NEW YORK -- Keith Thurman fulfilled one of his childhood boxing dreams to unify world titles.
He did not finish strong, but he used an effective mix of boxing and power punching -- and put enough early rounds in the banks -- to escape with a split-decision victory against Danny Garcia and unify welterweight titles Saturday night before 16,533, the boxing attendance record for the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
The match between undefeated, prime 28-year-old titleholders was as good as it gets in boxing, and they produced an exciting fight that was often tactical but had enough exciting exchanges to keep everyone on the edge of their seats.