The Weigh-In: V is for Mikey Garcia’s VICTORY

Finally! The People’s Red Head has Come Back to The Weigh-In!

San Antonio played host to Mikey Garcia versus Sergey Lipinets Saturday night at the Freeman Coliseum. For those of you who read other boxing blogs, go fuck yourselves! I am completely kidding. There are a lot of different places to get your information from, and The People’s Red Head does not have the market cornered in this respect. However, as you read this article, please notice that The Weigh-In does not follow the masses, we pride ourselves on honest commentary, and are not influenced by mainstream media.

The reason I preface the above is the fact that my man, Mikey Garcia is getting a lot of negative criticism for his unanimous victory over Sergey Lipinets. Let us not forget that Lipinets was the IBF Super Lightweight Champion heading into Saturday night’s showdown. Lipinets entered the contest with a record of 13-0, with 10 KOs. For Garcia, his body of work speaks for itself. He entered Saturday night’s contest as a three-division champion, looking to make history by acquiring a belt in a fourth weight class.

I'm not sure what the masses or media felt heading into this contest, but Lipinets heart and skill level seemed to be overlooked by many observers. I am shocked to hear anyone criticize Garcia’s victory. The overall perspective of other media sources and publications have me reminiscing of old college hook ups with randoms. I use that comparison to illustrate that I was not bringing these ladies back to the dorm to hear their opinion on the current climate of the social landscape. Trust me, they were brought back to the dorm so I could shame my socially inept roommate and give ceiling tours. I did not become The People’s Red Head by playing it safe back in those “glory days.” I sure as hell will not play it safe in today’s commentary. Get ready people, this article is going to be raw dog without a bag. However, in order to spare you all a lengthy soapbox commentary, I will pullout at the right time.

Garcia opened up Saturday night’s bout feeling out Lipinets. While many knew Garcia was a huge step up in class for Lipinets, there was no doubt in our minds that this would be a quality match up. Lipinets began to get inside Garcia’s defense around round three. In fact, Lipinets opened rounds three and four finding a home for his jab. Garcia’s chin was getting peppered but as the rounds went on, Garcia reestablished his dominance, and stole the rounds on the judges’ scorecards.

Garcia’s nose was bloodied from the repeated jabs of Lipinets. Lipinets was also beginning to show signs of Garcia’s power on his face. Round five displayed a good exchange. Lipinets opened round five as the aggressor, but Garcia again took over. Round five showed us all that these two were going to continue to trade hooks as their timing was proving perfect for dual contact. Garcia seemed to be getting the better of Lipinets every time they simultaneously landed on one another.

Round six ended up being one of Lipinets' best. Garcia’s corner warned him about getting out of the corners, but Garcia had issues with this throughout the round. Lipinets capitalized landing combos and committing to bodywork. For a moment, I was concerned about Garcia’s attempt to make history. The bell sounded, Garcia retreated to his corner, clearly having lost this round. Thank goodness round seven happened.

Round seven ended up being the most explosive round of the match. Lipinets hits Garcia with a flush left hook. This prompted a fierce exchange where Lipinets leaned right into Garcia’s powerful left hook. Garcia landed a flush punch and Lipinets fell to the canvas for the first time is his professional career. Lipinets immediately bounced up after being dropped, not even enduring a three count. At this point, if you were not a fan of Lipinets, you might have been becoming one.

The fight continued and Lipinets still continued to come forward. He spent rounds eight through twelve giving Garcia his best effort. Lipinets showed he had unquestioned heart and the skill to match it. While overcoming the knockdown was impressive, Garcia dominated the championship rounds and cruised to a unanimous decision victory, further cementing his place in boxing history.

Congratulations to Garcia for a well deserved win. Congratulations to Lipinets for a fantastic performance that was just not enough to overcome the elite talent that is Mikey Garcia. Finally, congratulations to me for attending Garcia’s after party. Do not Google images, shit got weird.