This Saturday, the Barclays Center will host one of the most intriguing fights in the welterweight division this year as the WBC welterweight title will be on the line when Danny Garcia (34-1, 20 KOs) and Shawn Porter (28-2, 17 KOs) go against each other for the belt. These two guys have been former champions in the welterweight division as Garcia has been the WBC champion before and Porter was the IBF champion. They both are hungry to become world champion again, and they get that opportunity as the WBC belt had become vacated due to the injury suffered by Keith Thurman (who defeated both Garcia and Porter in 2017 and 2016 respectively). There are a few things to look for as both will try to get the upper hand on the other fighter.

On the side of Danny Garcia, he is going to rely on his counter-punching ability and timing to be the difference against Shawn Porter. He has used that to become a two division champion in his career and get key wins over the likes of Amir Khan, Zab Judah, Lucas Matthysse, and Robert Guerrero. In his last battle in February, Garcia knocked out Brandon Rios in the 9th round to rebound from his loss to Keith Thurman in 2017. He will also attempt to work off the jab to throw off the come-forward style of Shawn Porter. He feels that he has enough tools to dethrone Porter on September 8th, and actually be the first one to stop him.

“I’ve knocked out a lot of fighters for the first time, so it won’t be surprising to me if I knock Shawn Porter out for the first time,” Garcia said at his media workout a few weeks ago. “Once you’re in there with me, it’s not the same as anyone else. It’s not the same as what you expect it to be. You’re in for a rude awakening.”

Garcia is eager to become a two-time welterweight champion and four-time world champion overall with a win over Porter.

“This is another opportunity to become a four-time world champion and that excites me. I still feel like the WBC title is mine, so I’m even more ready to reclaim it. Getting that world title back is what it’s all about.”

On the other side, Shawn Porter looks to get another version of the welterweight championship after becoming the IBF champion in 2013 beating Devon Alexander. He had that title for almost a year before losing to Kell Brook by decision and has been looking to become champion since. He did have that close loss to Keith Thurman in 2016 but rebounded to defeat Andre Berto last April and Adrian Granados last November. Porter has not had a fight since which is something that he has brought up as an issue, but he is glad that he has the opportunity to fight for a welterweight title once again.

He is known for his aggressive style and coming forward at his opponent, outworking them on the inside. At times he smothers his opponents preventing them from getting off punches at their full extension which in turn does not get the overall effect that it would get if they were able to have range or distance on Porter. While that seems like the gameplan that Porter will use against Garcia, there may be a few wrinkles that Porter may utilize during the fight.

“I’m going go out there and be aggressive, be sharp, be quick and let the rest take care of itself,” Porter stated in August. “It’s all about the fundamentals. Everyone knows that everything I do comes off of my jab.”

Porter studied what Garcia has done in his previous fights and knows about Garcia’s counterpunching ability. He feels that he has something that nullifies one of Garcia’s biggest weapons.

“Danny’s counter-punching I think plays into my hands. I’m a combination puncher. There’s more than one coming. If there is only one coming, you don’t know where it’s coming from. I think it’s going to take care of Danny’s strength, but I don’t take it lightly. I know that he’s a strong fighter and that’s what I expect in the ring.”