Danny Garcia-Daniel Gonzalez was promoted as “Farewell to Brooklyn”, but I don’t think it’s the last we’re going to see of Garcia. I already expect him to fight again.
At 37 he looked good enough, and was sufficiently evasive on the subject in the build-up to Saturday’s fight, that if he’s looking for it he has cause enough to fight again. He also won’t have made much money from it, and will detect the opportunity that exists for him to cash in on his win.
Gonzalez, one of his former sparring partners, was handpicked by Garcia for the occasion. Every punch Garcia landed hurt him; the size difference was far too much to ask Gonzalez to overcome. The right hook that landed on Gonzalez’s temple in the first round wobbled him badly enough that it became only a matter of time until Garcia, stalking him, stopped him like he did in the fourth.
Not unlike he did at his peak, Garcia wasted very little – he took the opportunities when they were presented and was precise with everything he threw. The more Gonzalez opened up, the more opportunities there were for Garcia – a fantastic counter puncher – to counter him. If this was going to be his last fight then to finish it as he did with a one-punch knockout with the left hook he threw was all he could ask for.
When the date with Gonzalez was announced it appeared a farewell fight for a fighter who was uncomfortable with his very good career ending on the stoppage defeat inflicted by Erislandy Lara in 2024. If Garcia had performed as he did against Lara, Gonzalez – among my former opponents – would have had a chance of victory, but Garcia showed he still has more to offer than the Lara fight suggested. He also secured the finances and used his connections to deliver a promotion featuring plenty of promising local talent – he gave back to the sport.
The Garcia we saw in the ring on Saturday potentially retains enough of his abilities that there’s little reason to be concerned about him fighting again, particularly if he can earn a big purse – we just can’t be certain about how much because of the mismatch it proved to be. Punchers like Garcia are more capable of extending their careers. The biggest concern is the weight division he would be competing in – junior middleweight is the deepest and most competitive landscape there is.
If I know Garcia like I believe I do, he’s going to want the big-money fights against the dangerous fighters. One of those I could see happening and that I like more for him than any other would be a rematch with Keith Thurman, who’s been left without a date after an injury to Sebastian Fundora. If he doesn’t want to risk fighting another of the division’s big names there’s no point in him fighting – beating Gonzalez allows him to walk away off the back of a win.
Another that seems likely is a fight with Jaron “Boots” Ennis, his fellow Philadelphian, which would be a nightmare match-up for him to take. Ennis’ dynamism and style would make it particularly difficult for Garcia to land the punches he’d be relying on. But it would represent a passing-of-the-torch match-up of two former 147lbs champions – of the past and present of Philadelphia boxing. Garcia has been popular enough for long enough in their city that a fight between them could be the best way for Ennis to secure the popularity and profile he and his promoters Matchroom seek.
*
I’d been looking forward to the fantastic fight between Ennis’ gym-mate Stephen Fulton and O’Shaquie Foster, which was to be on the undercard of Fundora-Thurman but also got postponed. Both are very good fighters at 130lbs – and both are phenomenal stylists and tacticians – so when they finally fight it’ll be something for us all to appreciate.
*
Dominique Crowder’s victory, at 118lbs, over Fernando Diaz on the undercard of Garcia-Gonzalez showed that he’s ready to challenge for a world title. He was disciplined for all 10 rounds, and to the extent he barely got hit – it was almost the perfect victory, because he won all 10 rounds. He already has the skills to compete with the best at his weight – if and when he does so he’ll have justified comparisons with Mark Breland because he’ll be established among the very best in the world.
*
My friend and ProBox TV colleague Paulie Malignaggi turned backed the clock on Saturday in England when he defeated Tyler Goodjohn in a bare-knuckle contest. It was a gruelling fight – he broke ribs, suffered huge cuts on his face, and possibly even a scratched cornea. At 44 years old, to return from years of inactivity and perform the way that he did, he deserves all of the credit he’s been getting. He looked very classy, and proved, in a brutal competition, that he remains as tough as ever, and he deserves to feel proud.
