"I never thought I would be fighting under him. It's like a dream come true and a blessing. I'm looking forward to it and I can't wait," stated highly-touted welterweight prospect Danny Garcia as he talked about fighting on the undercard of De La Hoya-Forbes just two weeks after scoring an impressive stoppage on the undercard of Hopkins-Calzaghe. Check out what he had to say about his next fight this weekend, his future plans and much more.
SM: How are you doing Danny?
DG: I'm doing alright. Training; ready for this fight on Saturday.
SM: You are a busy man.
DG: I know! I don't have time to breath.
SM: How do you keep up with such a pace?
DG: I don't know. Just training and staying in shape; staying focused.
SM: Any fatigue due to the pace?
DG: No, though sometimes I get a little physically tired. I'm not really fighting a lot of rounds though so my body doesn't get worn down from the fights or anything. I look at it like a sparring session before I get back in the gym
SM: So what do you know about your opponent Manuel Bocanegra?
DG: All I know is that he has seven wins and eight losses, he's coming off a win and he's from Mexico. That's all I know about him and that's all I need to know. All I need to know is that I'm ready.
SM: Your favorite fighter growing up was Oscar De La Hoya. How big is it to be fighting on the undercard of such a huge event?
DG: It's unbelievable. I used to always watch him on TV and stuff, but I never thought I would be fighting under him. It's like a dream come true and a blessing. I'm looking forward to it and I can't wait.
SM: You are coming off fighting on the undercard of the Bernard Hopkin-Joe Calzaghe fight and now the De Lay Hoya card. Pretty impressive for a young prospect like yourself.
DG: I would have never thought I would be fighting on these cards. I always thought I would be on these little shows here and there for a year, but I didn't know I would be fighting back-to-back on big cards. So yeah, I'm happy and I feel blessed.
SM: Have you noticed there is an ever growing buzz surrounding you due to your recent performances?
DG: Yeah, I think people are starting to know who I am now. I'm knocking everyone out so people are like, "who is that kid Danny Garcia knocking everybody out?"
SM: Why do you think that you have had so much success in stopping guys in such a quick fashion?
DG: I don't know. I think most of the guys underestimate me because I look so young. I look young in the face so at the weigh-ins, they're like "ah this kid ain't going to hurt me." I can just tell. In one fight, the guy's trainer was like "you're mine; you're just a kid". Then when I fought him, I came out with the jab and BOOM, it was over. So yeah, I don't think people really respect me so they underestimate me.
SM: So realistically, how often would you like to fight this year?
DG: I'm going to get as many fights as I can. I'm probably looking at ten to twelve [fights] around there. If I stay healthy, I want to keep this thing going.
SM: Your last couple of fights, you have been hovering around 143 pounds. Any plans on going down to the junior welterweight limit of 140 pounds?
DG: I'm going to fight at junior welterweight. I'm fighting every month so making 140 was burning me out a little bit so we are just keeping it at a comfortable weight right now.
SM: What do you think is your ideal weight?
DG: I think I'll be stronger at 147, but at 140, I'll win a title faster.
SM: With such a busy fight schedule, what improvements are you noticing in your game?
DG: I'm getting more confident. It's like a growing process so with each fight, I understand the pro game much better. I don't go in there looking to knock them out; I don't want to lose my composure. I just try to stay relaxed and work behind my jab and so far, so good.
SM: What would you like to say to everyone in closing?
DG: I'm just trying to hurry up and get there so people know who Danny Garcia is. Watch out for Danny Garcia because he's a young, hungry fighter. I love the people because the people love me. I'm going to go hard 'cause I'm a young Philly fighter. Puerto Rico, get behind me and let's do this.
