"Devon Alexander and Timothy Bradley...I feel like I'm ready for them guys, man. I feel like none of them guys hit harder than me and none of them are as strong as me. None of them in the division really have power except for Maidana, and he's not the sharpest boxer technically, you know what I mean? You can box him like Khan did, and Khan really can't punch and he hurt him with a couple of body shots. Man, I just can't wait to get my shot at them guys because I know what I'm gonna do...This is going to be my year. I'm going to show a lot of determination and if you've never seen Danny 'Swift' Garcia, you need to watch me fight. I'm a crowd-pleasing fighter and I feel like I am the best fighter in the 140-pound division by far," stated fast-rising jr. welterweight Danny "Swift" Garcia as he talked about his upcoming February 25th fight, his future plans and much more. Check it out!
PC: How is everything going Swift?
DG: Man, everything is going good. I'm just training hard for February 25th. I got my date, so now I'm focused and ready to do my job man.
PC: You fought 4 times last year. What grade would you give yourself for 2010?
DG: I started off rough with a tough fight, but other than that, I thought my last 3 performances were solid. I give myself a B+. I fought a tough fight at the beginning of the year and then I came back and stopped a guy in Philly, and then I went to Cancun, Mexico and fought a dude in his hometown with no rules and stopped him. And then, of course, I came back and fought former title challenger Mike Arnaoutis and I stopped him, so I give myself a B+.
PC: How much did you learn in your last fight, stopping a crafty veteran like Arnaoutis?
DG: It was a good experience. He was a tricky fighter. You can tell he had experience because he wasn't giving me a lot of opportunities to hit him. He was real crafty, so I had to show a lot of patience in that fight. I got a lot of amateur experience fighting against southpaws. I got a lot of skills and I just threw them all out on the table.
PC: Your skills have definitely showed up, but in your last 3 fights, you have also shown the ability to knock guys out late. Your power doesn't dwindle as the fight goes on. How important of a tool is that?
DG: Yeah man. At the beginning of my career, I used to just go for the knockout because I knew I was strong, but after you get a certain amount of fights, people get more experienced and stronger, so now I work on the most important thing and that is my conditioning and my stamina. I can box for 10 to 12 rounds and get these guys out of there late. I can break them down now and stop them late. I get them frustrated and then take them out. I take them into the deep water and drown them.
PC: Do you feel any added pressure, not only from having a decorated amateur career, but also coming from the fighting city of Philadelphia?
DG: I don't feel like it's pressure; it's motivation to me, having great amateur experience and going across the world fighting all different styles. And as far as coming from Philly, it is a tough city. Coming from the ghetto and all that just motivates me. I know that when I step in that ring, people know that I'm from Philly so they know what I'm about and that motivates me.
PC: You have a date now, February 25th. I know you have been in the gym, but does everything get cranked up a notch now? And when will you know who your opponent is?
DG: Oh yeah, man, I definitely step it up and train hard when I have a date. I fight every fight like my last and I never want to lose. That's one thing about me, I hate losing. I'm not a loser. I like winning, so I know I gotta train my hardest so the fight will be easy to me. I should be getting an opponent in the next couple of weeks.
PC: You are in a very hot 140-pound division. Next Saturday, we'll see two of the best in the division go at it with Timothy Bradley facing Devon Alexander. Who do you like in that fight and how far do you feel you are from those type of names?
DG: I think...I like both guys, Devon Alexander and Timothy Bradley, but I'm leaning towards Bradley a little bit just because he outworks his opponent. He fights hard and never gives up, and that's why I give him the edge. As far as me wanting to fight those guys, I feel like after my fight on the 25th, I can fight those guys. I feel like I'm ready for them guys, man. I feel like none of them guys hit harder than me and none of them are as strong as me. None of them in the division really have power except for Maidana, and he's not the sharpest boxer technically, you know what I mean? You can box him like Khan did, and Khan really can't punch and he hurt him with a couple of body shots. Man, I just can't wait to get my shot at them guys because I know what I'm gonna do.
PC: You are still a very young guy, but you have been very active. Is that one of the keys to you being successful is getting that in-ring experience?
DG: I think last year was my year to prove myself, even though I'm a prospect and a lot of people may say, "Oh, he ain't fought nobody." My 15th fight, I fought Ashley Theophane and he was 25-3 and he's a tough guy out of the UK. After I beat him, he beat Delvin Rodriguez, who was the champion, so that proves he's tough right there. And then after that, I fought a guy who fought Devon Alexander and Paulie Malignaggi, and then after that, I went to Mexico and fought a Mexican kid in his backyard with no commission, no rules or nothing. And then I beat Mike Arnaoutis, who is a real crafty fighter. A lot of prospects would not fight this guy because he's been in with the best and he is a crafty fighter, but I know what I'm capable of doing and a lot of these guys are not on my level. This year, I'm going to put my stamp on the game and let them know that I'm for real!
PC: Theophane is a tough guy and he was someone that was calling out Zab Judah for years.
DG: As a matter of fact, he was supposed to fight Judah when I fought him, but Judah turned down the fight and I took it. Zab passed on it and I took it. It was a tough fight. He's an awkward fighter and he gave me some problems, but I learned a lot from that fight.
PC: You're getting that on-the-job training. I appreciate your time Danny. Best of luck to you in February, although I'm sure I will be speaking with you before your fight. Give me some closing thoughts my man.
DG: I just want to let everybody know that in 2011, Danny "Swift" Garcia is going to show a lot of speed, a lot of power, and a lot of hungriness. This is going to be my year. I'm going to show a lot of determination and if you've never seen Danny "Swift" Garcia, you need to watch me fight. I'm a crowd-pleasing fighter and I feel like I am the best fighter in the 140-pound division by far. I have a lot of speed, a lot of power, and true toughness; a lot of heart.
[ Follow Percy Crawford on Twitter @MrLouis1ana ]