UndercarDVR: Premier Boxing Champions on FOX

Contributor: Nolan Howell

Welcome to another installment of UndercarDVR, where we review what you need to see from this week in combat sports. We go fight by fight to see whether it needs to be watched, saved, deleted, or watched in fast forward.

Championship boxing made it’s return from a lengthy departure to FOX, featuring three bouts on the main televised card.  They were…

Dominic Breazeale defeated Amir Mansour by fifth-round TKO in a heavyweight contest

• Breazeale also earned a doctor’s stoppage like Vasquez in a wild heavyweight slugfest. Mansour dropped Breazeale and had the former Olympian seeing dancing gold medals, but even the game Mansour couldn’t overcome taking three or four heavy shots from the giant Breazeale to land one heavier one. Breazeale is going to be an elite mid-level heavyweight that may just break into the upper echelon with his intangibles and improving skill.
• Depending on what you want, this fight is either a fast forward or one you want to sit down and watch. It was very much a slugging and sluggish heavyweight fight, but both fighters at least have made some noise and this isn’t really kicking off a Tuesday night special on ESPN or the like. Verdict: Watch.

Sammy Vasquez defeated Aron Martinez by sixth-round TKO in a welterweight contest.

• Vasquez is proving to be a surprise player at welterweight and has the ceiling to be a major overachiever. This wasn’t a typical Vasquez performance where he stifles his opponents with pressure, but he nevertheless stopped a really game fighter in Martinez. Vasquez may prove to be a secondary player in his division, but he is going to be a guy no one will be clamoring to use as a record padder, either.
• The fight itself was nothing to write home about, but still worth a glimpse or two to see a good prospect using successful game planning and developing new dimensions to move up the ranks. Verdict: Fast Forward.

Danny Garcia defeated Robert Guerrero by unanimous decision to win the WBC Welterweight Championship.

• Guerrero came out swinging and didn’t stop for 12 rounds. Garcia took a few rounds to figure out how to stop the pressure and showed the ability to fight backward that he teased at fighting the likes of Matthysse. Garcia definitely did not look the -1000 or so favorite and boxing prodigy in a still impressive victory, but Guerrero also didn’t look like a fringe action fighter who is only good to slug it out. Garcia is going to be a tough out as champion, but he is looking more like a fighter who won’t live up to his potential with each fight. Guerrero will always be a worthy TV main eventer or PPV card opener and not much changes after this gutsy performance.
• The fight itself was always interesting from some perspective and was truly a clash between technique and grit. It was also wont to devolve into a dig in and swing fight at times. Ultimately, had all you want and worth seeing for you to decide on Garcia as a player in the future of boxing. Verdict: Watch.