Danny Garcia Sets Ring Return
Will the weight bump lead to another title?
From 2012 to 2017 Danny Garcia was the guy in Philadelphia boxing. He won titles in multiple weight classes and left a who’s who of names in his wake. Recently he’s come up short against one of the strongest welterweight rosters in recent memory, but he believes he has a 3rd act in a 3rd weight class at 34 years old.
Garcia (36-3-0 21 KOs) will be making his debut at 154 pounds (aka super welterweight/junior middleweight depending on the title) on July 30th at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY against Jose Benavidez Jr (27-1-1 18 KOs) a tough customer also starting to campaign at an increased weight. Collectively their losses (Keith Thurman, Shawn Porter, and Errol Spence Jr for Garcia, and Terrance Crawford for Benavidez) are all former or current welterweight champions. Benavidez is durable, only being stopped once in his career by Terrance Crawford and in the 12th round. He’ll provide a test for Garcia who will likely be anxious to see if his blend of power and speed moves with him.
After teasing a weight jump several times, Garcia is now embarking on a title quest at 154, which means aiming at Jermell Charlo, the current unified champion of the division. Sebastian Fundora is also currently the interim WBC champ, and Tim Tszyu is the WBO Global champ, so there are two minor titles around as well. Being that he’s 34 if it is truly his ambition to challenge for a title then expect Garcia to be actively looking for a stoppage if he gets up in the cards.
Also fighting on the July 30th card is popular heavyweight Adam Kownacki (20-2, 15 KOs) who will square off with Ali Eren Demirezen (16-1, 12 KOs) in an exciting bout. Kownacki is no stranger to Brooklyn and will have a home crowd advantage against Demirezen, who is a talented Turkish fighter who has won several minor titles in Europe.
Filling out the main fights will be Gary Antuanne Russell (15-0, 15 KOs) taking on Rances Barthelemy (29-1-1, 15 KOs) a former world champion. Antuanne Russell comes from the famous boxing family and is establishing himself as a contender at 140, and was the first fighter to stop Viktor Postol, something that current champions Josh Taylor and Terrance Crawford failed to do. Barthelemy is a crafty Cuban fighter, who reigned as IBF champion, and is working his way back into the title picture after a split draw in his last championship shot against Robert Easter Jr in 2019.
Tickets for the live event, presented by TGB Promotions and DSG Promotions, go on sale tomorrow, Thursday, June 9 at 10 a.m. ET and can be purchased through seatgeek.com and barclayscenter.com. Tickets will also be available for purchase at the American Express Box Office at Barclays Center beginning Thursday, June 9 at 12 p.m. ET.