By Edward Chaykovsky
WBC welterweight champion Danny Garcia (32-0, 18KOs) wants to make 2017 his year of big fights and big paydays.
Garcia has been out of the ring since capturing the the vacant WBC belt in January, with a twelve round unanimous decision over Robert Guerrero. He is scheduled to return on November 12th in Philadelphia, in a ten round non-title fight against Samuel Vargas.
Garcia is a massive favorite to blow past Vargas. Beyond Vargas, Garcia is already set to face WBA welterweight champion Keith Thurman in a highly anticipated unification in March of next year.
One fighter Garcia would love to get in the ring with is current WBO junior middleweight champion Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez (48-1-1, 34KOs). Canelo returned to the 154-pound division last month, with a dominating ninth round knockout of Liam Smith before a crowd of over 50,000 at AT&T Stadium in Texas.
Garcia's full focus is on Vargas, and then Thurman. But if Canelo remains at 154 next year, Garcia would face him and he's confident of winning. He feels that his arsenal of weapons are far beyond the untested Smith, who was in way over his head against Canelo.
"I think that’s a possible fight. That’s the next fight. I’ll fight Canelo. Why not? [I don't rehydrate as big as him], he’s a big boy - but I think that’s a good fight. That’s a big money fight. I’m a way better fighter than that [Liam Smith]. I think I’d beat [Canelo]. I’d beat him. I’ve never been beat. I would beat him. Every fighter got flaws. No fighter is perfect. I’m not fighting God. He’s just a fighter. I would go in there and find a way to win," Garcia told media members during a Philadelphia press conference to announce the Vargas fight.
"We're just talking now. I’ve got to get past [Samuel Vargas] and then the Thurman fight. That fight [with Canelo] is not even in my mind, but that is a fight I would do in the future."
