“I’m one of the hardest hitters in boxing, period!”
When former world champion Danny “Swift” Garcia (36-2, 21 KO’s) goes into his next boxing match, he will do so as the underdog. That will still be the case even though his opponent, WBC and IBF world welterweight champion Errol “The Truth” Spence Jr (26-2, 21 KO’s), very well might be damaged goods.
Regardless of what people are saying however, Garcia is completely comfortable being labeled the underdog. It is a role that he has worn countless times before. It is also a stigma that he has shattered many times before. So, on December 5, the thunderous punching Philly native will look to prove the doubters wrong once again.
NUMBERS DON’T LIE!
While Swift has become accustomed to people counting him out, he finds solace in being a tremendous draw in the sport. Even if the critics do not back his skill, he is adamant that the fans prove their loyalty with their viewership and marketing dollars. Garcia went a bit deeper into the matter while talking with Fight Hype.
“I feel like numbers don’t lie, at the end of the day this is a numbers game. So when you sell out the Barclays Center, when you have a market, when you have millions of views the fans see. You can’t force the fans to like you.”
“No matter how much the media pumps you and the media pumps you like a superstar and the fans don’t like you, you can’t force the fans to like you. You can’t force the fans to buy a ticket, you can’t force them to watch you fight. And I have proved that no matter what people say about me, they come to watch me. And my fans love me!”
AINT NO ONE HITTING LIKE ME!
Yet, when Garcia slips through the ropes to battle Spence, he will not rely on the love of the fans to see him to victory. For that task, he is reliant on his skillset, past experience and, of course, his tremendous punching power!
“No doubt about it, I don’t think that he has ever been in there with a fighter that can punch like me! Actually no, I know he hasn’t; I am one of the hardest hitters in boxing period! So anybody who steps in the ring with me I am going to be the hardest hitter that they faced!”
TIME TO PROVE YOUR POSITION
No matter how hard Garcia punches, or how confident he is, he certainly understands how important this bout is. While it seems odd to call this a ‘crossroads’ fight for such a decorated boxer, that is what this amounts too. Up until his tenure at welterweight, Swift enjoyed a nearly flawless professional career. Not only that, he still has one of the best resumes in the sport.
Nevertheless, right from his second bout in the division, against Lamont “Havoc” Peterson (35-5-1, 17 KO’s), many started seeing chinks in the armor. Few believed that Havoc should have gotten the nod, but it was undeniable that Peterson clearly out-boxed him in the second half of the bout.
Four prizefights later, Keith “One Time” Thurman (29-1, 22 KO’s) did out-box him, thereby handing him his first loss. Then two bouts after that Shawn “Showtime” Porter (31-3-1, 17 KO’s) out worked him and served Garcia his second professional loss. This is why a number of fans and insiders felt that Swift was an elite fighter, just not the cream of the 147 division crop.
Now, with this bout against Spence, who most feel is the man of the division, Garcia can establish himself as the top dog of the welterweight landscape. So, come December 5, we can see if Spence is still who he was, and if so, does Garcia have what it takes to defeat him? There is clearly a lot riding on the line, so you will just have to tune in to see how it plays out!
By: Bakari Simpson
