Danny Garcia not worried about Malignaggi fight

By Boxing News - 07/22/2015 - Comments

Garcia_Cunningham_7-22-15_18452(Photo credit: Ed Diller/DiBella) By Dan Ambrose: Former WBC 140lb champion Danny Garcia (30-0, 17 KOs) has only 10 days to go before his fight against 34-year-old Paulie Malignaggi (33-6, 7 KOs) on August 1st on Premier Boxing Champions on ESPN from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.

As bad as the 27-year-old Garcia looked in his last fight in April against Lamont Peterson, he should potentially be at least a little worried about what the light hitting Malignaggi has to bring for this fight, but he isn’t. Garcia feels that with the extra four pounds that he’ll be able to weigh-in at in this fight at 147 rather than 143 in his catch-weight against Peterson, he’ll be a lot stronger.

In fact, Garcia already says he feels much stronger not having to strip off a ton of weight like he’s had to do in his past fights. However, Garcia hasn’t started dehydrating yet because there’s still 10 days to go before the fight, so it’s quite possible that he’ll be weakened to a point in making the weight.

“I’m not really concerned about Paulie, at this point in my career if I’m 110% percent ready, I feel like I can adapt to anything and find a way to win,” Garcia said. “I couldn’t cut the ring off the way I wanted to at 140. Now I have more agility and I can really corner people, use the jab and control the fight.”

I doubt that Garcia will be dramatically improved just because he’s coming into the weigh-in a little heavier than previously. Granted, Garcia probably should have moved up in weight to the 147lb division years ago, but obviously it helped him to stay at 140 because he was able to use his weight advantage over his lighter opponents. But with the light welterweight division improving recently with the likes of Viktor Postol, Amir Iman, Lamont Peterson, Mauricio Herrera and Lucas Matthysse all breathing down his neck, Garcia was wise to move up in weight right now. If he’d stayed, he likely would have been beaten. As it is, Garcia dodged two defeats when he was given controversial wins over Herrera and Peterson. You can make an argument that Garcia’s record should be 28-2 right now rather than 30-0.

“I’m staying sharp and building muscle. I believe I could have been a welterweight two years ago,” Garcia said. “The fight makes perfect sense. All the Italian fans, the Puerto Rican fans will be coming in to see a great fight. He’s a former 147-pound champion; it’s going to be a great fight.”

Hopefully, Garcia doesn’t continue to pick out guys that have one foot in retirement in the future, because it would be a tragedy if he continues to fight more old timers after this. Garcia already fought one old timer twice in Erik Morales at the end of his career, and now he’s fighting Malignaggi. Garcia also fought Zab Judah when he was clearly over the hill. The only recent fights that Garcia has had that meant anything were his fight against Matthysse, Peterson and Herrera.

Many boxing fans had Garcia losing 2 out of the 3 fights with them. The only guy of that bunch that he beat without controversy was Matthysse, and he did that by hitting him with blow blows, holding and running for 12 rounds. It was an ugly fight to watch due to all the running, holding and fouling that Garcia. In hindsight, you have to wonder whether that was the grand plan for the fight. If so, it was pretty sad way to win.

“There’s no pressure on me. I just want to go in there and be Danny Garcia, a smart Danny Garcia,” Garcia in speaking about himself in the third person. “I feel like my style matches up great with anybody at 147. I’m ready for Paulie Malignaggi.”

I don’t think Garcia’s style matches up with Shawn Porter, Marcos Maidana, Keith Thurman or Lamont Peterson. I think Tim Bradley would beat Garcia as well. It goes without saying that Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao would take him.



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