By: Sean Crose
“At the end of the day, I don’t pick my opponent,” said Danny Garcia in the summer of 2014. “My manager, Al Haymon, and I never went against him.” This was not something fans wanted to hear from the Philadelphia boxer at the time. For the undefeated Garcia, then one of the biggest names in boxing, was faced with a virtual unknown named Rod Salka in a match that on paper clearly appeared to be criminal abuse. Even the WBC and WBA, for whom Garcia owns welterweight titles, refuse to sanction the match – and with good reason.
As I wrote after the mismatched match: “Garcia hit much harder which caused his man to fail in the second moment. Salka then got down on one knee later in the round. He was then placed flat on his back by Garcia as the crowd went wild and Willis stopped the fight. It may not have been a love affair that didn’t go well, but it was completely predictable. This certainly isn’t one of Garcia’s – or boxing -‘s better moments. As I bitterly wrote in the same paragraph, Salka is “an unknown who operates in the weight class below him (Garcia). An unknown Garcia is currently fighting with more weight than he normally fights. “
It was an ugly moment, for sure – but in the end people are much more than their darkest moments, and it wouldn’t be fair if Garcia were to be remembered one day just for that terrible night. . Fortunately, Garcia will most likely be remembered for much more. Now, the 34-year-old former world player has built an impressive 36-3 record in a career of nearly fifteen years – largely against some of the most dangerous and challenging names in the business. . Amir Khan, Shawn Porter, Paulie Malignaggi, Keith Thurman, Brandon Rios, Errol Spence, J.
Honestly, Garcia is also a pretty nice and dedicated guy, which makes it easy to wish him the best when he returns to the ring after a more than a year and a half absence to face off. with Jose Benevidez Jr in an upcoming Showtime main event. Saturday. While Benevidez Jr is no Jermell Charlo, he is certainly no joke. When one considers the fact that Garcia is moving up to the junior middle division this time around and he is facing legitimate competition, it’s hard to say what his return match this weekend will be. a walk in the figurative park. In other words, the future of the so-called “Swift” fighter is uncertain at the moment – and that’s a good thing. Those who step into the unknown deserve a certain amount of respect.
