Mikey Garcia aims for statement win against Adrien Broner

Mikey Garcia will face the supremely talented but mercurial Adrien Broner in a fight that could affect the trajectory of the rest of Garcia’s prime.

Whenever a boxer scores a sickening knockout, rendering their opponent unconscious for several minutes, feelings are mixed. The euphoria of victory — primal in the moment of landing the fight-ending blow — is quickly replaced by concern for a fellow competitor. When Mikey Garcia iced Dejan Zlaticanin to wrest the WBC lightweight title from the tough Montenegrin, he experienced this gamut of emotions.

Garcia’s victory over Zlaticanin was swift and emphatic, with the end coming in the third round after Garcia punctuated a barrage of shots with a thunderous right hand that levelled Zlaticanin, sending him to the canvas where he lay motionless on his back. The win gave Garcia (36-0, 30 KOs) his third world title in as many weight classes and confirmed, unequivocally, that his two-and-half-year hiatus from live competition hadn’t remotely diminished his skills.

“I felt real good,” Garcia told FanSided over the phone. “I thought it was a perfect performance on my end. We kept the fight at the distance that best suited me – behind the jab and just following through with the right hand. People were excited for that type of knockout.”

Excitement, however, quickly morphed into concern for Zlaticanin, a fighter Garcia clearly respects. Garcia’s initial reaction, understandably, was celebratory. After all, during his protracted legal battle against former promoter Top Rank Inc., Garcia had to bite his tongue while fans made assumptions about his motivations and inactivity. Claiming another world title only two fights into his comeback was indeed cathartic.

Of course, Mikey Garcia was simply doing his job and following up against an opponent he’d clearly hurt, but it was obviously never his aim to intentionally harm Zlaticanin. When Zlaticanin recovered and rose, with assistance, from the canvas, Garcia was overcome with relief — and able to fully focus on what he’d accomplished.

“We definitely made it clear that we’re right where we belong and we’re as good as ever – as good as before the layoff,” Garcia emphasized.

Sometimes in boxing, a performance that’s equal parts spectacular and frightening can be a hindrance in fight negotiations. For Garcia, securing lightweight unification bouts, which was his initial intention, proved impossible after his knockout of Zlaticanin. But instead of simply staying busy with a meaningless title defense, Garcia — now in full control of the business side of his career — sought a greater challenge.

Enter: Adrien Broner (33-2, 24 KOs). On July 29, Mikey Garcia will move up to 140 pounds and take on Broner (Showtime, 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT) in what promises to be a fascinating clash of styles and personalities. With a victory over such a marquee name and talented foe, Garcia understands that he’ll be ideally positioned to dictate the terms of fight negotiations going forward.

The ability to actually be in control of his destiny is paramount for Garcia, who took Top Rank Inc. to court in order to secure his promotional freedom and take a principled stance against what he deemed to be grossly unjust contract renewal terms. Although Garcia was able to prove his point, fans lamented him idling during a major chunk of his athletic prime. Even as resentment grew and criticism mounted, Garcia remained steadfast and is reaping the benefits of his patience.

“It makes things a lot more clear when I’m the one controlling the negotiations – when I’m the one at the table stressing the options,” Garcia said regarding his promotional freedom and the Broner deal. “There’s no one hiding anything from me. There’s no one telling me it’s one thing or another. It’s exactly the way I see it, the way I ask.”

“I learned a lot during the time I was off,” Garcia continued. “I was learning a lot during my litigation, so that actually helped me be aware and understand how to look for certain things. I made sure I paid attention to those details, and like I said, it makes things a lot easier when I’m the one in control and I’m the one at the table.”

In facing Adrien Broner, Mikey Garcia concedes that he’ll be up against a supremely talented foe who also happens to be the most physically imposing fighter he’s boxed as a pro. Despite myriad disciplinary issues, Broner has been able to largely coast on his raw talent for much of his career, managing to impressively claim title belts in four weight classes.

At his best, Broner can punch with speed and power, as well as land crisp counters. And Broner at 100 percent is the only version of the Cincinnati native that Garcia is interested in facing. In fact, Garcia asserted that his opponents at the championship level have yet to force him to use the scope of his skills. Garcia feels a fit and focused Broner will elevate him, and he volunteered some high praise for an opponent who has often negatively lived up to his darkly ironic “The Problem” moniker. “When he’s actually at his best, he’s a perfect fighter,” Garcia said.

Adrien Broner, however, has been clearly bested on two occasions. In 2013, Marcos Maidana dropped Broner twice and symbolically spanked him around the ring for 12 rounds; two years later, Broner allowed Shawn Porter to out-hustle him in a flat performance, despite scoring a hard knockdown in the fight’s final stanza. Broner’s gifts are undeniable, but his recent split decision win over Adrian Granados has only galvanized his legion of doubters.

Because of Broner’s unpredictability and clear fallibility, Garcia finds himself in a precarious position. Most believe that despite Broner’s abilities and credentials, Garcia ought to win and perhaps improve on Maidana’s cathartic victory. While no elite fighter should be discredited for losing to Adrien Broner, the dominant narrative about Broner has moved away from his talent to focus on his glaring flaws that have been clearly exposed at the highest level. Garcia is the clear betting favorite, imbuing a potentially even match-up with intense pressure.

Broner is also an aggressive trash-talker and boisterous person in general, which sharply contrasts with Garcia’s stoicism. Garcia, who exudes a deep focus and a serene demeanor, has remained calm during the fight’s build-up.

“I don’t pay attention to that,” Garcia said when asked about Broner’s antics. “I don’t really care for that stuff. I don’t let that affect me. It isn’t going to affect my performance; it isn’t going to distract me from my game plan. That’s fine – he can say anything he wants. Come Saturday, July 29, it’s only me and him in the ring and you don’t win by talking. You win by knocking each other out, and that’s what I’m going to do to him.”

Mikey Garcia has unshakable belief in his boxing skills, and with good reason. But one has to wonder if the difference in the Broner fight will boil down to Garcia’s consistency and likely mental edge. Some would argue that Adrien Broner often beats himself, and while that may be true, Garcia is only focusing on what he can control.

“I just know that in boxing, in terms of skills – physical boxing skills – he [Broner] is a great fighter when he’s 100 percent,” Garcia said. “But I’m always 100 percent. I never worry about being 100 percent. I know he has had bad performances. But I don’t have to worry about that on my end.”