By Keith Idec
NEW YORK – Once the cameras were off Wednesday and they had stopped talking trash, Keith Thurman made it clear that he wasn’t offended by anything Angel Garcia did or said during a circus-like press conference at Barclays Center.
Danny Garcia’s father/trainer was his usual crude, confrontational self in Brooklyn, where Thurman and Garcia came for the official announcement of their welterweight championship unification fight March 4. Angel Garcia began screaming obscenities at Thurman after the unbeaten WBA world welterweight champion predicted he’ll knock out the undefeated Garcia, who owns the WBC world welterweight title.
An agitated Angel Garcia eventually stood up and moved toward Thurman, who was standing at the microphone for his turn to speak. Promoter Lou DiBella and others stepped between them and order was restored.
Several minutes later, Thurman claimed he didn’t take any of Angel Garcia’s antics personally.
“That’s him,” Thurman said. “That’s his father, man. Like I said, this is the third father-son combination [I’ve fought]. Versus [Robert] Guerrero, his father [Ruben Guerrero] had a lot to say. Angel’s got the most to say. When it comes to him, he’s really proud of his son, man. He truly believes in his son. He truly believes he’s the best fighter in the world. And Danny Garcia is one of the best fighters in the world, but I don’t believe he is the best fighter in the world.
“I believe March 4th, we’re gonna be able to expose him and do what other fighters were not able to do. He has been in some close decisions, and he’s always been victorious. But March 4th, he’s gonna fall short. I’m looking forward to being in the ring with Danny Garcia. I’m not in the ring with Angel. Angel’s not in the ring with me. So all of his emotions are just stuff he has to live with day-in and day-out. But at the end of the day, man, the best fighter is gonna win.”
Thurman (27-0, 22 KOs) doesn’t consider Angel Garcia’s infamous tirades bad for boxing, either The cerebral fighter from Clearwater, Florida, does, however, think Danny Garcia (33-0, 19 KOs) should speak for himself, rather than allow his father to scream and curse at his opponents.
“Honestly, I think it’s bad for his son,” Thurman said. “It takes away the ability for Danny to speak. Danny’s a good kid. You see he laughs. He knows how to deal with his father. He was raised by his father. He knows what to expect from his father. They title him, ‘Crazy Angel,’ not ‘Pretty Angel’ or something like that. They gave him ‘Crazy Angel.’ He knows his father, you know? And the father knows his son, and they’re both getting ready for this fight. His father talked a lot of sh*t. Maybe he tries to get people off their game. Like I said, he’s a father, man. He used to wipe his sh*t when he was a baby and take care of it out of the diaper. And now he’s trying to handle his sh*t now as a man, as a professional fighter.
“But Danny is an elite fighter and he can handle his own sh*t. And he can talk his own shit; he can talk his own game. But it’s funny, man, these father/trainers, it seems like they like the limelight just as much as the fighter, and sometimes more. But at the end of the day, man, I’m fighting Danny Garcia. I look forward to fighting Danny Garcia. He believes he can come test me. Come test me, man. But lots of people have tried to pass the Keith Thurman test and they’ve failed. We’re both undefeated, so we both have tremendous confidence going into this fight. But I do believe that I’m more agile, I’m the smarter [fighter] and the harder hitter. I believe that I will be victorious March 4th.”
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.
