Philly is back in the building and you better recognize.
Former two-division champion Danny “Swift” Garcia (35-2, 21 KOs) dropped Adrian Granados (20-7-2, 14 KOs) three times before stopping him in round seven last Saturday night. The welterweight showdown headlined Premier Boxing Champions from Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California.
“I’ve said it before when Danny Garcia is at his best, nobody can beat him,” said Garcia. “I had gotten a little comfortable in the past, but I put my 110 percent into this fight and when I do, I beat everyone.” The win came at a pivotal time when the division is deciding who it’s true elites are and Garcia was beginning to fade from that conversation.
Garcia got his offense started early, deflecting a right hand from Granados in round two and throwing a perfect left hook counter that dropped Granados for the first time in the fight.
Granados continued to push and tried to change the tide, but an overhand right at the end of exchange by Garcia sent Granados down for the second time in round two. “It felt good landing that big left hook,” said Garcia. “I was proud of my performance. I thought I did a great job.”
The Leaderboard
With the win, Garcia will look for more big fights with fellow elite welterweights. “I hope I didn’t scare Manny Pacquiao away,” said Garcia. “I’d love a rematch with Shawn Porter or Keith Thurman, or a fight with Errol Spence Jr. I’m back!”
With Errol Spence dismantling Mikey Garcia and Terence Crawford defeating Amir Khan, the welterweight division has been recalibrating. Keith Thurman is back, although still on the rebuild after a less than stellar performance against Josesito Lopez back in January.
Manny Pacquiao decimated a stunned Adrien Broner proving the old man is still in this game and Shawn Porter is still holding it down as a champion for “The Land”.
Who’s Next?
The fervor for Errol Spence to test the mettle of Terence Crawford has never been louder. Any fight except that one for these two is ludicrous and a bad look for boxing.
SOURCES: Manny Pacquiao and Keith Thurman are closing in on a deal for a FOX PPV welterweight title bout that’s being pegged for July 20 in Las Vegas. There doesn’t appear to be any big hurdles to clear in completing deal. Big-time fight this summer
— Mike Coppinger (@MikeCoppinger) April 24, 2019
With reports surfacing that Manny Pacquiao is close to securing a fight against Keith Thurman. Danny Garcia needs a fight and redemption is probably the best play. That leaves a rematch against Shawn Porter which would allow Garcia a show if Porter’s win in Brooklyn was a fluke. The fight also tests Garcia again who couldn’t put his shot together against the pressure fighting tactics of Porter.
With the interlopers like Amir Khan and Mikey Garcia gone, there are no more distractions in the welterweight division. Now a rejuvenated Danny Garcia would be able to suitably rebuild his brand with a revenge fight which could lead to a belt and a potential rematch against Keith Thurman and ultimately the Crawford and Spence’s of the world.
