NEW YORK – At first,
Danny Garcia didn’t fully commit to the whole retirement talk.
Prior to getting in the ring this past weekend with
Danny Gonzalez at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center, Garcia told media and fans that he no longer planned on fighting in the borough. But depending on how he looked, it might not be the end of his career.
But you know how it is in the sport of boxing. Even when fighters claim they’re done with the sport, they come crawling back. It’s the spotlight, rush of adrenaline, and, of course, paychecks that make the sport incredibly difficult to walk away from.
For Garcia, though, he’s had his time in the sun. He’s also made a ton of money. If a junior middleweight contender/champion wants him to jump back in the ring, they’ll have to back up the Brink’s truck.
“I mean, listen, the price gotta be right,” Garcia told several reporters in his post-fight press conference. “It has to make sense. The dollar signs gotta be right. The risk not worth the reward for me anymore.”
If this is the end for the 37-year-old Garcia, his career comes to a close as a former champion at 140 and 147 pounds. When asked to take a stroll down memory lane, the Philadelphia native smiles widely when discussing his wins over Amir Khan, Lamont Peterson and Lucas Matthysse.
Those victories, along with his longevity near the top of the mountain, have Garcia believing that he has earned a spot in Canastota when he becomes eligible.
“I think I had a Hall of Fame career,” Garcia continued. “I’m happy with the way everything played out.”