Garcia vs Benavidez: Danny Garcia feels renewed after hiatus, stronger at 154

Former two-division world champion Danny Garcia is set to make his return next month when he’s scheduled to take on Jose Benavidez in a July 30 junior middleweight main event, airing live on Showtime.

Garcia has been out of action since his 2020 loss to Errol Spence Jr, but says his time away has given him the break he needs to come back stronger.

“This is my 11th fight on Showtime and it’s been a journey creating history at Barclays Center, or wherever we fight,” Garcia said. “I’ve been off for a little bit, but I’m back in the gym like I never left. I feel great mentally, physically and spiritually. I’m ready to give the fans a great fight.”

As Garcia spoke to media members during a virtual press conference, he assures the public that he’s being pushed in camp, the right way, and how he feels untouchable being in the right state of mind as a happy fighter.

“I have a lot of young guys in this camp here with me and they keep me on my toes. The hunger that they have, gives me that motivation. Boxing is a grueling sport, so you have to find time to have fun. I’m doing that again and I know that once I’m happy, no one can touch me,” said Garcia.

In this outing Garcia will of course be making his debut at 154, after spending most of his career competing at the 140 and 147 pound divisions. Garcia believes this move up in weight will only suit to serve him as he becomes a more mature fight.

“I’ve been fighting at 140 and 147 since the amateurs, for 13 years,” Garcia said. “I always felt my natural weight was bigger and I was squeezing down. I feel like this weight fits me good. I feel young and fresh. I’m strong and with a lot more stamina.

“I have a lot of Mexican fans and they love me wherever I go. The Latinos love me period. When Danny Garcia steps in the ring, he represents all the Latinos. I love all the fans from all around the world.

“I’m going to go in there and fight my fight. I’m not putting any extra pressure on myself. I’m going to fight the Danny Garcia fight. I have to use all my tools and all my skills and get the win.”

Garcia will be competing in familiar territory in this upcoming outing, as he’ll once again be hosted at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center, which has essentially been operating as Garcia’s base of operations over the years.

“I felt the atmosphere at Barclays Center at the Gervonta Davis fight and I felt what I was missing,” he added. “I went there to feel that motivation and it was great. We’re going to give everyone a great night just like at that last fight.

“I was in the first main event at Barclays Center and I’ve been building a fanbase there over the last 10 years. Brooklyn is the perfect place to build a fanbase and I’m honored to be a part of Barclays Center’s history.”

As for what necessitated Garcia taking some time away from the sport, Garcia mentions that he was much more tired mentally than he was physically, dealing with the non-stop grind of training since he was a child. This time away has afforded him the ability to decompress and get back in with a laser like focus.

“I’ve been fighting at the highest level for the last 10 years. It’s only right as a human that you would get a little mentally tired,” he mentioned. “I needed a break so that I could miss boxing. I knew that once I came back in the gym motivated and missing the sport, that nobody could beat Danny Garcia.

“You can’t just fight to learn. You have to watch and see these young guys in the gym training. I needed time to feel good again and I feel great. The results are looking really good. When I’m happy, I’m a dangerous man.

“Every fight you learn from. Even when you win. You just have to take what you can, learn from it and use it in the next fight. The fight with Errol Spence Jr was a competitive and fun fight and we’re ready to move on to the next step.”

Watch Garcia take that next step in just a few weeks time, as we at BLH will be here with coverage of all the promotional build-up as well as the fight itself on July 30.