Angel Garcia On Thurman vs. Garcia 2: “We’ll Knock Thurman Out This Time”
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BY HANS THEMISTODE
Published Sun Aug 28, 2022, 01:12 PM EDT
There was a look of satisfaction etched onto the face of Angel Garcia. Having watched his son, Danny Garcia (37-3, 21 KOs), struggle both in and outside of the ring as of late, he cheered proudly as Danny returned to the win column.
On July 30th, in the main event slot in Brooklyn’s Barclays Center, Danny easily outpointed Jose Benavidez Jr. in his first appearance at 154-pounds. On the night, Benavidez found the offensive firepower of the former two-division world titlist to be obtrusive as he failed to pick up any momentum throughout.
With the win firmly in his pocket, both Danny and Angel believe they have a bevy of options. Long before making his junior middleweight debut, Erislandy Lara, the current WBA “Regular” belt holder at 160-pounds, challenged Danny to a catchweight bout that would take place at 155 pounds. In addition to that possibility, both Garcia’s have expressed a desire to revisit their longstanding rivalry with Keith Thurman.
Admittedly, the golden trinket that Lara (29-3-3, 21 KOs) is currently in possession of, makes a matchup against the Cuban star an enticing one. However, the sting of a close and competitive defeat at the hands of Thurman nearly five years ago still burns deep for the Garcia’s.
“I’ll take Thurman,” said Angel during an interview with FightHype.com. “Cause he was the one who gave Danny his first L.”
After becoming universally viewed as the best 140-pounder in the world, Danny Garcia planted his flag in the welterweight division in 2015. Following a handful of wins, including a unanimous decision victory against Robert Guerrero in 2016 to win a vacant WBC title, Danny found himself face-to-face against Thurman in 2017.
Although he struggled early on, the Philadelphia native would eventually find his rhythm in the second half. In doing so, both Danny and Angel embraced in the center of the ring, believing they had done more than enough to secure the victory.
Nonetheless, both were left dumbfounded as Thurman (30-1, 22 KOs) eked out a close split decision victory. Since purloining Garcia’s title, Thurman’s career has been plagued by injuries and inactivity, fighting just three times over a five-year stretch.
In part, Angel believes Thurman’s floundering career is a direct result of his son’s handiwork. Most recently, the Clearwater, Florida, product was last seen in the ring on February 5th, earlier this year, handing a one-sided beating to Mario Barrios.
As the Garcia’s continue to make their plea to run things back, Angel is of the belief that if Thurman does accept their perpetual callouts and signs his name on the dotted line, Danny won’t leave part two in the hands of the judges.
“We’ll knock Thurman out this time. Thurman never was the same after Danny.”
…. or only when you get them off the killers Idongo N Jeff Horn
