"Man, he better make weight, 'cause this time, I'ma make him try to lose the weight," stated unified jr. welterweight champion Danny "Swift" Garcia, who warned four-division world champion Erik Morales not to come in overweight for their anticipated rematch on October 20 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. The first time they met, Morales weighed in 2 pounds over the 140-pound jr. welterweight limit. Without even trying to sweat off the extra weight, Morales chose instead to forfeit his title and $50,000 of his purse, so he could start rehydrating immediately. Some viewed the move as a "veteran tactic", but it's a luxury that Garcia doesn't plan on giving him again should Morales failed to make weight a second time.
"He ain't gonna just get off the scale and be okay and it's just that simple and we fight the next day. No, he gonna try to lose the weight this time if he's overweight," Garcia explained during a recent appearance on the FightHype Radio show. "I'm pretty sure he's not going to come overweight this time. But if he does, then he gonna have to lose it. I don't want no advantages." The notion of Morales having advantages in their first fight is something that Garcia makes light of. "Man, when I fought him, it was in Houston. That's like all Mexican fans. He picked the Winning gloves. I had to use his gloves," he continued. "I picked his size ring. I mean, everything was towards him. I didn't pick nothing. And he was heavier than me, so if anything, he had all the advantages." This time, however, Garcia is the unified jr. welterweight champion, so he has the luxury of coming into this fight calling the shots. On October 20, we'll find if that makes a difference in how the fight plays out the second time around.
[ Follow Ben Thompson on Twitter @fighthype ]
