By Keith Idec
Danny Garcia is well aware of Shawn Porter’s reputation.
The rugged Porter typically makes fights rough for his opponents, most of whom complain Porter gets away with using his head when they’re working inside. Andre Berto and Adrian Granados, the last two opponents Porter defeated, both have criticized Porter for head-butting them during those fights.
Garcia and his father/trainer, Angel Garcia, have devised strategies that Danny Garcia is confident will help him avoid succumbing to the physical Porter’s smothering style September 8. Philadelphia’s Garcia explained during a conference call Tuesday that it’s up to him to make sure Porter’s head isn’t a factor in their scheduled 12-round fight for the vacant WBC welterweight title.
“I’ve just gotta go in there and dictate the pace of the fight,” Garcia said.
“I’ve gotta go in there and fight my fight. I can’t go in there and basically get caught up in his fight. We’ve got some good sparring partners, short guys, about 5-6, who use their heads, who come forward. So me and my father have got the perfect game plan to get away from the head-butts. So yeah, we have some tricks up our sleeves.”
The 30-year-old Garcia doesn’t plan to address Porter’s use of his head when he meets with the referee assigned to their main event at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
“At the end of the day, I’m not really worrying about the referee,” Garcia said. “It’s a fight, so I’m gonna let the referee do his job and I’m just gonna do my job, and that’s go in there in fight. So I’m not really worried about his head. I just have to go in there and fight my fight.”
Garcia (34-1, 20 KOs) and Porter (28-2-1, 17 KOs), a former IBF welterweight champ from Akron, Ohio, will headline Showtime’s three-bout broadcast September 8.
That telecast also will feature Brooklyn’s Adam Kownacki (17-0, 14 KOs) and Charles Martin (25-1-1, 23 KOs), of Carson, California, in a 10-round heavyweight bout. Showtime’s tripleheader is set to start at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT with a 12-round WBC welterweight elimination match that’ll pit Cuba’s Yordenis Ugas (23-3, 11 KOs) against Argentina’s Cesar Barrionuevo (34-3-2, 24 KOs).
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.