Thurman on Danny Garcia: I'm Looking To Inflict Some Damage!

By Edward Chaykovsky

Keith Thurman is counting down the days until his welterweight unification with Danny Garcia.

The WBC/WBA world title fight takes place  on Saturday, March 4 from Barclays Center from Brooklyn, live on CBS from 9-11 p.m. ET/6-8 p.m. PT.
 
Garcia (33-0, 19 KOs) and Thurman (27-0, 22 KOs) will be the first welterweight unification between undefeated fighters since the 1999 clash between Felix Trinidad and Oscar De La Hoya.

 
Garcia is viewed as the underdog in the contest. Thurman believes Garcia is not a true welterweight and plans to do some serious contact when they get in the ring.

"The name of the game to hit and not get hit, but you know I'm looking to inflict some damage as well," Thurman said. "I know Danny is confident coming into this fight. He's trying to challenge me and hurt me. I have an '0' and I'm not ready to let it go. If you think you can beat me, beat me. It's going down on March 4.

"Ultimately, my heart desires victory at this stage and at this level. I'm looking to do what I do best. Which is be a smart fighter, look for the openings and if I can cause some damage, hopefully I can capitalize on that."

Thurman is expecting a tough fight, but he's confident in his ability to adjust to anything that Garcia brings to the ring.

He says the winner of this contest will become the top player in the welterweight division.
 
"You can expect a world class fight. We're both great champions with impressive skills. We're going to be pushing each other and testing each other. I see myself as the smarter fighter. I've shown that I can adjust in the middle of a fight. With the experience that I have, I go in there with an objective I'm trying to achieve. If it's not happening, then I have to use something else. 
 
"I just want to keep moving myself up and establishing my legacy. I want to distinguish myself from the other welterweights. The winner of this fight will get the spotlight over everyone else in the division."