By Lyle Fitzsimmons
Some love him. Others are less enthusiastic.
Either way, it’s difficult to argue against the idea that Danny Garcia has worked himself into a significant position when it comes to today’s fight game.
His grinding defeat of Robert Guerrero on Saturday made him a two-division world title claimant, and solidified his place on a welterweight landscape that’s likely to mean big matches – and big paychecks – by the time the now-27-year-old is ready to step away for good.
And when that day does come, Garcia insists he’ll be ready.
He and his father/trainer Angel are quietly constructing a business empire away from the ring that’ll allow the son to avoid the financial pitfalls that have dogged many a big-time fighter when their days on the marquee have come and gone.
“That’s an athlete’s nightmare to be honest with you,” Garcia said.
“Boxing is not a long sport, so you have to make sure you make a lot of money for the rest of your life and make the right investments outside the ring, so that way when you’re done boxing you can live off your businesses and investments.”
Garcia and I chatted recently to discuss his non-ring activities, the reasons he keeps a close eye on his money and what he expects and hopes to accomplish by the time he’s ready to be a full-time entrepreneur.
BoxingScene.com: Talk about life away from the ring. Why do you try to involve yourself in things outside of boxing?
We're just trying to build an empire – in the real estate business, and having different businesses, rental properties, the barber shop, the boxing gym. I got a few things going on outside the boxing ring. Trying to keep building.
BoxingScene.com: Where does that come from? Twenty years ago nobody did that, then George Foreman started selling grills and Oscar became a promoter. Now it seems like a lot of guys go that route. Is that why, or would you always have done it?
It's all about having a good team and having the right people around you to help you do the right things with your money. We're just trying to invest in things that’ll always be worth something. You can buy fancy cars and things like that, but it’s not gonna be worth nothing five years from now. We're trying to make the right investments for the long term, for when boxing’s over.
BoxingScene.com: Are you sitting down at a desk, talking about businesses every day, or is it more people on the team?
It’s me and my dad. We're business partners. Me and him handle everything. I’m involved in everything that goes down. I like to know what’s happening with my money. I’m fully involved.
BoxingScene.com: Did you ever have a desire to do other things, to be a businessman, for instance? What sort of things do you think you would have been involved in?
I always wanted to be an entrepreneur. When I was a little kid I always had a vision of being a businessman, and I always had a desire to buy real estate, things like that. Boxing gave me the opportunity to do it, so I’m just taking advantage of it.
BoxingScene.com: Exactly what do you have going?
We have the barber shop. My dad has the detail shop. We have about five or six apartment units.
BoxingScene.com: You’re a landlord? You pick up the rent?
I have the real estate managers handle everything. They take 10 percent of the rent that I receive from the people, from the tenants. I don’t handle picking up the rent or none of that stuff. I don’t want to pop one of my tenants.
BoxingScene.com: Do you have an age in mind that you want to be done with the ring?
My body will let me know when it’s time. But as of now I feel great. I’m in the prime of my career and we're going to keep fighting one at a time.
BoxingScene.com: How do you feel about the career so far? What do you want to accomplish at 147?
I just want to continue to be a great champion and be the face of boxing. I’m just going to continue to do what I do best, which is win one fight at a time. Only time will tell.
BoxingScene.com: Is 147 the division your body can best handle, or will you get bigger?
I believe I will get bigger in the future. I’m 5-foot-9. I have a wide frame, so I’m pretty sure later on in my career that I'll be fighting at 154. I think that'd probably be it. It’s all about timing and opportunity.
BoxingScene.com: Now that Floyd's gone, the pound-for-pound landscape is open. Everyone’s looking for a new face of the sport. A few guys say they want to be the one – GGG, Canelo, Tyson Fury. Where does Danny Garcia fit in? Can it be you?
Definitely. I was unified at 140. As far as milestones, I’ve definitely got one of the best resumes of any champion in the sport. I’m one of the best in the sport of boxing.
BoxingScene.com: How important is that recognition to a fighter? Some say it is. Some say it isn’t. You?
I’m just focused on being the best I can be. At the end of the day, people will rate me or demean me. I’ll leave that up to them. At the end of the day I know I’m one of the best and that’s all that matters.
BoxingScene.com: Have you gotten a fair shake, or do you think people are sleeping on you?
It is what it is. You’ve got people who who write good about me you’ve got people who write bad about me. That’s just the way it is. It’s how the sport is.
BoxingScene.com: Is welterweight a division where you can silence critics with the fights to be made?
There’s a lot of great matches to be made. Only time will tell.
BoxingScene.com: Is there somebody out there who you'd want to get in with? It used to be Floyd for everyone.
It doesn’t matter. At the end of the day, that’s up to Al Haymon. He’s my manager. He makes the matches. Whatever he wants to do, it is what it is.
BoxingScene.com: But eventually, you think you’ll get the fights you need to take care of the legacy?
Most definitely.
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This week’s title-fight schedule:
SATURDAY
IBF/WBA/WBO light heavyweight titles – Montreal, Canada
Sergey Kovalev (champion/No. 2 IWBR) vs. Jean Pascal (No. 3 WBO/No. 7 IWBR)
Kovalev (28-0-1, 25 KO): Seventh WBO title defense; Third fight in Canada (2-0, 2 KO)
Pascal (30-3-1, 17 KO): Ninth title fight (4-3-1); Held IBO/WBC titles at 175 pounds
Fitzbitz says: It was an entertaining enough first fight, but nothing that occurred indicated the winner is likely to change. Might be longer. Might be shorter. But the champ stays the champ. Kovalev in 6
Last week’s picks: 1-0 (WIN: Garcia)
2016 picks record: 1-2
Overall picks record: 733-251 (74.4 percent)
NOTE: Fights previewed are only those involving a sanctioning body's full-fledged title-holder – no interim, diamond, silver, etc. Fights for WBA "world championships" are only included if no "super champion" exists in the weight class.
Lyle Fitzsimmons has covered professional boxing since 1995 and written a weekly column for Boxing Scene since 2008. He is a full voting member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. Reach him at fitzbitz@msn.com or follow him on Twitter – @fitzbitz.
