garcia3 By Dallas Orysiuk Fear is an unpleasant emotion because the idea that someone or something will pose a danger towards you, likely resulting in pain or a threat. Is Danny “Swift” Garcia showing that emotion at the thought of stepping into the ring with “The Machine” Lucas Matthysse?

The danger is “The Machine”; the pain will be felt by Garcia on his face and body because of Matthysse’s tremendous power. The threat Matthysse poses is towards Danny’s unbeaten record, his hype and his WBC, WBA (super) and Ring Magazine light-welterweight belts.

When Matthysse impressively stopped Lamont Peterson in the third round, you could see what appeared to be fear Garcia’s face, you could see it in his awkward smirk.

Is it possible that Danny Garcia will look to step aside from a Matthysse clash by staying as far away from him as possible?
In interviews Garcia will not mention his name and will only briefly discuss “the machine” when asked directly. When Garcia is asked he starts to stutter and continually beats around the bush. Prior to Matthysse’s destruction of Peterson, the Garcia camp seemed extremely dismissive at the idea of facing Lucas Matthysse.

Danny was asked if he would fight the winner of Matthysse/Peterson, Garcia began to stutter and said he would fight whoever his adviser Al Haymon places in front of him. But to be the best, shouldn’t you want to face the best? Garcia should have been salivating at the thought of fighting the winner to prove he is the best at 140 pounder.

Instead he dismissed the idea and went as far as saying Matthysse would lose to Peterson. He probably didn’t believe that Matthysse would lose… he just hoped he would. His father went even further by saying they are not taking part in the 140 lb. tournament that would pit Garcia against Matthysse.

Following Matthysse’s impressive performance against Peterson, the Garcia camp has been silent. Angel Garcia, Danny Garcia’s father and trainer who is always running his mouth, blabbing, blurting and talking about something has been awfully silent. Garcia has been asked in a few interviews if he would face Matthysse and he has never given a clear answer… often stating he will face whoever his promoter and manager want him to fight. The silence is unusual, Garcia and his father are always yapping, but to hear so little from them is almost eerie.

To make matters worse there are now more rumors floating around the net about unrealistic demands coming from the Garcia camp. As reported via Steve Kim’s twitter (https://twitter.com/stevemaxboxing) Garcia wants additional drug testing done by Matthysse; testing that goes beyond the extent of the commission’s demands. Garcia wants Matthysse to partake in USDA testing which would not allow him to train at home in his native Argentina. What makes this ironic is that 8 days before the rematch against the faded 36 year old Erik Morales, Morales tested positive for the banned substance Clenbuterol.

Despite the failed drug test, Garcia went forward to fight the aging Morales in a pointless rematch. But when he is pitted against someone with a pulse and as dangerous as Matthysse, Garcia now wants stringent testing? Is this an attempt to derail a potential showdown where Garcia is at risk of getting knocked out and losing his titles.

It has also been rumored that Garcia was in talks for another pointless rematch… this time against the 35 year old Zab Judah. The talk of a Zab Judah vs. Lamont Peterson matchup has been thrown out the window, and Judah was brought on the Showtime broadcast last Saturday as a special guest… signs that point towards Garcia/Judah II. This is a pointless rematch, Zab Judah is past his prime, the first fight wasn’t very close until the final three rounds, and Garcia will be heavily scrutinized if he takes this fight.

Additional rumors floating the net state that Garcia has priced himself out of the Matthysse showdown. There has been talk that Garcia is asking for 2 million dollars for the fight, and there have even been rumors that he wants 4 million. Both numbers are well above what Garcia has made in the past, with his highest purse of $1.25 million coming most recently against Judah, as reported by Dan Rafael. (https://twitter.com/danrafaelespn).

In a way you cannot blame Danny for requesting a minimum of $2 million dollars… knowing that you were possibly going to hit a speed bump in your career by getting knocked out cold, wouldn’t you want a career high pay day? Although the “top dog” at junior welterweight should be happy to prove his worth against the guy they are calling the most dangerous junior welterweight.

There is no question that Danny Garcia is one of the top fighters at 140 lbs. But rated number one seems farfetched. Garcia has numerously said he is the best and the number one at junior welterweight, and he even said this to the camera after Matthysse steam rolled Peterson. But to be the best you need to prove it. Garcia needs to show the fans that he is a warrior and is willing to fight “the next best” guy in the division in Matthysse.

No doubt Garcia has an impressive resume, but isn’t it time for him to step up in competition? Matthysse is Garcia’s mandatory, he is ranked number two in the division, and many feel he should be ranked above Garcia. This alone justifies the fight. Not to mention, this is the match the fans want to see, it is what we are demanding. Garcia is undefeated with a record of 26-0 (16 KOs), and Matthysse is 34-2 (32 KOs), with his two losses being highly disputed.

This is for supremacy at junior welterweight, one of boxing’s hottest divisions. This clash may determine who receives a future Mayweather payday. This would be a tremendous fight for as long as it lasts…this is the “clash of the titans”. The only question left to answer is, will Danny “Swift” Garcia quit looking for excuses and step up to the plate to fight Lucas “The Machine” Matthysse.