By Jim Maltzman: Danny Garcia (36-2, 21 KOs) is targeting Errol Spence, Manny Pacquiao, Mikey Garcia, Keith Thurman, and Shawn Porter when the sport starts up again. The former two-division world champion Danny, 31, wants the biggest names at this point in his career.
Danny believes he’s got the style to defeat all the top 147-pound big names on his target list. There’s a good chance that Garcia will be picked by IBF/WBC welterweight champion Spence Jr. (26-0, 21 KOs) when the action restarts.
Spence says he wants Danny to be his next opponent, and he’s ready to take the match without the benefit of a tune-up.
There are a lot of questions on whether Garcia has the talent to beat the top names at 147, as he’s come up short when he’s fought the elite welterweights. Garcia lost to Thurman in 2017 and Porter in 2018.
Those are the two names that stand out among the competition that Danny has fought since he moved up to 147 in 2014. The last time Danny defeated a high-level fighter was in 2014 when he beat Lamont Peterson by a narrow 12 round majority decision.
Danny Garcia recovering during lockdown
“I’m letting my body recover, and I’m just resting up right now,” said Danny Garcia to PBC Podcast. “When it’s time to turn up, I’ll turn up. I felt great. I got the rounds in, and I felt sharp,” said Danny on his win over Ivan Redkach last January.
“The only thing I didn’t do was get the knockout. I was ready, but he didn’t want to exchange with me. He was trying to stay away every time I hurt him. But overall, I felt like I did a great job, I won every round, and it’s on to the next.
“It’s a different thing when you fight more prominent names. It’s more intensity, and it’s going to be a stricter challenger. So you have to prepare mentally and physically for it,” said Danny.
Garcia did an excellent job of beating fringe contender Ivan Redkach (23-5-1, 18 KOs) by a 12 round unanimous decision on January 25. The only criticism Garcia received from the boxing world off of that performance was his inability to knock out the 33-year-old Redkach. Danny got hit a lot in that fight, and he didn’t destroy Redkach like many had predicted going into the clash.
But it’s not surprising that Garcia failed at stopping Redkach, as he’s not shown the same power at 147 as he did when he fought at 140. In the 140-pound division, Garcia’s power was more devastating than it is at 147.
Spence, Pacquiao, Thurman, Mikey & Porter on Danny’s list
“That’s what we want,” said Garcia when asked if he wants to face Errol Spence Jr. “I want him [Spence], Manny Pacquiao, or a rematch with Keith Thurman or Shawn Porter, and even Mikey Garcia. That would be a big fight. All those fights, that’s what I want. Any of those fights can be next for me. That’s what I want next.
“That was a good fight,” said Danny on the Spence vs. Porter fight last September. “I had Porter ahead before the knockdown [in round 11]. I had Porter winning the battle. When Spence scored the knockdown and won the 12th round, I had him winning by one point,” said Danny.
Spence, Pacquiao, or Mikey would be the better options for Danny in his next. He already lost to Porter and Thurman, and it wouldn’t be the best use of his time to face either of them right now.
Danny will need to make some changes in his game if he wants to beat Spence or Pacquiao. Those guys are both fighting at a high level now, and they would be a nightmare for Danny with their offensive weapons.
Garcia ready to face Spence
“I was told I was going to fight him next,” said Garcia on him, talking about entering the ring to call out Spence after his win over Porter. “And I said, ‘Yeah, why not? I want to be champion again, and he’s got two belts, and this will be an opportunity to become a world champion again and win two more belts.’ So I went into the ring and called him out.
“It is entertainment, and this is what fighters want to see,” said Danny on him entering the ring to challenge Spence. “Sometimes, you have to step out of your element. I’ve never done that before, and it was new to me. It is entertainment, and that’s what the fans want to see. So that’s what we’ve got to give them,” Garcia said.
If Garcia can’t get the fight with Pacquiao, then Spence is his best choice for him to make money. However, the pay-per-view money might not be there for Danny if he faces Spence on Fox Sports PPV in his first fight back after the lockdown. A lot of boxing fans won’t have the extra spending cash to plunk down on ordering a Spence-Garcia fight in 2021. It would be smart for Garcia to face Spence in 2021 or 2022, as long as the global pandemic has ended.
Danny Garcia: Spence is the perfect style for me
“I feel like that’s a good style for me because Porter was hitting him a lot,” said Danny when asked how he would do against Spence. “And I have seen things in the Mikey Garcia that I could take advantage of and defeat him.
“I have some big wins in my career, and I’ve fought some pretty high-level fights, but it’ll rank among those big wins,” Garcia on him potentially defeating Spence. “It depends on how I beat him. So that plays a factor too,” said Garcia.
After the punishment Spence took in his last contest against Porter last September, he’s likely going to focus on boxing Danny from the outside the way Thurman did. Additionally, Spence is coming off of a car crash on October 10, and that’s another reason why he’s not going to slug it out with Danny.
Pacquiao a fight Danny wants
“I think that’s the biggest fight for Manny [Pacquiao]. He wants the money, and the pay-per-view buys. I feel like I’m the perfect guy to fight that’s going to meet that [requirement], you know?” said Danny in being asked about Pacquiao having him on his shortlist of potential opponents for his next fight.
“But it’s up to him, he’s a legend, and that’s a fight that I want. I thought it would happen in the summertime [last year], but he fought Thurman. It is what it is, but I’m here. If the legend [Pacquiao] wants to fight, then let’s get it on,” said Garcia.
Pacquiao vs. Danny would be a 50-50 fight, and that would be the perfect match-up to interest fans. In some ways, Pacquiao-Garcia is a better fight than Pacquiao-Spence because it would be one where the odds-makers and fans wouldn’t know for sure who the winner will be.