Danny Garcia set to keep undefeated boxing record intact
SOMEONE WILL go home unhappy on March 4, as two undefeated welterweight champions spar at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., in a unification bout.
SOMEONE WILL go home unhappy on March 4, as two undefeated welterweight champions spar at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., in a unification bout.
Philadelphia native and undefeated WBC champion Danny Garcia (33-0, 19 knockouts) will take on WBA welterweight champion Keith Thurman (27-0, 22 KOs).
Garcia's camp came under fire last month when his father/trainer Angel directed racial comments toward Thurman in a news conference. During his father's tirade, Danny was calm and, for the most part, laughed it off.
Less profane and personal on Wednesday, Angel Garcia nevertheless didn't mince words when speaking of Thurman.
"He's just undefeated. Just because they call him 'One Time' doesn't mean he's going to do that to Danny. At the end of the day, he never fought a guy like Danny," Angel said. "So, if it's a good fight, it's a good fight for Danny for the future to take us forward. But, a bad fight for Thurman."
Thurman is considered Garcia's toughest test yet, with his heavy punching power, but Angel wasn't having it.
"Danny's got power, too. It don't matter. He's a man like Danny's a man. We're not trying to take anything from him, but we're not scared of him. This is the hurt game. So, if he comes with power, we have power, too."
Although Angel acknowledged he wasn't scared of Thurman, he made it clear he and his son are not treating this fight any differently when it comes to preparation.
"To me, every fight is big," Angel said. "Every fight Danny has, to me, is important. We train the same way. We don't take anything away, we don't add anything. We have to take everybody very seriously. So, everything is important."
Danny echoed his father's sentiments and said he focuses on himself more than anything.
"I really don't know what he (the opponent) does. At the end of the day, I prepare myself to make sure I'm 110 percent ready for anything he does," Danny said. "That's why I'm a true champion, because I'm able to adapt to whatever he brings to the table."
Garcia defended a world title for the first time in July 2012, when he was a late replacement for Lamont Peterson, who had tested positive for steroids. Garcia beat Amir Khan in a light welterweight unification bout, scoring a fourth-round TKO. He's fought nine times since.
"I've been in a lot of big fights, so I can't psyche myself out, like, 'Oh, this is a big fight' " Danny said. "I've been in a lot of big fights in my career, and, come March 4, I'm going to show the world again I'm a great champion."
The 28-year-old Philly native and George Washington High graduate stressed the importance of putting his city on the map with this fight.
"It feels good. This is what the city has been missing," he said. "This is what Philadelphia fighters are all about - rising to the occasion - and that's what I've been doing my whole career."
He reiterated a point he's made in the past - that fighting at the Barclays Center will be like fighting in his second home. It's a place where he has fought five times before - and a place where one of these fighters will leave the ring with the first blemish on his pro career.
@CorSharp20