Premier Boxing Champions 2016: Fight Card and TV Schedule for January 23
The first Premier Boxing Champions event on Fox is a good one. Three fights will be televised Saturday from the Staples Center in Los Angeles, and each comes with its own share of intrigue.
In the headliner bout, the WBC Welterweight Championship will be on the line. Undefeated Danny "Swift" Garcia (31-0, 18 KOs) will take on Robert "The Ghost" Guerrero (33-3-1, 18 KOs). That fight has all the makings of a potential Fight of the Year battle.
We'll also see undefeated and up-and-coming welterweight Sammy Vasquez (20-0, 14 KOs) take on his toughest challenge to date in Aron Martinez (20-4-1, 4 KOs). Many—including yours truly—believe Martinez beat Guerrero when the two fought in June 2015.
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If that weren't enough, there's also a heavyweight fight on tap. The suddenly sexy-again division is the talk of the sport. Undefeated Dominic Breazeale (16-0, 14 KOs) faces rugged and powerful veteran Amir Mansour (22-1-1, 16 KOs).
Breazeale would love to be considered in the same breath with other promising young heavyweights such as Anthony Joshua, Joseph Parker and current champions Deontay Wilder, Charles Martin and Tyson Fury.
A win over Mansour would be a step in that direction. Here's the viewing information for the event:
When: Saturday, January 23, at 8 p.m. ET
Where: Staples Center in Los Angeles
TV: Fox
Brezeale Will Carry Heavy Heart into the Ring
At 6'7", Breazeale has the size to contend with any heavyweight in the world. He has somewhat of a distinguished amateur background, having represented the United States in the London 2012 Olympics. Breazeale didn't medal, as he lost in the first round, but the experience has seemingly served him well in his professional career.
The Glendale, California, native lost his mother to a heart attack on New Year's Eve. He was in the process of training for his bout with Mansour when the tragedy happened.
"It hit home hard...and it happening in [training] camp is a very tough bump in the road," Breazeale said, per Lance Pugmire of the Los Angeles Times. "So I've had to make it something that gives me strength, gives me something to fight for, to put an exclamation point on this fight.
"When it happens so fast like that, there's not much you can do. But I know she's shining down on me from heaven."
The 30-year-old will almost certainly have the fans behind him as he fights in his home state, but Mansour is a determined opponent. The 43-year-old got a late start to his career, turning professional in 1997 just before his 34th birthday.
His early life was marred by three prison stints that totaled 16 years and eight months of imprisonment on drug charges, per Joseph Santoliquito of Sherdog. He's a survivor who claims he is "prepared to die" to beat Breazeale. Mansour speaks like a man still battling demons.
He told Santoliquito about what drives him in the ring: "I can go into any prison and find you thousands of young, black men like this—not hundreds, thousands. I was one of them. I know. I'm angry over other people's situations and I get to take that anger out in the ring. When I get into the ring, that's all on my shoulders. That's all on my back."
Even with his obvious determination to succeed, the southpaw from Salem, New Jersey, is giving up six inches and 13 years. He has an uphill battle, but then again, he's used to that.
Massive Test for Vasquez
Martinez has faced several top-notch welterweights, including Guerrero, Jessie Vargas and Devon Alexander. Martinez pulled out the biggest win of his career in October 2015, when he outworked Alexander to earn a unanimous-decision victory.
That win validated his spirited performance against Guerrero and makes him a major threat to hand Vasquez his first loss as a professional.
There's no question that Vasquez is the quicker man and the more powerful puncher, but Martinez is a grinder who's proved to pack a punch himself. He dropped Guerrero in their bout, which is no small feat. If Vasquez takes his opponent lightly, he could be in for a rude awakening.
In his last fight, Vasquez stopped Jose Lopez in the fifth round in September 2015. If he beats Martinez, he might be positioning himself to take on the winner of Guerrero-Garcia or the winner in the forthcoming battle in March between Keith Thurman and Shawn Porter.
Are You Ready for a War?
Most wouldn't consider Garcia and Guerrero two of the best fighters in the world, but stylistically, it's hard to imagine the two of them not putting on a great show for the fans. Guerrero is a hard-nosed pressure fighter who doesn't look to avoid many shots.
He wants to grind out victories with work on the inside.
Garcia is a flat-footed counterpuncher I've always likened to Kostya Tszyu—perhaps a poor man's version. He too has a strong chin. With Guerrero almost certainly applying the pressure, Garcia will likely be looking to catch and shoot.
From there, the fireworks should begin. Guerrero's split-decision win over Martinez wasn't the only gift given to the main event participants in recent fights. Garcia has been the beneficiary of a few friendly decisions from judges.
He could have easily taken a loss against Lamont Peterson in April 2015 and in March 2014 against Mauricio Herrera. Garcia escaped with wins in both fights to maintain his unblemished record.
He's always been the type of fighter naysayers have branded an overachiever. He doesn't have overwhelming physical ability or any one outstanding trait, but he just keeps winning.
Guerrero has taken his share of defeats from Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Keith Thurman, but he claims those experiences have better equipped him for the war he foresees having with Garcia.
"That experience of having to come back from losses helps you as a fighter," he explained, per Elias Cepeda of FoxSports.com. "He doesn't have that experience. It doesn't mean that he won't fight well, though, of course. When you're undefeated, you're hungry and motivated to stay perfect. So, he'll probably come at me very hard."
Boxing fans are hoping both men go hard.
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