No Time Like The Present For Refreshed Danny Garcia

By Jake Donovan

It goes without saying that 2014 was a year that Danny Garcia would rather forget. It’s not often that you can say that of a year in which you were able to fight—and win—twice, remain unbeaten and on top of the division you already served as king heading into the year.

For Garcia, though, it was a year in which the worst beatings he took were in the court of public opinion. Six months after posting a 12-round win over Lucas Matthysse to claim the vacant World 140 lb. championship, Garcia struggled mightily in a controversial points win over Mauricio Herrera last March in Puerto Rico.

The fight was followed up by what became a running joke in the industry, a 2nd round knockout of Rod Salka—who moved up more than two divisions in fighting weight from junior lightweight—in a mismatch at a catchweight, atop an August 9 show littered with mismatches.

As far as Garcia is concerned, there’s no time like the present.

The past was Garcia and Lamont Peterson sharing a bill on August 9, without the promise of moving forward with a head-on collision. The present has the pair throwing down this weekend, with their 143 lb. catchweight headlining live in primetime on free-to-air NBC from Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

“I think this is…out of the list of champions that I faced before, I think this is even bigger for my legacy because here's the champion,” Garcia (29-0, 17KOs) insists of Peterson. “He's faced great opponents, he's faced great fighters too. I think stylistically this is going to be a great fight, and it's big for my legacy, so I've got to go in there and make sure I go in there and hand him my business.”

Some will snicker that Garcia’s “business” is what led to the delay in the fight, and that it’s taking place at a catchweight despite the two serving as divisional leaders. Garcia continues to reign as the 140 lb. king—also having held at least one belt since his first win over Erik Morales more than three years ago—while Peterson’s alphabet title run dates back to his Dec. ’11 disputed win over Amir Khan.

Aside from having to wait for the fight—which fans got over the moment it was made and that it was announced for free-TV—the lone remaining gripe is the 143 lb. catchweight in place. Some have speculated that while Peterson was willing to proceed with a unification bout, it was Garcia who demanded a non-title fight at the heavier weight.

There’s a shred of truth to it, just not in the malicious manner that leaves the unbeaten Philly-Rican shouldering the blame.

“In order for the fight to be done in the time we had for it to be done, that's the weight we had to fight at,” explains Garcia, who—like Peterson—fights under Al Haymon’s advisory banner and for the Premier Boxing Champions series. “At the end of the day, I feel like this is still a fight that the fans want to see.  This is still a big fight no matter with the belts or without the belts. 

“So I think the fans are going to, I think if the media just lets it go already and just accept the fight that it's going to be a big fight without the belts. Come April 11th, I guarantee the media and the fans won't even be talking about that anymore because the fight will be so good.”

Of course, with the bout being his second straight, it begs the question as to just how long he plans to remain at 140 lbs. before severing all divisional ties.

Garcia turned pro late in 2007, but has fought at or near the title level since his points win over Kendall Holt in Oct. ’11. The duration of his seven-plus year career has taken place at or near the 140 lb. division, as well as the final days of his stellar amateur run. So it stands to reason that welterweight is in his future—it’s just not on his mind at the moment.
 
“I've been at 140 since I was an amateur, since 2006, and I've put a lot of strain on my body making the weight. So it was best for me to fight at this weight,” Garcia points out. “I mean, on my last fight I fought at the 143 catch weight and I'm not saying that I can't make 140 again, but with the time off since August, I just don't want to cheat the fans, I want to give them my best. And like I said, in order for the fight to be made, this is the weight I had to be at.”

Had the fight taken place at some point in 2014, it would have given Garcia three on the year and—by his own logic—perhaps a better shot at taking place at 140 lbs., since there wouldn’t have been an extended break between training camps.

Given the fighters’ affiliation at the time, it also would have likely landed on Showtime, where their past several bouts have taken place. It would have went a long way in removing the bad taste left behind from the pair of mismatches in which they engaged last August on the network. But given the surroundings of this weekend’s event, it’s also possible that the fight wouldn’t have been as big then as it is now.

“I think everything that I've been through in my career, every fight that I faced, it's just leading me up to this,” Garcia believes. “It gave me the experience and built me up for this moment and all the moments that come in my career.”

Having seen the production in real time as a fan when PBC made its debut on NBC in March, Garcia is even more excited over the idea of being showcased on such a big stage. Saturday will mark his fourth appearance at Barclays Center, a building he helped christen with his knockout win over Morales in their Oct. ’12 rematch.

It will mark the first time, however, that he enters that same ring with the chance to make a lasting impression on new fans while winning over the ones that might’ve hopped off the bandwagon following his less-than-stellar 2014 ring campaign. 

“Oh man, it was amazing—just the whole set up, the whole production. Everything was amazing,” Garcia says of the March 7 PBC on NBC card, topped by Keith Thurman’s thrilling 12-round win over Robert Guerrero in Las Vegas. “The way the fighters walked out. The backdrop. It was just great, it was great for boxing. I'm just happy to be a part of it.

“I'm happy that I get to showcase my skills on NBC to the new fans out there who are going to be watching for the first time. The many of the fans are going to be watching for the first time. I just have to go in there and look good and win over these millions of fans.”

Jake Donovan is the Managing Editor of BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox