In this video interview caught by FightHype, Angel Garcia gives his thoughts on the much talked about, but not yet finalized, Shawn Porter and Keith Thurman fight.
"I mean, I think its a good fight. But I don't know why they're calling each other out, they're both elite fighters" said Garcia. "I don't want people to misunderstand what I'm saying...it is a great fight, but at the end of the day, someone is going home with an 0 (probably meaning an 'L')."
"So if they want to do that, it's up to them. They're making good money to be calling each other out. At the end of the day it's about retiring wealthy," continued Garcia.
"What do you mean it doesn't make sense calling each other out?!" shouts someone from behind the camera -- who obviously couldn't fathom the idea of two top fighters avoiding each other.
"What I'm trying to say is that they're both elite fighters, why would you fight each other when you can fight a [Rod] Salka," responded Garcia.
I have to say, I think this quote right here is a perfect representation of the line of thinking that has directed Danny Garcia's recent career path. Why take on a challenging fight when you can make good money for an easy one?! Now I'm not saying this isn't a business, and a brutal one at that, but arguing risk-reward cuts two ways.
Yes, fighting a much smaller man or one of lesser caliber (or both) is a safe way to make money if you're Garcia or anyone else. The problem with these kind of match-ups is that they aren't safe for the person lined up as cannon fodder. This is the aspect of the sport that I believe is often overlooked. Fans often gripe about a name fighter taking on weak opposition, but we seldom hear those fans looking at it from the other perspective, complaining about the inherent risk of throwing an obviously overmatched opponent into the ring with someone who is almost guaranteed to knock their block off.
"Listen to what I'm saying, it's about the bank being loaded," exclaimed Garcia. "It's not about the glory, that's why Oscar [De La Hoya] is at where he's at."
Honest to god, I think this is just a poor example, and one I simply cannot get on board with. De La Hoya was one of my least favorite fighters growing up, I always rooted against him. But I still give the man my ultimate respect - he fought everyone who was worth a damn, whether they were at or even near his weight class. You simply can't take that away from him. Oscar fought everybody -- just not the Rod Salka's of the world.
"It is about the glory, I don't want you to misunderstand me," continued Garcia. "[But] sometimes it's not about the glory brother, it's about the paper because they take punches in the face and that sh*t hurts."
Ultimately Angel Garcia says that the point he's trying to get across is that both Porter and Thurman could take on a few more easy opponents while building a bigger fight between them later. The term "marinate" obviously comes to mind.