Danny Garcia moves to 154, faces Jose Benavidez Jr on July 30th

Mike Coppinger reports that after more than 16 months on the sidelines, Danny Garcia will move to 154 pounds to face Jose Benavidez Jr. on July 30th at Barclays Center.

Garcia (36-3, 21 KO) last saw action in December 2020, when he dropped a decision to the returning Errol Spence Jr. at AT&T Stadium. He now sits at 3-3 since 2017, wins over the overmatched Brandon Rios, Adrian Granados, and Ivan Redkach mixed in with losses to Keith Thurman, Shawn Porter, and the aforementioned Spence.

He’s definitely got some ground to cover if he wants to reclaim the elite status he held at 140 and 147 during the mid-aughts.

Benavidez (27-1-1, 18 KO) is a bit of a baby step; a solid welterweight run got derailed by a gunshot wound to the leg, a loss to Terence Crawford, and an arrest for street racing. He didn’t look particularly inspiring in last November’s return to the ring, either, as he fought unheralded Francisco Emanuel Torres to an ugly draw.

A mismatch, but at least it gets the 34-year-old Garcia active again.