Sixteen months ago, the morning after he lost to Keith Thurman, Danny “Swift” Garcia woke up a non-champion for the first time in five years. It was a feeling he thought he might never experience, and it was a situation he was anxious to correct.
However, his hopes of an immediate rematch with Thurman were dashed when Keith – and his pair of 147-pound titles - went on the DL. Garcia took some time off – too much some would say – and rebounded nearly one year later with a TKO of Brandon Rios.
It was a nice win – and a highlight reel KO – but it did not restore that feeling of being a champion that Danny had been missing. Thurman remained on the shelf and eventually let go of his world titles. This development opened the door for Garcia to vie for the same championship belt that he lost against Thurman.
His chance comes Saturday night at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, when Garcia takes on Shawn Porter, 28-2-1, 17 KOs, in a 12-round fight for the WBC welterweight championship, broadcast live on Showtime.
Garcia, 34-1, 20 KOs, has experienced the emotional rollercoaster since losing to Thurman. No longer a champion and no longer undefeated, the Philly native did his share of soul-searching, but never felt that his career or his time at the top was over. Garcia, and his outspoken father / trainer Angel Garcia, ruminated over the loss and waited patiently for their chance to prove themselves yet again.
Danny was used to being Philly’s champion, a feeling he had gotten used to and one that he took seriously.
In Porter, Garcia will find a high-quality, and famously busy opponent who loves to fight and who figures to be directly in front of him – right in punching range. That should be a good formula for Danny, who has the power to turn any fight on a dime.
To prepare for this fight, Team Garcia again went into “lockdown mode” at the DSG Boxing Gym. Usually an open locale for fans, media, and young aspiring boxers from the area, the gym was off limits to everyone outside Garcia’s immediate circle leading up to the fight.
Despite the many opportunities at 147 that lie before Garcia if he beats Porter, at 30, Danny is perhaps beginning to see a life beyond boxing.
And beyond Porter, what are his goals?
For now, all eyes of Team Garcia on firmly set on one goal, Shawn Porter and the fight on Saturday night.