At MSG

Bryant Jennings Photo by Rob Epstein for Gary Shaw Productions

by Gautham Nagesh

They say if you can make it in New York, you can make it anywhere.

I’m not sure how true that is in boxing anymore, but the future looks bright for heavyweight Bryant Jennings (above) and junior lightweight Mikey Garcia (below).The unbeaten duo both won convincingly on Saturday night at the Theater at Madison Square Garden, dispatching Artur Szpilka and Juan Carlos Burgos respectively.

Jennings made his HBO debut memorable by hurting Szpilka several times before stopping him in the 10th and final round. A vicious left to Szpilka’s solar plexus dropped the Pole in the 6th round, and a snapping counter left hook sent Szpilka crashing into the ropes a second time in the 10th. Jennings looked like a cagey veteran, not someone who picked up boxing in his mid-20s. His progress has been so dramatic, the thought of him fighting for a heavyweight title no longer seems absurd.

Mikey Garcia photos by Carlos Baeza for Thompson Boxing Promotions

[[MORE]]Garcia grew up steeped in the Sweet Science, but his routine handling of Burgos was no less impressive. Burgos caught Mikey early with a left hook in an exchange, which almost forced Garcia to take a seat on the canvas. But Mikey gathered himself and hurt Burgos in turn with a hard straight right hand in the 3rd. From then on Garcia was in control.

Burgos backed off after tasting Garcia’s power, and tried to box from the outside for the rest of the fight. Garcia was faster and sharper, though somewhat awkward as the aggressor, not his typical role. He landed the harder and cleaner punches, but couldn’t sustain the action against his reluctant foe. Burgos jabbed effective and landed hard shots at times, a credit to his experience and long frame. But he is merely a good fighter, while Garcia could be special.

There is talk of Garcia moving rapidly up in weight, but that would shortchange the young man of his chance at greatness. Far better for him to spend some more time at 130 lbs., perhaps against Takashi Uchiyama or Yuriorkis Gamboa. Garcia is almost a finished product but he could still improve, especially when it comes to taking the lead against a reluctant foe. Few opponents near his size will be eager to stand and trade with the diminutive puncher; Burgos can hardly be blamed for his reluctance to engage.

Jennings, on the other hand, still looks very much like a work in progress. Given his late start in boxing, one can’t help but be impressed with his defensive ability. Jennings used his athleticism to slip Szpilka’s punches, and consistently caught the Pole’s harder blows with his gloves held high. His offense was nothing spectacular, just straight right hands and snapping left hooks, but he showed a good commitment to the body, especially after hurting Szpilka with a body shot in the 6th.

Jennings is faster and in better shape than most heavyweights, but that won’t be enough by itself as he steps up in competition. Szpilka was unbeaten and entertaining, but hardly world-class. Jennings kept him off-balance with smart movement, and by controlling the action using distance. Jennings has passed every test he has faced so far, and risen considerably in our estimation.

The natural next step would be someone like Mike Perez, while resisting the urge to jump up and take on a real contender. Jennings may reach that level, but he would be better served by taking it slow. Heavyweights take longer to develop anyhow, and the top names in the division aren’t getting any younger. Managed correctly, Jennings could win a lot of fans and keep improving without taking unnecessary risk, in a division where one bad night can spell disaster for even the brightest prospect.