Danny Garcia left the ring Saturday at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn with a convincing and confident victory.
A classic version of the former two-division champion learned Jose Benavidez to win the majority decision on his debut and first bout at 154 pounds since he was beaten by welterweight champion Errol Spence Jr skipped 19 months ago.
Judge Waleska Roldan drew a silly 114-114 card but the other two umpires were correct, 117-111 and 116-112 to Garcia.
Philadelphia, who has taken time out of school to deal with anxiety and depression, has proven to himself that he is still the fans Danny Garcia has known for over a decade.
“I feel good,” he said at the post-fight press conference. “A lot of people ask me questions because I took a year and a half off. They thought I wouldn’t come back. Losing to Spence, it was a dull performance. But I know it’s because I wasn’t there mentally. And I know if I’m there mentally and physically, I know no one can beat me because I’ve proven it so many times before.
“… [The] Danny Garcia, who believes in himself 100%, no one can beat him no matter who doubts him. I know I am that person. I had to go through all that pain to find myself and regain my strength, and now I’m back.”
Garcia (37-3, 21 KOs) admitted that he doubted himself even during the walk from the locker room to the ring.
Then the opening bell rang and he quickly settled in, dominating Benavidez (27-2-1, 18 KOs) with his elite skill set and performance. According to CompuBox, he overcame his foes in every round and 233-117 overall.
“I’m a little nervous, I’m not going to lie,” he said. “I’ve had days where I felt, ‘Yo, I’m out of the ring for a bit. Will I still be? “I know how I train, how I train in the gym that I’m physically ready for. I just need to be mentally ready.
“It feels great to come out of that tunnel and see my pictures on the wall at Barclays center and all the fans cheering for me. So it was definitely promoted. “
What’s next?
Garcia reiterated at the post-fight press conference what he said right after the battle, that he wanted to go up against either Keith Thurman or Erislandy Lara.
Thurman assigned Garcia his first loss, a split decision in 2017. He will probably have to go from 147 pounds for the fight now that Garcia has moved to 154. Thurman’s message to Garcia, however, is that , “Be careful what you want. “
“Danny Garcia could never pass the Keith Thurman test,” he said. “I hit that boy with a bone spur. You see, I wasn’t even at my best. Look, bro, my IQ is even higher, my feet go as slow as a flat tire. Be careful what you wish for silly boy Philly.
“This isn’t a game, it’s not a Street Fighter, but I’ll still hit you with that yoga flame.”
Lara has the WBA’s second middleweight belt, something Boxing Junkie doesn’t realize. Still, it’s tempting for Garcia, who seems to have dismissed Tony Harrison even as Harrison has called him out.
“It’s like I said I would fight anyone,” he said. “It just makes sense to me. I do not say [Harrison] Not a big name. He’s a champion, he’s proven himself. Like I said, I want to fight Keith Thurman again. Even Lara, who already has a WBA belt. We can fight with the captured weight.
“Those are the games that interest me.”
