HBO Boxing After Dark: 5 Best Storylines from Saturday Night's Fights

Garcia knocks down Salido
Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

Mikey Garcia, Gennady Golovkin and Juan Carlos Burgos all treated viewers to an action packed edition of HBO's Boxing After Dark on Saturday night.  

In the first televised bout of the night, Juan Carlos "Mini" Burgos battled the champion, Ramon "Rocky" Martinez to a draw. Though he was robbed of what should have been a clear cut victory, Burgos definitely gained some new fans with his performance against Martinez.

In the second and most bloody fight of the night, WBA middleweight titlist Gennady Golovkin continued his impressive knockout streak, stopping Gabriel Rosado in the seventh round by TKO. Rosado was game, but Golovkin walked his opponent down en route to a convincing victory.

Mikey Garcia provided the most dynamic victory of the night, dominating Orlando Salido en route to winning the WBO featherweight title.

HBO's championship triple header answered some important questions, but also left some unanswered. Read on for the most intriguing storylines following Saturday nights fights.  

Juan Carlos Burgos Is Ready to Be a Champion

Burgos vs. Martinez ruled a draw
Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

Juan Carlos "Mini" Burgos dominated the champion, Rocky Martinez, but was robbed of the victory and WBO title. Instead, Burgos was forced to settle for a draw in what many people saw as a surprise decision.

Burgos landed vicious body shots early and often, which paid dividends for him in the later rounds, as Martinez never really kicked his offense into high gear as is usually his style. Though Martinez was a game opponent, the fight wasn't close in many ring side observers eyes including Max Boxing's Steve Kim who said the following:

 

I have it 116-112 Burgos, I think he finished strongly, body-work really showed in the last third of the fight... #boxing

— Steve Kim (@stevemaxboxing) January 20, 2013

 

ESPN boxing analyst, Dan Rafael also stated on Twitter that he felt Burgos won by a substantial margin:

 

I have Burgos winning it 116-112. #boxing

— Dan Rafael (@danrafaelespn) January 20, 2013

 

Juan Carlos Burgos has continued to improve since his loss to Hozumi Hasegawa in 2010 and has now positioned himself for another crack at Martinez' WBO title, or a match up versus another flyweight or super flyweight fighter such as fellow Mexican, Juan Carlos Salgado or Billy Dib.  

Rosado Is as Tough as They Come

Bloody Gabriel Rosado presses on
Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

Despite bleeding profusely throughout most of the fight, Gabriel Rosado showed that he deserves another big fight.  

The tough fighter from Philly showed some slick movement against Gennady Golovkin, which he undoubtedly picked up from his time with Bernard Hopkins. With barely any amateur background, Rosado's 21-6 record is not a fair way to evaluate him.

Rosado seemed to look comfortable at middleweight, but may opt to move back down to junior middleweight and look for a winnable comeback fight. Rosado is 27-years old, so he's not in a situation where he needs to go for broke in his next fight and "cash out."

If handled properly, Gabriel Rosado can gain some experience and surface again in the future as a more seasoned fighter.     

Gennady Golovkin Needs a Big Fight

Gennady Golovkin defeated Gabriel Rosado
Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

Gennady Golovkin handled his business on Saturday night, but seeing him in against a green fighter like Gabriel Rosado didn't really prove much.  

While he is determined, stalks his opponents with patience and of course has tremendous power, Golovkin lacks head movement and is easy to find. You have to think that a more seasoned fighter with some pop would take advantage of those defensive deficiencies.  

One could argue that with the power Golovkin possesses, he doesn't need much head movement. It would be great to see "Triple G" in against the likes of Dmitry Pirog or Sergio Martinez sometime in 2013.  

Mikey Garcia Is the Real Deal

Garcia connects on Salido
Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

The always calm and collected Mikey Garcia set the tone early on in the fight, knocking down Orlando Salido twice in the first round. Garcia put on a clinic with a great combination of left hooks, straight rights and upper cuts, which were all set up by a smart jab. 

Garcia looked like the veteran boxer, timing Salido's movement perfectly throughout the fight and hitting him with ease. The fight ended on a sour note when the ringside doctor called a halt to the bout because Garcia suffered a broken nose, but there won't be much clamor for a rematch.

With his impressive victory over Salido, Garcia can now look forward to bigger fights. After the fight, Mikey Garcia called out Yuriorkis Gamboa as a potential opponent and even stated that he would move up in weight to face Gamboa.

Is Orlando Salido Finished?

Orlando Salido
Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

At 32-years-old, Orlando Salido is not a senior citizen by any stretch of the imagination. But, if Saturday night's performance is any indication of what Salido has left, he may be better served by hanging up the gloves.  

Salido was easily timed by Mikey Garcia all night and seemed to be off balance a lot during exchanges. It may have been an off night or perhaps Garcia is that good.  

It will be interesting to see where Salido goes from here and if he does continue to fight, whether or not he pushes for a rematch with Garcia. Would you be interested in seeing a rematch between Orlando Salido and Mikey Garcia?   

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