Danny Garcia retained the WBC and WBA junior welterweight title after surviving a late flurry from Zab Judah to win via 12-round unanimous decision in an entertaining bout at the Barclays Center on Saturday.
The Garcia-Judah slug fest lived up to the hype as both boxing warriors engaged in furious exchange of blows and exciting sequences before a raucous crowd.
Touted as the best Jr. Welterweights on the planet, Garcia controlled the action early on as he stunned Judah twice before knocking him down in the 8th round.
However, the ring-savviness of the 35-year-old Judah began to show in the later round with the former undisputed champion dominating Garcia in the 10th and 11th round. Judah even landed big shots to the head of Garcia but the young champion had a solid chin to withstand the late contender's barrage.
In the end, Garcia successfully defended his welterweights via unanimous decision 115-112, 114-112 and 116-111.
Despite the loss, Judah proved he can still mix it up with boxing young guns and even made his case for a possible rematch with Garcia.
Garcia entered the bout with an intention to destroy Judah following several heated confrontation between two camps. However, Judah was respectful about the decision and even hugged his opponent right after their epic battle inside the ring.
With another victory against elite competition, Garcia further padded up his stock as one of promising young stars in boxing today.
"I go out there to get knockouts and to put on a show and entertain the fans who come to see me," Garcia told Yahoo Sports on Saturday. "People want to be entertained. They love to see knockouts and that's what I try to deliver each and every time."
Garcia, who suffered rib and shoulder injury during his preparation for the Judah fight, is set to return the ring against the winner of the Jr. Welterweight clash between Lucas Matthysse and Lamont Peterson on May 28.
Danny Garcia vs. Zab Judah Photos
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