Danny Garcia
WBC/WBA junior welterweight champion Danny Garcia of the U.S. celebrates his victory over Lucas Matthysse of Argentina at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, September 14, 2013 Reuters

Danny Garcia and Lamont Peterson are finally scheduled to meet in the ring, with many fans waiting since last year to see the fight happen. The junior welterweight champs will face off on Saturday night at Barclays Center in a national televised bout on NBC.

Even though both boxers hold titles in the same weight class, no belts will be on the line. At the request of Garcia, the bout will have a catch weight of 143 pounds, instead of the 140-pound limit needed for a junior welterweight title fight. Winning Saturday’s fight at the agreed upon catch weight could help Garcia or Peterson get a high-profile fight at welterweight later in 2015.

“At the end of the day I ultimately decided that the fans wanted the fight, I wanted the fight,” Peterson told RingTV.com. “Let‘s not mess the fight up talking about weight ‘cuz at the end of the day we all know whoever wins this fight is pretty much the best guy at the weight class and I want to make sure I take this fight to be the No. 1 in the weight class.”

Neither boxer has fought since August, and they had similar fights in 2014. After upsetting Lucas Matthysse in September 2013, Garcia had what could be described as an underwhelming year, though he remained undefeated. The champ escaped his fight against Mauricio Herrera with a majority decision victory, following that up with a second-round knockout against little-known Rod Salka.

Peterson won both of his fights in 2014, but like Garcia, he didn’t face any opponents of note. He defeated Dierry Jean by unanimous decision, followed by a 10th-round knockout over Edgar Santana on the same card as Garcia vs. Salka. Peterson’s last loss came on May 18, 2013, getting knocked out by Matthysse, just four months before the boxer was beaten by Garcia.

Tale of the Tape

Danny Garcia Lamont Peterson

Age: 27 31

Height: 5’8½” 5’9”

Reach: 68½” 72”

Stance: Orthodox Orthodox

Record: 29-0 33-2-1

Knockouts: 17 17

Betting Odds

Garcia is a heavy favorite, having been given -400 odds to win at Bovada.lv. Peterson comes in at +300. Prior to his knockout of Salka, Garcia’s last three fights all went the distance, though he knocked out both Amir Khan and Erik Morales in 2012. Only two of Peterson’s last six fights have gone the distance.

Prediction

Garcia by unanimous decision

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