By Dan Ambrose: Promoter Eddie Hearn questions whether or not Mikey Garcia will ever combat once more after his surprising defeat by the hands of Sandor Martin final month of their foremost occasion conflict on DAZN on October sixteenth on the Chukchansi Park, in Fresno, California.
This was speculated to be an announcement combat for the 33-year-old ring-rusty Mikey to arrange him for a mega-clash towards Regis Prograis, however as an alternative, he was schooled by Sandor for 10 rounds.
Sandor is a former EBU mild welterweight champion, and he’s not thought-about an elite-level fighter at 140.
On paper, he shouldn’t have been in a position to beat a fighter with Mikey’s background, however the truth that he did means that it may over with for the Oxnard, California native.
The judges gave Martin a ten spherical majority determination, however most boxing followers had it a transparent victory for the Spaniard.
It’s arduous to guess what the choose was considering that scored the combat 95-95 even, contemplating that Mikey appeared like he solely gained two rounds at finest, and that may be a scenario the place you have been being beneficiant. The opposite two judges scored it for Sandor 97-93 and 97-93.
Dan Ambrose had it 99-91 for Sandor. Mikey appeared fats, gradual, previous, and shot to items. All of the years of Mikey sitting round, consuming, and never preventing appears to have eroded his boxing expertise.
Furthermore, Mikey doesn’t belong preventing at 140 or 147, as he’s too small to compete towards the highest guys in that weight class, who youthful, quicker, and simply as highly effective as him if no more.
Hearn says he didn’t see the starvation from the previous four-division world champion Mikey (40-2, 30 KOs) that he wanted for him to defeat the 28-year-old Spaniard Martin (39-2, 13 KOs).
“I don’t know,” stated Eddie Hearn to ESNEWS when requested what’s subsequent for Mikey Garcia following his upset loss final October. “I’ve acquired to offer credit score to Sandor Martin as a result of I believed it was a nasty efficiency from Mikey.
“You’ve acquired to take a look at your self and be sufficiently big to say, ‘That’s not an excellent efficiency,’” continued Hearn concerning the effort from Mikey Garcia towards the little-known 28-year-old Sandor.
What makes it much more unlikely that we’d not see Mikey Garcia again within the ring once more is the truth that he’ll most likely must take a paycut from the cash that he made towards Sandor.
If Mikey is anticipating to get tens of millions preventing some unknown fighter in his subsequent contest on DAZN, he may very well be sadly upset. Even when Mikey fights a high 140-pounder, it’s arduous to justify that he deserves an enormous purse.
Subsequent cash, Mikey shall be turning 34 on December fifteenth, and that’s not younger for a 140-pounder, particularly one which has missed plenty of motion since 2016. The inactivity, weight achieve and the truth that Mikey is preventing in divisions he’s too small for, it doesn’t bode nicely for his profession.
“It worries me that there was no urgency in a combat that, even if you wish to be actually favorable to Mikey, it was like shut,” stated Hearn.
“I’m trying on the combat and it will get to the eighth spherical, and I feel, ‘He’s [Mikey] behind, he’s acquired to do one thing.’ However it wasn’t a man that was preventing for his profession, it wasn’t a man that appeared bothered by a possible loss, and meaning how a lot starvation do you’ve got left? Are you aware what I imply?
“It’s all very nicely saying, ‘It’s okay, it’s just a bit loss. I’ll come again.’ He [Mikey] misplaced to Sandor Martin, and he needed to come back in and make an announcement and have a mega-fight. him higher than me. Do you assume he’ll combat once more?” asks Hearn to Ellie Setback.
“He’s rather a lot higher than that, however let’s not take something away from Sandor Martin. It was an excellent efficiency, very intelligent, difficult, however that wasn’t the Mikey Garcia that I’ve watched prior to now,” stated a worried-sounding Hearn.
Mikey most likely will combat once more, however it’s unlikely he’s going to achieve success if he’s going to be competing at 140. At this level, it’s arduous to foretell him getting again right down to 126, 130 or 135, weight lessons that he would have an honest likelihood of doing nicely.
