Danny "Swift" Garcia upset knockout artist Lucas Matthysse on September 14th, on the undercard of Floyd Mayweather Jr.'s victory over Canelo Alvarez. The win kept Garcia undefeated, as Matthysse became another Goliath toppled by the underdog from Philadelphia.
Still, Garcia didn't earn a shot at Floyd Mayweather Jr. The names right now in the hat are Amir Khan, Marcos Maidana, and the longest of long shots, Manny Pacquiao. According to ESPN's Dan Rafael, the smart money is on Khan, whom Garcia knocked out in July of 2012.
Garcia's taken the slight well, remaining humble and saying publicly he's not going to be made or broken by getting a fight against "Money." "I'm not chasing any fights. I'm just fighting whoever they put in front of me," Garcia said in November. His father and trainer Angel Garcia's comments were in lockstep-- "Danny wants to make his own legacy. If we get Mayweather, we get it. If we don't, we do our own thing."
Although May is not likely, Rafael thinks that Garcia could be his September opponent. I think if Floyd fights Khan in May he would likely fight Maidana or Garcia in September," Rafael said while giving slim chances to Paulie Malignaggi and Keith Thurman.
In addition to Rafael saying it's possible, veteran trainer Naazim Richardson believes Garcia has what it takes to pull off a monumental upset. "Tim Bradley and Danny Garcia are capable of beating anyone in boxing," Richardson said.
"Tim and Danny Garcia are young versions of Bernard Hopkins. You can never gauge them. You can't watch film on them. You can't anticipate them, because they are super over-achievers."
Bradley's name has come up before regarding Mayweather, but his association with Top Rank means a deal is nearly impossible to consummate. Garcia works with Showtime though, and likely would be amenable to just about any terms Floyd stipulates.
"If Tim or Danny Garcia beat Floyd I would not be shocked," Richardson said.
© Copyright 2024 Sports World News, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.