Saturday’s fight between Danny Garcia and Erislandy Lara, for the WBA middleweight world title, was far from unforgettable. The Cuban Lara won every moment of the fight with minimal effort against a challenger who failed to do anything of significance and retired after nine inconclusive rounds and a knockdown. Now Garcia is considering retirement, a decision encouraged by many analysts who struggled to recognize the Philadelphia boxer in the ring.
The fight had been announced amid controversy, as the vast majority of experts found it absurd that Garcia, who had been inactive for over two years and had never fought above the super welterweight limit, was given the chance to fight for the middleweight world title. The critics were proven right, as the fight turned out to be a total mismatch.
When asked by journalists if he now plans to hang up his gloves, Garcia responded as follows:
“I gotta sit back and think about it. You know, I didn’t have a long, long career. You know, I’ve been at the top of the game for 12 years.”
When asked if he agreed with his father’s decision to end the fight, Garcia said: “For sure. I mean, at the end of the day, he’s always gonna do what’s best for me. I apologize to all my fans. I tried to be great tonight. I overcame things outside the ring so, if you go through mental health issues, just stay strong. I tried to fight through it tonight and It wasn’t just my night. I tried my best. It just wasn’t clicking, I can’t, I have no excuses.”
Garcia was a world champion in the super lightweight and welterweight divisions and has faced numerous elite fighters. Among his most significant victories were the devastating KO he delivered to British boxer Amir Khan and the points win against the dangerous Argentine puncher Lucas Martin Matthysse.