(Photo credit: Hogan Photos) By Chris Williams: WBA/WBC light welterweight champion Danny Garcia’s fight this Saturday night against Rod Salka (19-3, 3 KOs) is really about Garcia staying in line for a big money shot against WBA/WBC welterweight Floyd Mayweather Jr in 2015.
This may be Garcia’s only shot at getting a fight against Mayweather, because he could retire after his contract with Showtime expires at the end of next year. Staying in line for a Mayweather fight is very likely the biggest reason why Garcia’s adviser Al Haymon chose to match him up against such a soft touch in Salka.
He saw what happened when he put him in with a decent 140 pounder in Mauricio Herrera last March. Garcia pretty much got beat and was given a decision as controversial as Oscar De La Hoya’s win over Felix Sturm many years ago. Keeping Garcia in the running for the Mayweather payday is the most important thing for his management, which is why we’re not likely to see Garcia put in with anyone good again until he gets that payday fight.
Even matched against a soft job in Salka, Garcia does have pressure on him. He’s got to put in a Mayweather-worthy performance in this fight in order to ensure Mayweather will select him next year. The last thing that Mayweather wants to fight is a guy that the boxing world sees as a cherry picker and someone who is being given gift decisions left and right.
That’s why Garcia has got to obliterate Salka in lightning fashion. Garcia needs to take Salka out and leave no question in the minds of anyone who the better fighter is in this fight. If Salka makes Garcia struggle to get the win, then that’s going to be as good as a loss for Garcia and he’ll be able to forget all about getting a fight against Mayweather.
Haymon needs to wise up and realize that Garcia is taking massive amounts of criticism due to him not being put back in with Herrera, and with him being matched against little 5’7” Salka. If Haymon doesn’t start putting Garcia in with good opponents again, he may turn him into a fighter Mayweather won’t want to fight due to the fan dislike of Garcia.
Mayweather wants to fight guys that boxing fans respect. That’s why he’s fighting Marcos Maidana, and that’s he’s faced Saul “Canelo” Alvarez and Miguel Cotto recently. Those guys didn’t have people calling them a cherry picker before Mayweather. Earlier this year when Mayweather was trying to pick between fighting Amir Khan and Maidana, Mayweather went with Maidana due in part to huge amount of respect fans had for Maidana in comparison to Khan. Fans respected Khan, but Maidana seemed to have the fans fully on his side in poll after poll.
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