By Keith Idec
The buildup toward Danny Garcia-Shawn Porter has been nothing like the promotion of Garcia’s last welterweight title fight.
Angel Garcia, Danny’s father and trainer, has a respectful relationship with Kenny Porter, Shawn’s father and trainer. The elder Garcia also says he learned an invaluable lesson from the drama he caused by repeatedly referring to Keith Thurman as a “n*gga” during the press conference in January 2017 to officially announce their fight.
Angel Garcia’s infamous confrontation with Thurman at that press conference led to the New York State Athletic Commission calling him into its office before it agreed to license him for that 12-round, 147-pound title unification fight in March 2017. Danny Garcia told BoxingScene.com before that fight that he wouldn’t have fought Thurman had his father not been permitted to work his corner for the first time in his pro career.
The NYSAC allowed Angel Garcia to work his son’s corner, but he admits he created an unnecessary distraction before the biggest fight of Danny Garcia’s career. During a recent interview with Showtime’s Jim Gray, Angel Garcia, seated next to Kenny Porter, expressed regret about that situation.
“I’m a man,” Angel Garcia said. “I accept my faults. I’m not perfect. I accept my faults. You know, the Thurman fight there was a lot of politics. They were calling me racist. I am not racist, man. That’s the last thing in me, man, being a racist. Like I got all kinda people work for me. You know, I got all kinda friends. But yes, I regretted that, the Thurman fight, when I said the words I said. All hell broke loose and I couldn’t be focused the week of that fight. So I do regret that day, yes.”
Philadelphia’s Garcia (34-1, 20 KOs) and Las Vegas’ Porter (28-2-1, 17 KOs) will meet Saturday night in a 12-round fight for the vacant WBC welterweight title Garcia lost to Thurman, who gave up that championship late in April. Garcia-Porter will headline Showtime’s tripleheader from Barclays Center in Brooklyn (9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT).
That three-bout broadcast also will include a 10-round heavyweight battle between Brooklyn’s Adam Kownacki (17-0, 14 KOs) and Charles Martin (25-1-1, 23 KOs), a former IBF champion from Carson, California. The telecast will start with a 12-round WBC welterweight elimination match that’ll pit Cuba’s Yordenis Ugas (23-3, 11 KOs) against Argentina’s Cesar Barrionuevo (34-3-2, 24 KOs).
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.
