Danny Garcia vs. Ivan Redkach - January 25, 2020

[Ruthless-RKO]

BS.com has learned that Garcia will face Ivan Redkach in a welterweight fight January 25 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Showtime will televise Garcia-Redkach as the main event of a multi-bout broadcast next month.

Garcia announced during Showtime’s telecast Saturday night from Barclays Center that he would return that night, but he didn’t reveal his opponent. An official announcement of the Garcia-Redkach card is expected at some point Monday.

Philadelphia’s Garcia (35-2, 21 KOs) has not fought since he knocked out Adrian Granados (20-8-2, 14 KOs, 1 NC) in the seventh round April 20 at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California. The 31-year-old former welterweight and junior welterweight champion had hoped Manny Pacquiao would be his next opponent in a higher-profile, pay-per-view fight, but the Filipino icon’s return to the ring has been pushed back to sometime in the spring.

Ukraine’s Redkach (23-4-1, 18 KOs, 1 NC) knocked out former junior welterweight and welterweight champ Devon Alexander (27-6-1, 14 KOs) in the sixth round of his last fight, June 1 in San Jacinto, California. Speculation persisted earlier this year that Redkach would fight Adrien Broner next, but that fight never materialized.

The rugged Redkach, 33, will fight at the welterweight limit of 147 pounds for just the second time when he squares off against the hard-hitting Garcia. His victory over Alexander six months ago marked Redkach’s welterweight debut.

His previous three fights were contested within the junior welterweight division, but Redkach has spent much of his career as a lightweight. Redkach has been knocked out twice in lower weight classes during his 28-fight professional career – by Dejan Zlaticanin in the lightweight bout and by John Molina Jr. in a junior welterweight fight.

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[Ruthless-RKO]

Not surprised. If he isn’t fighting a top opponent, he’s fighting a D-lister..

This has been his career. Padded and protected until he fights big opponents.

[Paci]

Fells more like a showcase fight then anything else. Would be fun if Garcia lost this one. Fingers crossed.

[gilgamesh]

I like Redkach, he's usually in fun fights, but he's a fringe guy at best. Garcia will win this one handily. I imagine by stoppage.

[drunkenpiper36]

I went with Garcia by decision. Seems like a safe pick

[Ruthless-RKO]

Two-division world champion Danny "Swift'' García returns to the ring to take on hard-hitting slugger Ivan "El Terrible'' Redkach in a 12-round WBC welterweight title eliminator Saturday, January 25 live on SHOWTIME from Barclays Center, the home of BROOKLYN BOXING™, in a Premier Boxing Champions event.

In the co-feature, former unified 154-pound champion "Swift" Jarrett Hurd will return to battle all-action Francisco "Chia" Santana in a 10-round super welterweight contest, plus sensational super bantamweight Stephen "Cool Boy Steph'' Fulton will face undefeated Arnold Khegai in a 12-round WBO Super Bantamweight title eliminator to open SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING action at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT.

García's blend of power and sublime boxing skills has made him one of the most popular boxers of the last decade and secured him as a box-office fixture at Barclays Center, where he holds the record for the largest crowd for a boxing event. He set the benchmark when 16,533 attended his welterweight title unification match against Keith Thurman on March 4, 2017 in a bout that aired in primetime on SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING on CBS. The fight against Redkach will be Garcia's eighth appearance at Barclays Center.

"Barclays Center fan-favorite Danny García is back in Brooklyn as he continues his quest for the top spot in the welterweight division," said Tom Brown, President of TGB Promotions. "Danny has been in the biggest fights at Barclays Center and on January 25 there are sure to be fireworks when hard-hitting Ivan Redkach looks for a career-defining win. Redkach has upset the odds before and there's no doubt he'll leave it all in the ring with this opportunity to move closer to a world title fight. Combined with a former unified champion known for action fights in Jarrett Hurd, plus a rising star in Stephen Fulton, this card is loaded with intrigue from top to bottom."

"Danny García and Jarrett Hurd are two of the biggest stars in the sport because they have consistently taken on the toughest challenges and they are always in all-action, exciting fights," said Stephen Espinoza, President Sports & Event Programming, Showtime Networks Inc. "On January 25, both men are fighting to maintain their place at the top of two of boxing's deepest divisions in important, must-win fights. Add in two undefeated, promising contenders in the opener and we have the recipe for an explosive night of fights on SHOWTIME."

"We're thrilled to host our first boxing event of 2020 by welcoming Danny García back for his eighth fight at Barclays Center and have Jarrett Hurd return to the arena where he's had some memorable victories," said Keith Sheldon, EVP of Programming and Development for BSE Global. "Danny specifically has built an enthusiastic fan base in the borough, becoming one of the most popular fighters in our arena, and we can't wait to see his supporters out in full force as he steps back into our ring against Ivan Redkach."

Tickets for the event, which is promoted by TGB Promotions and DSG Promotions, are on-sale now and can be purchased at ticketmaster.com and barclayscenter.com. Tickets also can be purchased at the American Express Box Office at Barclays Center. Group discounts are available by calling 844-BKLYN-GP. The Fulton vs. Khegai bout is promoted in association with Salita Promotions.

"I'm very excited to be headlining another SHOWTIME card and to go back to Barclays Center, my home away from home," said García. "I can't wait to step in the ring in Brooklyn and give fans the Danny García show. I watched a few of Redkach's recent fights and he had a great knockout win over two-time champion Devon Alexander. So, I know he's a tough fighter and competitor who I expect to bring the best out of me, and he's someone who deserves this opportunity. But January 25 is tax season, so I'm going to have to tax him and pay him with a reality check."

"I'm very motivated to take a massive step in my career and get closer to becoming world champion against a strong and accomplished fighter like Danny García," said Redkach. "I have been to a lot of Danny's fights and now I get the chance to test myself against him. I am training very hard so that I am the best that I have ever been on January 25. I'm going to shock the boxing world just like I did against Devon Alexander. I've never been this hungry before and I'm confident I will win this fight."

"Just because I fell back, doesn't mean I fell off," said Hurd. "I'm back and excited to fight at Barclays Center for the third time. I'm bringing the storm back on January and I'm going to make a statement everyone is going to see. You're not going to want to miss this fight and the best Jarrett Hurd anyone's seen."

"This is a great opportunity for me against a fighter like Jarrett Hurd," said Santana. "When you get an opportunity like this, it's hard to turn it down. My job is to rise to the occasion and have the best moment of my career on fight night. This is my Super Bowl. When I last fought at 154-pounds, I was basically self-trained. Now I have my coach Joseph Janik training me and I really think he's the missing piece of the puzzle for me. I'm going to go in there and leave it all in the ring January 25."

[Ruthless-RKO]

Don’t know how’s it an eliminator, last WBC rankings, Redkach wasn’t even ranked.

[boxing_rocks]

Another Salka fight.

[Best Coast]

I've got Garcia by lopsided decision or late TKO.

[Ruthless-RKO]

[Ruthless-RKO]

Should call himself Ivan Pinkach

[boxing_rocks]

I've got Garcia by lopsided decision or late TKO.

There is no way Redkach sees late rounds. I doubt he sees round 5.

[Ruthless-RKO]

[margaret thatcher]

Dude deserves to get pounded for looking so stupid

[JxhDel.]

Redkach is the perfect guy for Garcia to shine.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Redkach is the perfect guy for Garcia to shine.

90% of DG’s opponents have been to make him look good.

[JxhDel.]

Redkach is the perfect guy for Garcia to shine.

90% of DG’s opponents have been to make him look good.

This^

[Ruthless-RKO]

[handsofstone]

Garcia should stop Redkach, he does to get these level guys out of there in all fairness, I'm a bit bored of his career but his resume is up there with the best and he showed in the losses to Thurman and Porter he's still a top Welter, maybe just cant beat these top 5 guys, he looked great last time against Granados and I'm expecting he'll do a number on Redkach, I'm not reading too much into the Alexander stoppage ,he's finished

[1okstcsb]

Don’t know how’s it an eliminator, last WBC rankings, Redkach wasn’t even ranked.

I think they just go down The Rankings, #1 VS #2 if one declines they ask #3 Then #4 etc. Odd thing is Redkash is NOT in the top 15 And D. Garcia is #2 that is a LOT of people declining a fight with D. Garcia. Note I am Sure their are deeper than 15 rankings that they don't put on the Ranking site for everyone to see, Magazines used to go 30 deep in each weight in the 1980"s

Porter is #1 so he may have declined AT THE TIME as there were Porter VS Crawford rumors, I can't Figure out how 13 fighters, some of them NO NAMES beaning D. Garcia would be a big opportunity would turn down the fight.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Danny Garcia Vows To Bring A-Game, Make No Mistakes With Redkach

Danny Garcia may not have been the most interested observer of last weekend’s Jeison Rosario-Julian Williams bout, but he should have been, especially at 1:37 of the fifth round, when Garcia’s fellow Philadelphian was upset by Rosario.

It’s not a local Philly thing, not a situation where Garcia lost a prospective big fight. Instead, it was a warning, a sign to the former two-division world champion that “stay busy” bouts or mandatories against unheralded foes can be more dangerous than any SuperFight.

For Garcia, his Barclays Center main event against Ivan Redkach on Saturday is expected to be the prelude to a showdown later this year that is infinitely more lucrative against either Errol Spence or Manny Pacquiao, and “Swift” hasn’t shied away from talking about such a matchup in the lead-up to his weekend’s date in Brooklyn.

"I feel like my style is dangerous for both Spence and Pacquiao," said Garcia. "For Errol, I see he likes to stand in front of his opponents and he isn't the hardest guy to hit. With Manny, I feel like my counterpunching and style would also be hard for him. So, I like my chances against both of them."

More importantly, the 31-year-old likes the idea of being back in a big fight. Sure, headlining a Showtime card is nothing to sneeze at, and he’s been the main attraction each step of the way since his losses to Keith Thurman and Shawn Porter, in 2017 and 2018, respectively. But Redkach is not Spence or Pacquiao, even though Garcia is saying all the right things about his foe.

“We picked Redkach because he's dangerous and we knew he'd be tough,” he said. “I'm definitely not overlooking him. I'm training hard for this fight. For me, this is a big fight. If I overlook him, it could ruin everything. I want to show everyone I'm still one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world.”

Saying something and doing something are two different things, though, and as history showed when Zab Judah lost to heavy underdog Carlos Baldomir in 2006 only to get a Floyd Mayweather fight three months later, a loss this weekend wouldn’t necessarily get him tossed from the Spence or Pacquiao sweepstakes. But it would take the shine off a fight that could put Garcia back in the pound-for-pound conversation, a place he may not have seriously been in since he defeated Lamont Peterson in 2015 to improve to 30-0.

Following that bout, Garcia has gone 5-2, but the wins have been against a mix of fighters on the tail end of their careers (Paul Malignaggi, Robert Guerrero, Brandon Rios) or tailor made for him stylistically (Samuel Vargas, Adrian Granados), none of which should have prepared him adequately for Thurman or Porter.

Yet when he did enter the ring against those fellow elites, there are plenty of folks who can make a case for Garcia getting the decision in each defeat. If he does beat either Thurman or Porter or both, Ivan Redkach is not his opponent this weekend, but that’s the fight game, and the 33-year-old Ukrainian will be the man opposite Garcia in Brooklyn. Redkach knows what’s expected to happen, but he also knows a win will be a life-changing one.

“Danny made a mistake if he thinks this is a tune-up,” Redkach said. “I'm going to give everyone a great fight and we'll see what happens on January 25.”

Last June, Redkach upset Devon Alexander’s apple cart, knocking out the former world champion in the sixth round. It was a reminder that before an 18-0, 1 NC start to his career turned into a 23-4-1, 1 NC slate, Redkach was a rising star in the sport. Knockout defeats at the hands of Dejan Zlaticanin and John Molina, and decision losses against Tevin Farmer and Argenis Mendez took that descriptor away, and now he’s the B-side. And Garcia knows what people are saying, so he says what he needs to.

"We're just working hard and working smart,” Garcia said. “We're making the necessary adjustments for Redkach, specifically, but this is just another fighter in front of us. I noticed that he's really hungry. He obviously wants to win, and he's coming off of three solid victories. He has his confidence back now. I just have to be ready for whatever he brings to the table on January 25.

“I just have to be on my A-game and make no mistakes.”

Garcia may not need his A-game to beat Redkach, but he does need to be wary of the one mistake that can change the trajectory of his career. And so far, the words are the right ones.

"I'm just taking it one fight at a time," he said. "I've been that way my whole career. I know that you can't overlook anyone. I'm totally locked in on Ivan, and that's it.”

If Redkach turns into Jeison Rosario, the race for Upset of the Year will shift from Philadelphia to Brooklyn, and when it comes to Garcia getting what he wants later in 2020, that will be it. And he’ll have no one to blame but himself.

So call it a tune-up, or call it the most important fight of Garcia’s career. Swift’s decision will be the final one.

[DrDuke]

Redkach is a helluva brawler, but Garcia is levels above. Garcia will outclass and KO him.

[Enlightened-One]

Danny Garcia has only competed in one bout within the last 17 months, against the unheralded Adrian Granados, so I feel that he’s allowed to engage in a stay-busy bout to rid himself of any ring rust whilst patiently waiting for a big-money bout against the likes of Errol Spence Jr. or Manny Pacquiao.

Ivan Redkach is a moderately durable southpaw, like Spence Jr. and Pacquiao, which will help Garcia prepare for those big-money bouts.

Other fighters, such as Gennady Golovkin, have taken relatively safe stay-busy bouts against low-key unaccomplished opposition whilst patiently waiting for their big-money marquee bout to materialise. So it’ll be a tad unreasonable to criticise Danny Garcia for doing something that most other fighters are applauded for.

[margaret thatcher]

It's a weak arse fight and Redkach looks like a gimp

[Ruthless-RKO]

Might as well criticise Garcia, because people are critcising GGG and others..

Garcia shouldn't have even fought Granados. He's at his peak, unlike GGG who isn't. Garcia has years to have his marque fights.