Danny Garcia's stamina and fame help him to a surprising title fight

Danny Garcia co-starred when Saul “Canelo” Alvarez fought Floyd Mayweather Jr. in 2013, defeating Lucas Matthysse to defend his WBC middleweight title for a fourth time.

Eleven years later, Garcia (37-3, 21 KOs) will co-headline an Alvarez event for the second time when he challenges WBA middleweight champion Erislandy Lara (30-3-3, 18 KOs) at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

The fight will be held in the 157-pound catchweight class.

“Swift” Garcia, now 36, capitalizes on his stamina and notoriety and will return for the surprise title shot after a 27-month hiatus, hoping to become a three-division champion and boost his chances of being inducted into the Hall of Fame.

“I'm happy to be back and excited to be here. This event is the biggest there is,” Garcia told BoxingScene.

“I will be the best fighter Lara has faced in years. I am ready for whatever he brings to the table. Yes, definitely [I made the catchweight request]. He's the champion, but I'm the name. He's going to make some money fighting me. So we met in the middle.

“You really can’t say whether Lara has any faults [at the age of 41] because he knocks out weaker opponents. It will definitely be a game of chess in the beginning. He is a very smart fighter. I also have to stay smart and calm, make adjustments like a real champion and win as many rounds as possible. I would like to outbox the boxer, but if it becomes a fight, we are ready to fight. I am ready for anything.”

Garcia last fought in July 2022, defeating Jose Benavidez Jr. in his junior middleweight debut after defeating Matthysse, Erik Morales (twice), Amir Khan, Zab Judah, Lamont Peterson, Paul Malignaggi, Robert Guerrero and Brandon Rios, among others, in the 140- and 147-pound divisions. Garcia also has close point losses to Keith Thurman, Shawn Porter and Errol Spence Jr.

Win or lose, due to his size and the fact that this division is arguably the weakest in the sport, Garcia could be out of the 160-pound division after just one fight. Additionally, Garcia may have many more significant fights in the 154-pound division against the likes of Terence Crawford, Sebastian Fundora, Vergil Ortiz Jr., Jermell Charlo, Tim Tszyu, Israil Madromov and Serhii Bohachuk, and even rematches against Thurman and Spence.

“There is definitely a difference in sparring [against middleweights]”, said Garcia.

“I actually feel a lot faster than them. They're physically stronger when you hit them. They feel bigger. I'm working on timing my punches and not really trying to load up too much and let my hands go.

“I've never shied away from anyone, but there's no one by name in the middleweight division. I'm sure there are guys who can fight in that division, but I really don't know any of the names. I'd like to try Keith Thurman again. I wanted to avenge that loss, and that was the toughest. All of these big fights make sense and are easy to organize. I need to beat Lara to get to the next level.”

Immediately after the victory against Benavidez, Garcia spoke about his mental health issues. The Philadelphia-born and raised fighter also founded his own advertising companySwift Promotion, and staged a show in Atlantic City.

As he approaches the final phase of his career, talks of his retirement are beginning to emerge.

“Right now I'm taking one fight at a time,” Garcia said. “Boxing is hard work, dedication and sacrifice, and you lose time with your family and your kids. You can't fight forever, but right now I love it. If I feel like I've lost a step in the gym, that's when it's time for me to stop.”

“My dream was to become a three-division champion and that dream is right in front of me. I just have to go get it to make history.”

Manouk Akopyan is a sports journalist, author and broadcast reporter whose work has appeared on ESPN, Fox Sports, USA Today, The Guardian, Newsweek, Men's Health, NFL.com, Los Angeles Times, Philadelphia Inquirer, Ring Magazine and more. He has been writing for BoxingScene since 2018. Manouk is a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and the MMA Journalists Association. He can be reached at X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, LinkedIn And YouTubeby email to manouk[dot]Subscribe[at]gmail.com or via www.ManoukAkopyan.com.