Danny Oscar Garcia
Name: Danny Garcia
Alias: Swift
Birth Name: Danny Óscar García
Hometown: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
Birthplace: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
Stance: Orthodox
Promoter: Record
Pro Boxer: Record
Amateur Boxer: Record
- Trainer: Angel Garcia
- Manager: Al Haymon
- Promoter: Golden Boy Promotions (former)
Professional Record
- Has a record of 7-4 (2 KO) in world title fights.
- Has a record of 11-4 (4 KO) against former or current world titlists.
- Won against Nate Campbell, Kendall Holt, Erik Morales (twice), Amir Khan, Zab Judah, Lucas Martin Matthysse, Lamont Peterson, Paul Malignaggi, Robert Guerrero and Brandon Rios.
- Loss against Keith Thurman, Shawn Porter, Errol Spence Jr & Erislandy Lara
Has a record of 2-0 (1 KO) in fights outside his native United States.
Biography
Armed with one of boxing’s best left hooks, Danny Garcia established himself as the sport’s consensus 140-pound champion before becoming a two-division champion with a 147-pound world title in 2016. Trained by his father, former boxer Angel Garcia, since he was 10 years old, the Philadelphia-born Garcia appears well on his way to achieving his goal of becoming the “next great Puerto Rican fighter.”
For his second professional bout, then-teenager Garcia was buried on the undercard of the Floyd Mayweather-Ricky Hatton fight in Las Vegas in 2007.
Nearly six years later, Garcia was on another Mayweather undercard in Las Vegas, but under much different circumstances.
Garcia entered his fight against Lucas Matthysse as the 140-pound world champion, and won by unanimous decision to cap a dazzling stretch of seven straight victories over current or former world champions.
It was the type of success he and his father/trainer, former boxer Angel Garcia, had aspired to since they first walked into a Philadelphia boxing gym when Danny was 10 years old.
Amateur career and pro debut
Born and raised in Philadelphia, Garcia has long wanted to become the “next great Puerto Rican fighter” and appears well on his way to achieving that goal.
After an impressive amateur career in which he went 107-13 and won the 2005 U.S. under-19 national championship and the 2006 U.S. national amateur title, Garcia made a dominant pro debut, knocking Mike Denby down three times in a first-round knockout in November 2007.
Victory over Morales
Garcia, nicknamed “Swift,” knocked out his first five opponents within the first two rounds, including a second-round TKO of Jesus Villareal on the aforementioned Mayweather-Hatton undercard in December 2007.
Garcia won his first 22 fights (with 14 KOs) to set up a March 2012 bout with legendary Mexican boxer Erik Morales, who won world titles in four different weight classes.
Garcia claimed the 140-pound championship by winning a unanimous decision over Morales, who had been stripped of the title for exceeding the weight limit.
Victory over Khan
Garcia next took on another champion, Amir Khan, who entered the July 2012 fight in Las Vegas as a 4.4-to-1 betting favorite.
After a slow start, Garcia caught Khan with a left hook that sent the Englishman to the canvas in the third round.
Garcia then knocked Khan down twice more in the fourth round to earn a TKO victory.
Garcia vs Matthysse
In an October 2012 rematch with Morales, Garcia connected with a lethal left hook in the fourth round that knocked out the Mexican great and sent him into retirement.
Garcia defended his titles with a pair of 12-round unanimous-decision victories over Zab Judah and Lucas Matthysse in 2013, resulting in the Philadelphia Sports Writers Association naming him the city’s pro athlete of the year.
Despite being the champion, Garcia was the underdog in his title defense against Matthysse, who had gained 32 of his 34 victories by KO.
Garcia closed Matthysse’s right eye in the seventh round, and floored the Argentine for the first time in his career in the 11th after taking a direct shot to the chin that knocked out his mouthpiece.
Continuing to roll in 2014
Garcia successfully fought twice in 2014.
He won a 12-round majority decision over Mauricio Herrera to defend his championship in Puerto Rico in March.
Garcia then annihilated Rod Salka in Brooklyn, New York, in August in a nontitle bout, knocking him down three times to gain a second-round KO.
Winning a slim decision over Lamont Peterson
Garcia made his Premier Boxing Champions debut against Lamont Peterson in Brooklyn, New York, on April 11, 2015, in a bout televised live on NBC.
Garcia tried to press the action early, but Peterson used his defense and mobility to stay away from the Philadelphia native.
Peterson became more aggressive as the fight progressed, but Garcia did enough in the first half of the bout to win a slim majority decision.
Two of the three judges scored the bout 115-113 in favor of Garcia, while the other scored it 114-114.
According to CompuBox, Garcia landed 173 of 589 punches (29 percent) while Peterson connected on 170 of 494 blows (34 percent).
Amateur Career
- Had 120 amateur bouts.
- Reported amateur record: 107-13
- 2005 United States Under-19 National Champion
- 2005 Lightweight Gold Medalist for the United States at the Tammer Tournament in Tampere, Finland. Results were:
- Defeated Erik Roth (Sweden) (24-23)
- Defeated Jussi Koivula (Finland) (40-23)
- Defeated Faraj Almatboli Derouiche (Jordan) (40-27)
- 2006 United States Amateur Lightweight Champion. Results were:
- Defeated Ray Robinson (17-14)
- Defeated Jerry Belmontes (20-12)
- Defeated Terence Crawford (21-20)
- Defeated Luis Ramos (30-25)
- 2006 U.S. light welterweight representative at the World Cup in Baku, Azerbaijan. Results were:
- Lost to Emil Maharramov (Azerbaijan) (RSC-1)
- 2007 Light Welterweight Bronze Medalist at the United States Amateur Championships. Results were:
- Defeated James Barry (23-9)
- Defeated Ronnie Reams (21-5)
- Defeated Hector Ramos (19-18)
- Defeated Andre Sherard (18-13)
- Lost to Brad Solomon (13-14)
- 2007 Light Welterweight Runner-Up at the United States Olympic Trials. Results were:
- Lost to Jeremy Bryan (14-23)
- Defeated Samuel Martinez (RSCOS-2)
- Defeated Mike Dallas Jr. (29-21)
- Defeated Jeremy Bryan (25-21)
- Defeated Danny O'Connor (25-19)
- Lost to Javier Molina (12-26)
Regional & Minor Titles
- WBC Youth Intercontinental Super Lightweight Title (December 2009; 0 defenses)
- interim WBC Youth World Welterweight Title (July 2010; 0 defenses)
- WBO Inter-Continental Junior Welterweight Title (October 2011; 0 defenses)
World Titles
- WBC Super Lightweight Title (2012-2015; 5 defenses)
- WBA Super Lightweight Super Title (2012-2015; 4 defenses)
- WBC Welterweight Title (2016-2017; 0 defenses)
The Ring Magazine Titles
- World Junior Welterweight Title (2012-2015)
Lineal Titles
- World Junior Welterweight Title (2013-2015)
Awards & Recognition
- Sports Illustrated Breakthrough Performance (2012 vs. Amir Khan)
External Links
| Preceded by: Erik Morales Stripped (failed to make weight) |
WBC Light Welterweight Champion 2012 Mar 24 – 2015 Jun 11 Vacated |
Succeeded by: Viktor Postol |
| Preceded by: Amir Khan Super Champion |
WBA Light Welterweight Champion 2012 Jul 14 – 2015 Super Champion Vacated |
Succeeded by: Adrien Broner Super Champion |
| Preceded by: Floyd Mayweather Jr. Retired |
WBC Welterweight Champion 2016 Jan 23 – 2017 March 4 |
Succeeded by: Keith Thurman |