Danny Garcia is ready to embark on a new phase of his boxing life—promoting fights

Danny “Swift” Garcia is not done yet. Far from it, the 36-year-old former two-division world titlist says. But he has been boxing for about 30 years now. He does realize he is far closer to the end than his beginnings. It’s why starting Saturday Swift will be promoting his first boxing show in the hardscrabble […]

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Danny “Swift” Garcia is not done yet. Far from it, the 36-year-old former two-division world titlist says. But he has been boxing for about 30 years now. He does realize he is far closer to the end than his beginnings.

It’s why starting Saturday Swift will be promoting his first boxing show in the hardscrabble city he calls home, Philadelphia, at the 2300 Arena in South Philadelphia, a good stone’s throw away from the Philadelphia sports complex.

A former WBC/WBA junior welterweight and WBC welterweight titlist, Garcia (37-3, 21 knockouts) has started DSG Promotions. With it, he is looking to share his wisdom with young Philadelphia-area fighters on not just how to fill an arena, but the pratfalls of the perilous boxing business.

“This has always been a dream of mine, I always wanted to be a promoter,” said Garcia, who has not fought in two years and whose last fight was at 154 pounds. “This is a great time to start a new venture, a new thing. I already signed my first fighter, Juan ‘Johnny Different Breed’ Rivera, and I’m just trying to give back to these young fighters. That is what it is all about.”

The promotional world is different. It is filled with shark-infested waters.

“Right now, I’m keeping it small and hopefully in the years to come, we can build it,” Garcia said. “I want to keep the budget small and keeps things to a minimum, then build from there. This is my second official show. My first show was in Atlantic City the same night Tank Davis was fighting. These are lower level promotions, with friends and family coming the show. I know to stay in my lane. That was not a big enough show where I was competing against another big show.”

Garcia said the biggest adjustment was talking to people who do not know the business side of boxing. It is why Garcia himself is taking baby steps in his new project. He is trying to make stars, while being smart on the back end.

“You have to be sharp, because there is a lot that goes on in the back end,” Garcia said. “My dad (Angel) will be a part of this. He loves Little Johnny. I sparred Little Johnny, and once I realized the kid had star potential, that is when I signed him. Johnny has star potential. I do have plans on continuing to fight. When I was making millions of dollars fighting two, three times a year, I did not have a chance to slow down. But I learned a lot. I’ll ask questions. I want to learn as much as I can. I realize the end is coming. I plan on this boxing promotion to keep me in the boxing game and do this like Oscar De La Hoya did it.

“Oscar built champions and it is something that I want to do. Trust is the biggest thing. I will try and keep my name clean and do right by my fighters. Boxing can be a dirty business, but if I keep being myself, and stay honest, I will be okay. My sales pitch will be keeping Philly fighters in Philly and getting people to come and watch them fight. I want to be a mentor to these young kids. How can I bring anyone to the top if they don’t know what it is like getting punched in the face?”

Garcia wants to guide young fighters how to make their money work for them and be aware of medical plans and save their money for when their careers are over.

“It is a short time on the top, and these young kids think the money and the fame lasts forever,” said Garcia, who owns houses in Philadelphia, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, and Miami, Florida. “It doesn’t. It is why I went back and invested in myself and my community, buying property, building my own gym and my shops. I have a stock portfolio. My money works for me. It is something I want to teach these fighters. It is not just what happens in the ring. I built my future inside the ring. It goes beyond that. Nothing happens overnight.”

Rivera is 2-0, with two knockouts. He just 18.

“I see a lot of me in him,” Garcia said. “He could be the next Danny Garcia coming out of Philly and the start of a line of new world champions.”

Joseph Santoliquito is an award-winning sportswriter who has been working for Ring Magazine/RingTV.com since October 1997 and is the president of the Boxing Writers Association of America.
Follow @JSantoliquito

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