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What to do with Danny Garcia
By Paul Magno on August 12, 2017
What to do with Danny Garcia
There was no doubting that Garcia was as good as his publicity told us. (Naoki ***uda)
Since the disappointingly passive loss to Thurman, Garcia has all but disappeared from the boxing landscape…
I guess “retirement” would be the first word that comes to mind when asked the question of what to do with Danny Garcia.
I mean, really, it’s not like Garcia has shown much interest in performing up to the level of his talents lately. The last time the Philly fighter looked like he wanted to prove something professionally, it was against Lucas Matthysse way back in 2013 when he thoroughly outboxed the Argentine slugger.
That night, Garcia shut up a lot of critics who had been dwelling on a résumé full of faded veterans and second-tier opposition up until that point. Post-Matthysse, there was no doubting that Garcia was as good as his publicity told us.
Then, things all just sort of fell apart.
A lackluster performance against Mauricio Herrera (which should’ve been a loss) led to a universally-panned slaughter of undersized no-hoper Rod Salka and then another controversial decision win, this time against Lamont Peterson. Wins over faded versions of Paulie Malignaggi and Robert Guerrero failed to impress, even though the bouts were clearly signed to make him look impressive. A blasting of fringe character Samuel Vargas also did little to remind everyone that Garcia was once on the verge of being something special.
But maybe Garcia is one of those competitors who fights UP to the level of his opposition and, like against Matthysse, would show his true self only against other elite-level talent.
Nope.
In his most recent outing, a huge CBS-aired welterweight showcase against Keith Thurman this past March, Garcia was timid, tepid, and reluctant to do anything but safely lose a decision. The lack of fire and drive to win in the Thurman fight showed the mindset of a jaded old journeyman fighting to pay the light bill rather than that of a prime, 29-year-old boxer with a chance to instantly become top dog in a lucrative division.
Since the disappointingly passive loss to Thurman, Garcia has all but disappeared from the boxing landscape. Usually ever-present chatter about upcoming fights has been replaced by dead silence.
Garcia’s own verified Twitter account is full of promotion for his fashion line and hints at a possible run at a hip-hop career while almost totally devoid of boxing talk since the Thurman fight.
Unless Garcia and his people are keeping their boxing plans strategically under wrap, it seems obvious that boxing is not on the agenda. And if Garcia does find his way into a boxing ring sometime soon, expect it to be pure money grab—a way to pay the bills while he’s busy trying to be a star in every possible way, other than boxing.
And that brings me back to the question initially asked at the top of this article.
What do you do with Danny Garcia? Nothing.
The man clearly doesn’t want anything to do with boxing. So, let him pursue a career in fashion design, rap, acting, or anything else he wants to do. Just remember that the next time we see Garcia slated for a return to the ring, it’s probably only going to be for a quick monetary score and we won’t likely be seeing more than the bare minimum in terms of effort.
By Paul Magno on August 12, 2017
What to do with Danny Garcia
There was no doubting that Garcia was as good as his publicity told us. (Naoki ***uda)
Since the disappointingly passive loss to Thurman, Garcia has all but disappeared from the boxing landscape…
I guess “retirement” would be the first word that comes to mind when asked the question of what to do with Danny Garcia.
I mean, really, it’s not like Garcia has shown much interest in performing up to the level of his talents lately. The last time the Philly fighter looked like he wanted to prove something professionally, it was against Lucas Matthysse way back in 2013 when he thoroughly outboxed the Argentine slugger.
That night, Garcia shut up a lot of critics who had been dwelling on a résumé full of faded veterans and second-tier opposition up until that point. Post-Matthysse, there was no doubting that Garcia was as good as his publicity told us.
Then, things all just sort of fell apart.
A lackluster performance against Mauricio Herrera (which should’ve been a loss) led to a universally-panned slaughter of undersized no-hoper Rod Salka and then another controversial decision win, this time against Lamont Peterson. Wins over faded versions of Paulie Malignaggi and Robert Guerrero failed to impress, even though the bouts were clearly signed to make him look impressive. A blasting of fringe character Samuel Vargas also did little to remind everyone that Garcia was once on the verge of being something special.
But maybe Garcia is one of those competitors who fights UP to the level of his opposition and, like against Matthysse, would show his true self only against other elite-level talent.
Nope.
In his most recent outing, a huge CBS-aired welterweight showcase against Keith Thurman this past March, Garcia was timid, tepid, and reluctant to do anything but safely lose a decision. The lack of fire and drive to win in the Thurman fight showed the mindset of a jaded old journeyman fighting to pay the light bill rather than that of a prime, 29-year-old boxer with a chance to instantly become top dog in a lucrative division.
Since the disappointingly passive loss to Thurman, Garcia has all but disappeared from the boxing landscape. Usually ever-present chatter about upcoming fights has been replaced by dead silence.
Garcia’s own verified Twitter account is full of promotion for his fashion line and hints at a possible run at a hip-hop career while almost totally devoid of boxing talk since the Thurman fight.
Unless Garcia and his people are keeping their boxing plans strategically under wrap, it seems obvious that boxing is not on the agenda. And if Garcia does find his way into a boxing ring sometime soon, expect it to be pure money grab—a way to pay the bills while he’s busy trying to be a star in every possible way, other than boxing.
And that brings me back to the question initially asked at the top of this article.
What do you do with Danny Garcia? Nothing.
The man clearly doesn’t want anything to do with boxing. So, let him pursue a career in fashion design, rap, acting, or anything else he wants to do. Just remember that the next time we see Garcia slated for a return to the ring, it’s probably only going to be for a quick monetary score and we won’t likely be seeing more than the bare minimum in terms of effort.
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