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Newly-crowned WBC junior welterweight titlist Danny Garcia discussed his recent win over Erik Morales, what he learned from the Mexican legend, and what's in store for the future on The Boxing Lab.
Most telling, perhaps, is what the young Philadelphia fighter took from his win over Morales:
"See, one thing about Morales, what I learned in there in the fight was he’s old in age but he’s real fast and young with his mind. And that’s why he was able to hit me with the punches that he hit me with because I was faster with my body and he was a little faster with his brain," explained Garcia.
"That’s what I learned in the fight; that it’s all mental. It’s about being smart and its going to help me grow as a fighter."
Garcia (23-0, 14 KO) is taking what I feel is a very positive mindset from this fight. The 35-year-old Morales didn't make weight and looked physically awful going into the fight, but he was competitive to a degree, and Garcia seems to understand why.
Morales survived in the fight because of his brains and his experience and things that came in part because of habit. Garcia was physically too good, but Morales hung in anyway.
A young fighter learning that about old fighters is very valuable to say the least. He didn't come out of this win just talking big about knocking off Morales, he's talking about what he was able to learn over the course of getting the win. That's a good sign.
Garcia also says he thinks Morales can definitely fight on, but has to be matched well. I think he's right: As long as Morales is matched against the right opponents, he will still be an exciting and entertaining fighter, and he can still win fights. But Morales sounds like he's seriously considering hanging up the gloves for good, and others are urging him to do the same.
As for what's next, Garcia says he'll just wait for the call and accept the challenge. Ajose Olusegun is the mandatory challenger, but many suspect he still won't get his shot. Garcia vs Olusegun would be hard to sell to a network as a main event (maybe not Showtime), but Olusegun has earned it. The other concern is that the fight really doesn't figure to be exciting, which is a nice way of saying it stacks up to be a real bore.