Mikey Garcia looks thin and small at weigh-in for Burgos fight

By Boxing News - 01/24/2014 - Comments

garcia8888(Photo credit: Carlos Baeza/Thompson Boxing) By Dan Ambrose: In looking at how thin and small-boned WBO super featherweight champion Mikey Garcia (33-0, 28 KO’s) appeared at the weigh-in on Friday for his fight on Saturday night against Juan Carlos Burgos (30-1-2, 20 KO’s), Top Rank promoter Bob Arum needs to re-think the idea of having Mikey move up to the 140 lb. division to face Manny Pacquiao or any of the top guys in that weight class.

Mikey doesn’t have the build to fight Pacquiao, and I don’t see him being able to move up in weight successfully by September or any time.

Tomorrow night’s fight with Burgos could see Mikey hitting his ceiling in terms of being able to dominate. If Mikey moves up to the lightweight division, I believe that’ll be a step too far for him. There are too many good fighters in that weight class like Terence Crawford, Yuriorkis Gamboa, Omar Figueroa, Ricky Burns, Miguel Vazquez, Richard Abril, and Ray Beltran.

If Arum is going to move Mikey up to lightweight just long enough for him to get an easy fight before moving up to 140 to put him in the Pacquiao fight, it might work for Mikey. He can obviously beat some of the lesser lightweights in the division, but I wouldn’t favor him against any of the aforementioned guys I listed above. Those fighters are all too skilled, too powerful, and too big for Mikey.

There’s nothing wrong with Mikey fighting at super featherweight. He’s got a good situation in this weight class, because his body is suited for this division. He’s got thin bones that aren’t meant for him to be fighting against more solid guys in the other weight divisions, and it would be a pity for Mikey to move up quickly and be thrown in with someone like Pacquiao if that’s what Arum’s idea is. If Arum wants to find opponents for Pacquiao then he needs to sign up guys rather than pull up small, skinny fighters like Mikey to fight in divisions that his body isn’t suited for.

33 (KO 28) + lost 0 (KO 0) + drawn 0 = 33

2014-01-25 Juan Carlos Burgos 30(20)-1-2

Madison Square Garden Theater, New York, New York, USA 12



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