Preview: Danny Garcia vs Lamont Peterson on NBC

Photo by Ed Diller for DiBella Entertainment

BROOKLYN, N.Y.–After a long winter, Stiff Jab’s boxing coverage emerges from hibernation for Saturday’s promising show at the Barclays Center. Danny Garcia vs. Lamont Peterson and Peter Quillin vs. Andy Lee, broadcast live on NBC, are not the only draw; the undercard is deep with local and Olympic talent, including Sunset Park’s Gabriel “Tito” Bracero in a showdown with undefeated Dominican Olympic gold medallist Felix Diaz.

One of life’s great pleasures is to introduce civilians – especially female ones – to the quaint ritual of the public weigh-in. Marijn was a visiting DJ from Amsterdam. I had lured her to the Barclays Center with the promise of sexy underwear.

“I see what you mean,” she said. “This is like Miss World.”

Photo by Krystyna Rodriguez at Purple Corner

Quillin aka Kid Chocolate was flexing in his green and orange Speedos, looking too glossy for a man who has drained himself down to weight. Sure enough, the scale said 161.4, over the middleweight limit of 160 lbs.

“Irish” Andy Lee, at 159.6, had the requisite pallor and caved-in abdomen. He towered over Kid Chocolate, who looked up at him with crazy eyes.

“Peter Quillin will have two hours to make weight for this world title bout,” the announcer said.

Quillin headed off, ostensively to sweat it off, but judging by his Twitter apology he probably didn’t even try. Let’s hope Andy Lee gets a tip for his trouble.

Lamont Peterson looked vaguely insectile in his dehydrated state, weighing 143.2 in undies and 143 when sheltered behind a purple Headbangers jacket. Danny Garcia kissed both his biceps after coming in at a slim 142.2. His sisters cheered. Though Garcia is the junior welterweight champ and Peterson one of his prime contenders, the fight will be fought at a catchweight of 143 lbs. That’s boxing.

Photo by Krystyna Rodriguez at Purple Corner

What a treat to see former champion middleweight Paul Williams in the crowd, dispensing wisdom. When asked what he thought of the card, he smiled and said, “Wish I was on it,” then speculated that Lamont’s style might give Garcia trouble. He reminisced about the intensity of sparring in the D.C. gyms: “Even the little kids hit hard.”

Now came the so-called “overcard,” the bouts coming after the conclusion of the NBC broadcast. Atlas Cops & Kids’ own London Olympian “Sir” Marcus Browne is an imposing physical specimen at light heavyweight, but the buzz is that Errol Spence, Jr. has the most talent of this Olympic crop.

“The surprising thing is how small they all are,” said Marijn as Spence stood on the scale, his babyface fixed with concentration. “It makes them seem sort of vulnerable. I mean, it’s all so public.”

I knew what she meant. There was something moving about the sight of Errol Spence’s hamstrings as he bent to pick up his jeans. It made me think of what Pema Chodron wrote, how if you want to feel compassion for someone, you should look at their hands or their feet.

Pritchard Colon had rolled through my gym earlier in the week on a weight-making mission, sweating all over my favorite yoga mat, but I forgave him when I saw how adorable he looked in his briefs. Krystyna Rodriguez kindly scrolled back through her photos to verify that they were in fact navy with little white stars and a red waistband. I also approved of his Roberto-Duran-meets-Williamsburg-hipster beard, much preferable to the creepy chin rags of Lamont Peterson, Curtis Stevens, et al.

Luis Collazo got a huge cheer from the crowd, as did Heather “The Heat” Hardy, sparkly and lean in frilly red panties and a black bra. Her opponent, Renata Domsodi, had flown in from Hungary, and the two women smiled at each other in the face off. It is always the women who smile.

Some Irish bantamweight and his designated journeyman faced off, and just as I was thinking that I didn’t care, they bumped foreheads. The crowd oohed with delight as they shoved each other until calmed by the entourage.

Gabriel “Tito” Bracero came out last and made weight on the dot. Tito’s father is my colleague at Atlas Cops and Kids, so don’t expect journalistic objectivity or anything, because I’ll be too busy waving a Puerto Rican flag. Tito’s the underdog here, but the guys back at Gleason’s all think he can win.

His opponent, Felix Diaz, came in 0.2 over on the first attempt. His undies must have been lighter than Lamont’s, because the honchos on the dais murmured with concern after he’d stripped. Tito’s trainer Tommy Gallagher conferred with Tito’s father, Quiro, who put it to the fighter himself.

Tito smiled and waved it through. They called it 142 even. 

Editor’s note: Quillin’s weight was corrected to 161.4