Danny Garcia Seeks to Secure his Legacy Through Erislandy Lara
For quite some time, two-division champion Danny “Swift” Garcia (37-3, 21 KO’s) has stated that he wants to end his career as a three-division champion. Now, on September 14, he will get that chance when he faces off with WBA middleweight champion Erislandy “The American Dream” Lara (30-3-3, 18 KO’s).
“It’s definitely legacy; my legacy means everything to me. Since I started boxing, I wanted to be an Olympic gold medalist, I wanted to be a world champion in three different weight classes. I didn’t get the gold medal but I got two championships in two different divisions and I always said I wanted three, and right now I am speaking my words into existence . . . It would mean the world to me! This is my dream right here. Everyone don’t achieve their dreams; I already did it two times in two different weight classes and the third one is the charm!”
Danny Garcia speaking with Boxing Social
WHO WANTS IT?!
When Garcia slides through the ropes to challenge Lara, he will certainly have a number of hurdles to overcome. To begin, his September 14 duel will snap over two solid years of inactivity for the Philly native. In his last at bat, Swift overcame Jose Benavidez Jr. by way of majority decision well back on July 30, 2022.
Along with the time away from the ring, Garcia will be going up in weight to challenge Lara as a middleweight. Swift actually launched his career as a welterweight before dropping down to junior welterweight where he first became world champion. He would later return to 147 to defeat Robert Guerrero and become a two-division champion. Now he has his current ambition to annex Lara’s WBA title and claim it as his own. As Garcia will have his own physical obstacles to overcome, the same can be said of Lara.
While The American Dream is certainly still a talented boxer, there is no denying that he has lost several steps since moving past his physical prime. The sun has long set on the days of his awe-inspiring footwork as he is now a much more stationary fighter. This naturally will play into the hands of the hard-hitting Garcia. So, at this late stage for both combatants, September 14 will show who has the most left in the gas tank.
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