By Edward Chaykovsky
WBC welterweight world champion Danny "Swift" Garcia (32-0, 18 KOs) believes he's faced better opponents than Keith 'One Time' Thurman (27-0, 22KOs0, who holds the WBA's version of the welterweight title.
Before Garcia heads to Thurman, he has an assignment scheduled for November 12th, when he takes on huge underdog Samuel Vargas (25-2-1, 13 KOs) of Colombia. The encounter is a ten round, non title fight. The bout is the first for Garcia since winning the WBC title in January with a twelve round decision over Robert "The Ghost" Guerrero.
Garcia-Vargas set to headline a Premier Boxing Champions tripleheader on Spike TV from Temple University's Liacouras Center in Garcia's hometown of Philadelphia.
The fight with Thurman is being positioned for March of next year. Thurman is seen as Garcia's most dangerous fight since taking on a prime Lucas Matthysse on the Floyd Mayweather-Canelo Alvarez undercard in September of 2013. Garcia, who was underdog in that fight, won a twelve round unanimous decision Matthysse.
Garcia disagrees with the critics who feel Thurman will be his biggest test. He says Amir Khan (who Garcia knocked out in four in 2012) is a better fighter than Thurman, and Matthysse (at least in 2012) is more dangerous than Thurman. Garcia also credits himself with being a better fighter in the amateurs.
"To me he's not the best fighter that I'm going to be in the ring with to be honest. I've been in there with better fighters in my opinion. Amir Khan is a better fighter than Keith Thurman. Lucas Matthysse was a way more dangerous fighter, at that time [in 2012], he was a way more dangerous fighter than him. You're talking about a guy who was hitting guys with one punch and knocking them out. Amir Khan is an Olympic silver medalist and one of the most talented fighters in boxing. I've seen [Thurman] in the amateurs, I was always number one - he wasn't," Garcia told reporters at a press conference to announce his fight with Vargas.