Danny Garcia faces another trap fight Jan. 25 against Ivan Redkach at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
After knocking out Adrian Granados in April, the 31-year-old Garcia (35-2, 21 KOs) was slated to fight Errol Spence Jr. after Spence unified titles in the welterweight division by beating Shawn Porter in September.
Garcia was in attendance for that bout at Staples Center, and even climbed into the ring to further accentuate the notion that he’d be next in line to fight Spence. However, Spence was in a serious car accident weeks later that putt his career at an immediate pause. He’s since declared he’s recovered and ready to return to the ring.
Garcia, seemingly staying warm in the bullpen for his bout against Redkach (23-4-1, 18 KOs), knows that he has a career-defining fight within arm’s reach should he get past the Ukrainian fighter.
“Manny Pacquiao, Errol Spence Jr. and Keith Thurman — those are fights I really want,” Garcia told BoxingScene.com in an interview. “At this point in my career, every fight is a big fight for me. I have to look good every time and I have to win. I’m very motivated because of those circumstances … I want to fight the best. Whatever makes sense. I’m here to fight the best. That’s what I want to do, and the first step before that is Redkach. The big fights don’t make sense if I don’t get past this one first.”
Redkach has rebounded nicely by riding a three-fight winning streak ever since an uneven stretch from 2015 to 2017 that yielded a 2-4-1 record. His most recent win was a KO of Devon Alexander in June.
“I’ve seen him fight a few times. He’s definitely a tough guy who deserves his opportunity,” said Garcia. “I know he’s going to bring the best out of me, and that’s why this is a good fight for me. He’s a southpaw with good technique. He’s the kind of opponent to bring out the best in me.”
Manouk Akopyan is a sports journalist and member of the Boxing Writers Assn. of America since 2011. He has written for the likes of the LA Times, Guardian, USA Today, Philadelphia Inquirer, Men’s Health and NFL.com and currently does TV commentary for combat sports programming that airs on Fox Sports and hosts his own radio show in Los Angeles. He can be reached on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube at @ManoukAkopyan or via email at manouk.akopyan@gmail.com.