By Joshua Garcia
In the center of Barclays Center ring Danny Swift Garcia answered post fight questions following his 12 round unanimous decision over Ivan Redkach. This post fight conference was unlike any other in Garcia’s famed career as he stood answering questions for Showtime’s Jim Grey with teeth marks indented into his shoulder from a bite by his extremely frustrated opponent.
Danny Garcia’s domination of Ivan Redkach and the lack of success in the first seven rounds led to something rarely seen in Boxing, one fighter biting the other. A visibly frustrated Redkach after taking rounds of shots and landing very little decided to use what Garcia later called Ivan’s ‘brand new veneers’ to do a Florida Gator chomp on the Champ’s shoulder.
Philadelphia’s champion Danny Garcia when questioned about the bite was very jovial about the ordeal laughing and saying, “I look over and he’s biting me, I think I might be the second fighter in history to be bit right? Who else, Evander Holyfield and Danny Garcia, put me in the history books”. All the while Garcia tells his story of being bitten, an amused Ivan Redkach sports a large smile ringside exhibiting the infamous teeth used to injure Garcia’s shoulder looking like he belongs in a Batman movie.
Saturday night was about more than a tribute to Hannibal the Cannibal, it was about Danny Garcia showing where he is at following a nine month layoff. Terance Crawford, Manny Pacquaio, and Mikey Garcia have been lined up as opponents for Al Haymon’s shining star from Philly. While two of the three afore mentioned opponents might not have been in a rush to fight a dangerous Garcia, after Saturday’s showing in which Garcia looked slower and as if he had lost some of his famous power, they may. Crawford in particular who is looking for a mega-fight type bout and payday coupled with the motivation to beat a PBC fighter could be a matchup in 2020 many are clamouring for.
Entering training camp for this fight Danny Garcia had difficulty making the 147 pound weight and struggled during fight week to cut the extra to qualify for his division. Much was made of Garcia not achieving his goal of knocking out Ivan Redkach and looking gassed in the later rounds, but after a year with only one fight trainer Angel Garcia stated Danny wanted to get the rounds in and prepare against a southpaw, both of which his possible next opponents are. Whomever Garcia fights one thing is for sure, Danny Swift will fight more than once in 2020, it may be at 147, it may be at 154, but it will be a blockbuster.
