Danny Garcia: 'My dad was just stating facts about Zab Judah'

Yesterday afternoon in New York, the camps of Danny Garcia and Zab Judah were involved in a big to-do at the press conference officially announcing their February 9 fight at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, with Judah objecting to the way Garcia's father and trainer Angel spoke to him, which resulted in a pull-apart ruckus that stretched until well after the presser itself was basically abandoned.

But last night on Showtime, Danny Garcia was his normal, polite self, giving props to Judah and hyping the fight.

"Zab's a crafty fighter, but I'm on top of my game and I'm ready to perform on February 9," Garcia said during the Cotto-Trout broadcast. "It's crazy because all the guys I grew up watching I'm fighting now. It's a blessing to be in the ring with these guys and I'm taking over."

Though I'm not sure it's really a great thing that Garcia is fighting guys he grew up watching so frequently, he moved on to the more pressing matter of what went down at the press conference. And as far as Garcia can tell, Judah simply got mad when confronted with the truth.

At the press conference, Angel Garcia said to Judah, "The thing is that, everybody's talking about Zab, Zab, this, that, whatever. The thing is, every time he stepped up, he lost. So what's the point? Like, he didn't win! When he fought Kostya Tszyu, that was his time. That was Zab's time. Kostya Tszyu. He didn't get nothing. He got clipped. That's OK, it happens, but the thing is, that was his time, his era. This is a new era."

Garcia added, "You fought (Vernon) Paris. Not to put Paris on the spot, because what happens in the gym, stays in the gym, but we used him for sparring, man. First shot Danny hit him with, he went down. It took you nine! It took you nine! With Paris? He don't even go a round and a half."

Shortly after that, Judah got in Angel's face, and the whole thing went off, with insults and profanities flying back and forth.

"My dad was just stating true facts," Danny said on Showtime. "Every time he took a tough fight, he failed. Zab got mad, it broke out and there was a little riot at the press conference. My dad motivates me, he talks crap and I got to go back it up. If a fight breaks out, then I got his back."

After the press conference, Judah promised to "punish" and "torture" Garcia on February 9, saying, "I'm not Amir Khan, I'm not Erik Morales, I'm not gonna stand there while his father talks all that bullshit. ... His father likes four, I'm gonna take him in four. He wants four? He said the number. Watch what you ask for. I'm telling you, man, I don't know why they did this. They run up the wrong one, man. Play with them other people, man."

By hook or by crook, Angel Garcia's big mouth and Zab Judah's inability to not take the bait has given Garcia vs Judah some real media attention. Whether that lasts until February, whether it sells tickets or makes people tune in, is the next question.