Not too long after he’d been widely and soundly outpointed by a returning (to form) Errol Spence, Danny Garcia sent out those three words of defiance: I’ll be back. Garcia took to social media to thank his fans for their support, before stating his clear intentions. But has Garcia, who is now 0-3 in his big welterweight fights – losing decisions to Keith Thurman, Shawn Porter and now Spence – got a big future in the sport? Certainly Garcia is no shot or finished fighter. “Swift” has never been stopped, he is still reasonably young and he remains a big name. And of course, Garcia has only ever been beaten by the best. The decision losses to Porter and Thurman were somewhat close, but the loss to Spence was not.
But against Spence, Garcia might well have lost to the best welterweight in the world today, maybe even a welterweight who will go on to became an all-time great. In a nutshell, there was nothing for Garcia to be ashamed of last night. The Philly fighter kept coming, he had some success to the body of Spence and he earned Spence’s respect. But can Garcia, who fell to 36-3(21) possibly “get better from here?” This is what Garcia said would be the case after picking up his third career loss.
“I just have to rebuild and see what we do next,” Garcia said post-fight. “I fought hard and I’m proud. All my losses were hard fights that I fought till the end, so I’m proud of my effort. I can’t make any excuses. We can only get better from here.”
An admirable attitude from the classy Garcia to be sure. And there are perhaps still a number of potentially big fights out there for Garcia. Thurman, who is making noise about coming back to dominate the welterweight division next year, would make for an interesting rematch opponent for Garcia; this a battle between two former champions, one that would see who has the most left. Or maybe Garcia could even box a rematch with Porter? Garcia can perhaps come again, and maybe pick up a couple of significant wins. But can he become a world champion again at age 32 (Garcia will turn 33 in March)? This seems quite doubtful. But Garcia is determined to bounce back, insisting he is not yet done. Maybe he can do it. It would, though, be sad to see Garcia become something of a stepping stone for young, up and coming fighters. There is no sign that that will be the case, but for some fighters three losses can prove to be the beginning of the end.
Garcia has been a pro since 2007 and he has accomplished a lot during his exciting career. It was as a 140 pounder that Garcia was at his best. Those big wins over (an admittedly faded) Erik Morales, Nate Campbell, Amir Khan and Lucas Matthysse made Garcia a star. If he has boxed his last big fight, Garcia knows he can hold his head up high. After he’s rested up and thought about things, Garcia will decide to do what he wants to do. There will certainly be more than enough fans coming to see his next fight or fights should he carry on. Garcia is a proud warrior, and he’s proven it time and again.
