HEAVY HITTER
Garcia confident he can pound Thurman with extra weight
If Keith Thurman is being given any kind of edge against Danny Garcia when the two meet Saturday night in a welterweight unification bout at Barclays Center, it’s because Thurman has fought at 147 pounds for most of his career and this will be only the fourth fight in that weight class for Garcia.
Thurman, the WBA welterweight champion at 27-0 with 22 knockouts, feels like that makes him the bigger fighter and the bigger puncher. But Garcia, the WBC champion at 33-0 with 19 knockouts, isn’t buying that. A unified champion for five years at 140 pounds, Garcia says moving up to 147 pounds will make him a stronger and much more dangerous fighter Saturday night.
“I’m strong at 147 pounds,” said Garcia of North Philadelphia. “I’m able to stalk you down for 12 rounds or move for 12 rounds and my defense is still tight in the later rounds because I have my legs under me and my arms feel strong and I’m still able to think.”
Garcia says that wasn’t happening during his final fights as a junior welterweight, where making the 140-pound limit became increasingly difficult. After escaping with a majority decision against Lamont Peterson in April 2015, Garcia moved up to welterweight and has won by technical knockout in two of his three fights.
“I was squeezing my body down to 140,” Garcia said. “But I was the champion and I didn’t want to give up the titles. But at 140 pounds, I would train so hard to lose the weight I didn’t have any energy for the later rounds of the fight. Now I can train for 12 rounds and feel good about myself.”
It’s not like he’s been eating cheese steaks either.
“You still have to sacrifice,” Garcia said.
It just isn’t torture. He’s prepared to go 12 hard rounds against Thurman in what will be only the third fight in boxing history featuring unbeaten welterweight title holders.
“My job is to go in there and do what I do better than what he does,” Garcia said. “I’ve been in the trenches. I’ve been in hard fights. I’ve been in tough fights. I know what I’ve got to do when I’m in there.”
The bout will be broadcast on CBS television beginning at 9 p.m., offering a chance for huge exposure. When Thurman won a unanimous decision over Shawn Porter in June 2016 on CBS, some 4 million viewers tuned in. Garcia, who is fighting at Barclays Center for the sixth time, is looking forward to the spotlight.
“This is what boxing is all about,” he said.
With his dad serving as his manager and trainer, Garcia already has strong Hall of Fame credentials. He has beaten Nate Campbell, Kendall Holt, Erick Morales, Amir Khan, Zab Judah, Lucas Matthysse, Peterson, Paul Malignaggi and Robert Guerrero. But he needs this signature win over Thurman to make him a legend.
“People may not know too much of me from those other fights, but I’ve grown a lot as a fighter,” Garcia said. “I’m older. I’m smarter. I’m more seasoned. I know my identity as a fighter and that’s the most important thing.”
His father, Angel Garcia, figures to be in corner Saturday night. The elder Garcia confirmed he met with the New York State Athletic Commission last week about his licensing for the fight. Garcia was called in after using vulgar language during a press conference Jan. 18. Garcia said to show good faith, he did a PSA video for kids and made a donation to the Joe Frazier Foundation.
“They told me to do something and I did it,” Angel Garcia said.
Father and son who began this journey decades ago will get to fulfill a dream Saturday night: a unification fight on prime-time television.
“This is the perfect time for a big fight in my career,” Danny Garcia said. “I’m happy.”