By Bill "Two Scoops" Emes
WBC/WBA junior welterweight champion Danny Garcia (28-0, 16KOs) advised BoxingScene.com that he didn't know the details as to why Gabe Bracero (23-1, 4KOs) was replaced by Rod Salka (19-3, 3KOs) for the August 9th Showtime televised main event at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
Garcia says he agreed to face Bracero on the date, but then the fight never materialized and he was offered Salka instead.
Although Bracero was viewed as a step down from Garcia's recent run of opponents, he was tabbed by most as being more of a worthy candidate than Salka for a variety of reasons.
Bracero, a Brooklyn fighter from Puerto Rico, fights at junior welterweight and welterweight and is ranked at #11 by the WBO at 147 and at #14 by the WBC at 140.
Salka, who fights at lightweight, is not ranked in the top fifteen by the WBC or the WBA at 135 or 140. As things usually do with the sanctioning bodies, Salka may magically appear in the top fifteen when the new rankings come out this month, even though he's been out of the ring since April.
One fight that Garcia confirms was never offered to him, contrary to rumors, was a September bout with Floyd Mayweather Jr.
"At the end of the day, it's going to be another spectacular performance by me on August 9th. As far as the Mayweather fight and the Bracero, I accept every fight. Mayweather never came up in conversation, but Bracero did and I accepted the fight. I don't know what happened to that, but at the end of the day that's not what I do [go out and secure opponents]. My job is to train, fight and give the fans a great performance. It's all about the fans," Garcia told BoxingScene.com.
