Danny "Swift" Garcia (30-0, 17 KO) is officially making his run at the welterweight division. He takes on veteran and former 140- and 147-pound champion Paulie Malignaggi (33-6, 7 KO) in the feature fight of Saturday's Premier Boxing Champions event in Brooklyn, New York. When: Saturday, August 1 at 9 p.m. ET Where: Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York TV: ESPN Live Stream: Watch ESPN Ticket Info: Score Big Garcia is undefeated, and he's coming off a long reign as the lineal junior welterweight champion, but few titleholders in the sport got less respect from the boxing community.
Despite wins over the likes of Amir Khan, Lucas Matthysse and Kendall Holt, Garcia has the reputation of a fighter who hasn't proved himself. His recent matchmaking—this fight included—hasn't done much to quiet the critics. “In the sport of boxing, you’re going to have your critics no matter what you do, so you might as well ignore them and focus on training hard and fighting to win,” Garcia said, per Kevin Iole of Yahoo Sports. “I think I’ve proven what I can do. I go out and fight hard and win. And I do win." Garcia does win, but many of the victories are viewed as empty triumphs. Quite honestly, if he beats a 34-year-old Malignaggi on Saturday—even in the Magic Man's hometown—Garcia won't earn a new legion of followers. Malignaggi is a smart, tough and well-known former champion, but his lack of power makes him a somewhat safe opponent for the sport's elite within the weight range. Malignaggi hears the whispers, and in typical Magic Man form, he's outspoken and opinionated about the public perception of his career and this fight. He breaks down the matchup and why he chose to come back after a long layoff in this interview with Marcos Villegas for the Boxing Channel and Fight Hub: <