DANNY GARCIA and Shawn Porter will contest the vacant WBC welterweight world title on September 8 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
โIโm excited for this fight because Iโm a world championship-level fighter and this gives me the chance to be back where Iโve been for so long. It doesnโt matter who it is, Iโm just happy to be back and fighting for the title,โ Garcia said. โThereโs no pressure on me, Iโm just going to come to fight. We can dance if he wants, but I guarantee Iโm coming to bang with him in the middle of the ring. I feel Iโm the stronger puncher, have the faster hands and am the better all-around fighter.
โI have to go in there and make adjustments and do what I do best. Iโll set the tempo and the pace and take it one round at a time.โ
The WBC title was vacated by Keith Thurman, who has been recovering from injury since beating Garcia last year. โThe loss against Keith Thurman hurt me for a little bit. I thought I finished the fight strong and won. At the end of the day though, I feel motivated again. I feel more motivated now than I did before the fight. Thereโs something different inside of me,โ Garcia said.
But Porter had a warning for him. โThis is a great opportunity to get the fight I wanted for my career. Iโm thriving right now and youโll see it all on fight night,โ he said. โIโm a very difficult fighter to prepare for. You never know what youโll get with me. Iโm used to being the underdog and I thrive on it. Iโm the more intelligent fighter at the end of the day.
โI think for a long time, watching Danny do what he does and hearing him say what heโd do to me, I got stirred up to the point where I really wanted this fight. I made that known after his fight against Brandon Rios and I think thatโs why weโre here right now.
โThe belt is all I want. Winning a title is always special, but beating Danny Garcia for it will be icing on the cake. Heโs been a top fighter for a long time and this win will help solidify me. Once I have the belt, the skyโs the limit.โ