Garcia's not likely to fight Mayweather next
Danny Garcia wore a custom winter jacket - with "Team Garcia" stitched on the back - and a matching black-and-red snow hat.
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Danny Garcia wore a custom winter jacket - with "Team Garcia" stitched on the back - and a matching black-and-red snow hat.
The boxing champion was well-dressed on Monday afternoon for the brisk air that flowed into the Red Cross House in Powelton Village each time someone opened the door after receiving a turkey.
But the first-time turkey distributor forgot to protect his hands before pulling the frozen birds from their cardboard boxes.
"Thankfully someone let me borrow these gloves because the turkeys were cold," said Garcia, who was aided by Bernard Hopkins.
The boxers distributed 400 free turkeys and will do so again on Tuesday at 10 a.m. at 1111 Spring Garden St.
"This means more to me than anything," said Garcia. "Today was about the people."
Sometime next year - perhaps as early as April - Garcia will trade those black-knit gloves for his familiar boxing gloves. The bigger question is whom the champ will face.
The 25-year-old defended his light-welterweight titles in September against Lucas Matthysse and was rumored to be fighting Floyd Mayweather Jr. in May.
Hopkins, who has said he considers Garcia his protégé, said he expects Mayweather to fight Amir Khan instead. Garcia knocked out Khan in July 2012.
"I'm not chasing any fights," Garcia said. "I'm just fighting whoever they put in front of me."
His father and trainer, Angel Garcia, said the Khan-Mayweather fight "irritates" him. "What's up with the champ?" he said. "The champ doesn't even have a date yet."
Danny Garcia's next fight could be at 147 pounds, seven more than the limit of his usual weight class.
A likely plan could be a spring fight against a welterweight contender and then a date in September with Mayweather, the sport's biggest attraction.
"Danny wants to make his own legacy," Angel Garcia said. "If we get Mayweather, we get it. If we don't, we do our own thing."
The Garcias were ringside in October when Hopkins defended his IBF light-heavyweight title against Karo Murat. Hopkins said that he should know his next opponent in a few months. The 48-year-old believes he is more relevant now than he was a year ago.
"There are so many good options for me," Hopkins said. "Whatever is meaningful for me. I'm not chasing one particular person."
Hopkins said he has been giving out turkeys for five years and does it sometimes even in the summer.
He didn't have advice - or a pair of gloves - for Garcia. But Hopkins did leave the young champion with a thought.
"Thank God that you're in the position to be giving out turkeys and no one is giving you one," Hopkins said. "That's my message to any person, that it could easily be you in that line."
@matt_breen