Danny Garcia will face off with Rod Salka as the main event of a highly criticized Showtime card at Barclays Center on August 9. In the face of criticism about Salka's worthiness for a title shot, Garcia's WBC light welterweight title will not be on the line. There has also been a new catchweight added to the mix.
Garcia's team fears he won't be able to make 140 lbs. for the weigh in, so the two sides negotiated a two-lb. bump up and have offered money to Salka in exchange for the advantage given to Garcia; Salka typically campaigns at 135 lbs.
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"I'm sure that everybody will look at the extra weight as an advantage for him because he gets to come in two pounds heavier, but, if you know what I mean, it doesn't matter," said Salka. "People probably would assume that anyway, so I'm fine with that. If he wants to come in at 150, he can come in at 150, know what I mean?" Salka said.
"It doesn't make a difference. I'm the smaller guy, regardless. It's not like he can add 20 pounds of muscle in the next couple of weeks. It just means that he doesn't have to kill himself as much to get down. Whatever. It's still the same guy in there, and if they want to pay me to come in heavier, that's okay with me, too. It's not like I wake up weighing 140 pounds. I have to cut to that weight, too."
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Garcia's rise through the sport has seemingly stalled. He was believed to be in the mix for a Floyd Mayweather fight after upsetting Lucas Matthysse on the Mayweather-Canelo Alvarez undercard, but has managed only a lukewarm victory over Mauricio Herrera in that time.
Fighting Salka was an odd choice-most are projecting a move to welterweight for Garcia sooner rather than later, and Salka is a smaller fighter with a 19-3-0 record that includes just three knockouts.
This card also includes IBF light welterweight champ Lamont Peterson, who will face another questionable opponent in Edgar Santana. These appear to be tune-up fights before an eventual unifying clash between Garcia and Peterson, but with Garcia's issues making weight it's unclear what the next move will be for either man provided they both win.
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