DANNY GARCIA doesn’t provide opponents with bulletin board material. He’s not the quote machine reporters would have him be. But every so often, heโll offer a rare peak into his psyche, such as last February after his ninth-round TKO of Brandon Rios.
While Danny basked in the glow of victory and did a post-fight interview, fellow welterweight contender Shawn Porter stormed the ring and threw shade.
โThis is the Danny Garcia Show!โ Garcia informed Porter, drawing a roar from the Las Vegas crowd. More verbal blows were traded, which set the stage for what many consider a potential Fight of the Year this Saturday, September 8, on a Showtime Championship Boxing card presented by Premier Boxing Champions from Brooklynโs Barclays Center.
The latest episode of the โDanny Garcia Showโ will be for the vacant WBC world welterweight title. The winner will have near kingpin status in the sport’s richest division. A mega-fight versus Errol Spence, for all the marbles, could follow.
In the build up to the fight, Garcia, 30, 34-1 (20 KOs), cooled off and reverted to his usual form: that of a bland boxer. This uninspired approach may be poo-pooed by millennials, but thereโs a method to the monotony. Garcia is an observer; the quiet one in the back studying your every movement unbeknownst to you. He even employs a voluble decoy to distract you from realizing you’re getting made.
Usually that decoy is his father and trainer, Angel Garcia.
Had the duo chosen football as their business, Danny would be Eli Manning to Angel’s Rex Ryan.
Today, Angel is holding court at the Garciaโs DSG Boxing Gym in Philadelphia as he, his sons Danny and Erik, and lifelong friend Miguel Ortiz, relax in the lounge adjacent to the gym.
โPorterโs going to do what he always does,โ Angel moans. โCome in all wild.โ Angel puts his head down and charges the cooler which, presumably, represents his son come this Saturday.
โDannyโs going to keep touching him, wearing him down. Porter gets real sloppy when heโs tired. If he jumps in and Danny catches the right spotโฆsweet Mary, mother of Christ. That bozoโs gonna be snoring.โ
The room erupts in laughter. Angelโs confidence isnโt misguided. His deep-seeded belief began when Danny discovered boxing at age five. The younger Garcia would watch tapes of Julio Cesar Chavez and attempt to emulate him. When Danny was eight, Angel took him to the gym and began training him. His son blossomed, winning the under-19 national championship and the 2006 U.S. National Amateur title at 132lbs.
A close loss in the 2008 Olympic trial finals convinced Garcia to turn pro. On his way up the ranks, he beat names like Ashley Theophane, Nate Campbell and Kendall Holt, before facing Erik Morales for the WBC 140lbs title in 2012. Garcia overcame a valiant effort from the Mexican legend to win a unanimous decision.
Four months later, he notched a huge upset with a fourth-round TKO of Amir Khan. He then capped off a strong year by stopping Morales in a rematch. Next, he decisioned Zab Judah.
In September 2013, Garcia defied oddsmakers again, out-boxing a high-flying Lucas Matthysse. The win cemented his dominance at 140lbs and capped a run unseen in the division since the days of Kostya Tszyu.
Garcia eventually moved up to 147 and won the WBC world title. In March 2017, he fought undefeated WBA champion Keith Thurman in an anticipated unification bout. Thurman controlled the early action and played keep-away late to win a split decision.
โThat was tough to take,โ Garcia reflects, leaning back on a maroon leather couch. โIf I started quicker, won one of the first three rounds, the fight would have been mine. Itโs behind me now. I thought I finished like a true champion in that fight. Thatโs what I took from it.โ
Although Garcia wanted an immediate rematch, his team urged him to take time off and enjoy the fruits of his labour. He spent much of the next 12 months in his Miami home (he owns another on the outskirts of Philadelphia) with long-time girlfriend Erica and his now three-year-old daughter, Philly.
Garciaโs many businesses kept him occupied as well. He manages both of his sistersโ music careers and owns DSG clothing. His Philadelphia investments include six rental properties and a lot he purchased in 2013 that houses a car shop, a car wash, barber shop, a clothing store, a music studio and the private gym where he trains.
Garcia shook off the rust against Rios, ending the match with a single right after a slow start. Then came the confrontation with Porter. If familiarity breeds contempt, the Garcia-Porter beef has been stewing for years. Theyโve known of each other since the amateurs but never fought, as Porter competed at 165lbs.
โIt wasnโt in Porterโs destiny to box,โ Angel says dismissively. โHe was supposed to be a football player but was too little for it. Danny was destined. So, youโve got a natural gifted guy who was meant to be a fighter against someone made into a fighter.โ
True or not, Porter, 28-2-1 (17 KOs), is built like a Spartan. At 5โ7โ, heโs 1.5โ shorter than Garcia and resembles a mini-Mike Tyson, mugging opponents on the inside.
Garcia isnโt quite convinced.
โThe older you get, the more youโre supposed to go up in weight, not down,โ he says. โHeโs 30 years old and still fighting at welter after being 165 in the amateurs. I think he would be a bigger puncher if he moved up.โ
โI donโt think Porter is a special fighter,โ he continued. โHe knows what he can do, trains really hard and comes prepared. But at this level, everyone comes prepared so that doesnโt matter.โ
According to Angel, Danny sparred nearly 150 rounds with eight sparring partners.
โComing off the layoff, I wasnโt sharp against Rios,โ Garcia notes. โSparring for this camp has got me to where I need to be. Weโve got aggressive guys, short, awkward styles, guys who come in all wild. Weโre ready for everything.โ
Garcia-Porter isnโt just one of the most anticipated fights this year, itโs one of the best matchups that can be made in boxing.
โItโs going to be great to be world champion again,โ Danny says. โPorter is a good fighter but this isnโt my biggest win. I mean, Iโm going to make him one of my biggest wins but, on paper, it really isnโt.โ
For Garcia, itโs just his 36th fightโor another broadcast of the Danny Garcia Show.