In this sit down interview with Brian Custer, Mikey Garcia talks about why he’s taking this fight with Adrien Broner at this weight, and what he expects out of the showdown.
On why he decided to fight Broner at 140 after just winning a world title at 135:
“Well the title unification matches were not available at 135. They offered and presented a title defense fight against top contenders but, no one really made a big name, you know, a big buzz. And when Adrien Broner’s name came up: big fight, big show - it’s probably the biggest fight of my career to this day so it made better sense to take on Adrien Broner than do a regular title defense back home.
“I made it clear that I wanted a 140lb limit. Adrien Broner is fighting at, you know, 147, 144, 145, all over the place but I made it clear that I’d take the fight only at 140 and apparently he took the fight right away. It wasn’t really a hassle to negotiate.”
On if he has any concerns about moving up in weight so quickly:
“I don’t feel like that at all. I think, uh, my skills will allow me to perform, even at higher weight. I do feel that 135 is a more natural fit for me right now and that’s why I still plan on coming down to 135 for one of those unification fights that I talked about. But uh, 140 I don’t think will be a problem either. I’ll make weight more comfortable and I think I’ll carry my speed and power as well so I think 140 is also a good fit for me.”
On if he thinks his power will carry up to 140:
“I think I’ll carry my power, but um, it just depends on how much Broner can take. You know, uh, when you look at power and moving up in weight, sometimes [power] is affected but not so much because the fighter loses power, it’s more that you’re fighting bigger men. You’re fighting guys that can take a bigger punch. So apparently it seems like you lost power when it’s actually the opponent that can take a better punch.
“But I think the reason I may be the betting favorite and media and fans are picking me over him is due to the fact that he’s been inconsistent in his performances. He’s had distractions, he’s had episodes in his life that he may not be 100% in boxing, and in a way affect his performance. And me, even though I’m back after a long layoff, only my third fight back, but I’ve always been consistent. And I think that’s why fans think that’s gonna benefit me and help me in this fight.”
On where he draws most of his confidence from heading into this fight:
“IQ - ring IQ. My patience, my timing will allow me to really dictate the pace, dictate the range - that distance, the timing to attack, the timing to retreat, the timing to defend, all those things I think really benefit me. And I’ve seen Adrien have problems with fighters when they attack him. I’ve seen Adrien have problems just when anybody throws punches at him.
“Throw that, the timing, and ring generalship that I have, and IQ, and I think that really gives me the upper-hand.”
Considering that former stablemate Marcos Maidana admitted to Garcia that Broner was his toughest opponent and the biggest puncher he’s ever faced, does Garcia take heed of the warning:
“Well it definitely raises awareness. And it’s gonna, you know, be something where I gotta be careful about. I can’t take Adrien Broner lightly, I can’t get overconfident and not take it serious. I gotta be aware that, you know, a punch by Adrien Broner could be hurtful. I don’t see that being the dictating factor to finish the fight but I still gotta be careful for that and that’s why we’re gonna be training and, you know, just gotta be sharp and aware of everything.
“You know, I can’t sleep on it, I can’t blink for a second because it could be one of those punches.”
On how he sees the fight playing out:
“Look, I do a lot of visualizations. I visualize the fight round by round, minute by minute -- I don’t see how I’ma lose. Unless it’s by a lucky punch, I don’t see how I can lose. I’m a better fighter, I got better timing, ring IQ, I can also punch, I can box, I can bang. People still haven’t even seen the best of me. They still haven’t seen me trade punches, they haven’t seen me put pressure on a fighter, they haven’t seen me, you know, go on all-out attack like that.
“If I have to do that, I’m ready to do that. July 29th you might see that side of Mikey Garcia. But in the end, at the end of the night, I win every single time. I do all my visualizations and I always win so I guarantee you I’ma win.”