Danny Garcia Makes Promised Return at 154 to Battle Jose Benavidez Jr!
It’s been a year and a half since we last saw two-division champion Danny “Swift” Garcia (36-3, 21KOs) in the ring. Back in December of 2020, he was thoroughly dominated by unified 147-pound champion Errol Spence. Now, the Philly native will look to put that loss behind him as he embarks on his pursuit of becoming a three-division champion. Garcia will be making his debut at junior middleweight. He’ll be taking on Jose Benavidez Jr (27-1-1, 18KOs) on July 30 live on Showtime. Swift has openly talked about his plan to migrate to 154. At 34, the time for him is now.
His opponent, Benavidez Jr., is the older brother of two-time WBC 168-pound champion David Benavidez. Benavidez is a former world title challenger who challenged WBO welterweight champion Terence Crawford back in 2018. He would lose to Crawford by stoppage in the twelfth round of their fight. He’s been hampered by a right knee injury stemming from being shot in 2016 that has affected his ability to fight consistently. Following the Crawford fight, he would make his three-year comeback against Francisco Emmanuel Torres, fighting to a majority draw.
This fight poses another opportunity for the talented but injury-prone Benavidez to notch a career-defining victory. As for Garcia, can he truly make his mark at 154? Gifted with a great chin, a vicious left hook and a wealth of experience, one has to think he’ll make for some good fights in his new weight class. However, will his fighting style translate to wins at 154? If it’s the swift Garcia that fought Spence, I’m not so sure.
Reading Time: 2 minutes
By: Jerrell Fletcher
