Danny Garcia Aims for Storybook Ending in Farewell Bout at Barclays Center

In the unforgiving realm of professional boxing, where retirements are often dictated by fading skills or external pressures rather than personal choice, Danny "Swift" Garcia is striving to script his own ending. The former two-division world champion is set to embark on what he has declared to be the final chapter of his 18-year career this Saturday, aiming to orchestrate a triumphant farewell on his own terms.

Garcia (37-4, 21 KOs) will not only headline the event but also serve as its promoter through his Swift Promotions banner, hoping to conclude his career with a victory in a venue that holds deep significance for him: the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.

Nearly 13 years ago, Garcia played a pivotal role in inaugurating the Barclays Center as a boxing venue, headlining its first event with a fourth-round knockout victory over Hall of Famer Erik Morales in their rematch. Now, at 37, Garcia intends to bring his professional journey to a close in a 10-round junior middleweight contest against Daniel Gonzalez (22-4-1, 7 KOs), a 35-year-old native of Queens. The fight card will be broadcast as a pay-per-view event on the Millions.co streaming platform.

"Not many fighters can say they have a home where they can go back to and fight but Brooklyn adopted me," Garcia stated in a recent interview. "I have built a great legacy at the Barclays Center. This is my 10th fight there, and I always told everybody I want to go out like a boss. I want to go out promoting my own fight, having my own fighters on the undercard and, obviously, going out with my hand raised."

The event presents Garcia with an opportunity to further solidify his impressive 7-2 record at the Barclays Center, a venue where he has secured victories over notable opponents such as Zab Judah, Lamont Peterson, and Paulie Malignaggi. He also experienced narrow defeats in two high-profile welterweight title bouts at the arena, against Keith Thurman in 2017 (a fight broadcast live on CBS) and Shawn Porter in 2018.

While numerous prominent fighters associated with Premier Boxing Champions, including Adrien Broner, Deontay Wilder, and Gervonta "Tank" Davis, have headlined events at Barclays Center over the past decade, Garcia’s appearances have consistently generated a unique atmosphere and level of excitement.

"I definitely feel like the atmosphere is different when I fight there," Garcia acknowledged. "There is nothing like a Danny Garcia show at the Barclays Center. On Saturday, I feel like it’s going to be another electrifying night for me and my fans."

Gonzalez enters the fight as a significant betting underdog, having posted a 2-2 record since 2021. His past also includes a 2019 defeat to former 140-pound titleholder Chris Algieri. Despite the odds stacked against him, Gonzalez asserted his intention to win at the pre-fight press conference, boldly predicting a knockout victory that would send Garcia into retirement.

"One thing I learned, you can never out talk a New Yorker. They are the best talkers in the world," Garcia responded. "[Gonzalez] is going to do what he has to do to sell the fights, but he has never been in there with anyone like Danny Garcia. Once he starts feeling the punches and seeing what I bring to the table, I think his whole mindset is going to change. I know he’s coming to fight, but I’m preparing for whatever he brings to the table. I’m going to get this knockout."

Garcia, whose most recent fight was a TKO loss to Erislandy Lara in their 2024 middleweight title bout, is concluding a career that saw him initially dominate the 140-pound division, establishing himself as the top junior welterweight in the world. He then transitioned to the welterweight ranks, where he competed against a formidable array of elite fighters and even headlined a pay-per-view event at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, in 2020, losing to then-undefeated Errol Spence Jr.

However, Garcia’s enduring legacy is rooted in the early stages of his professional career, when he was not widely regarded as a future Hall of Fame contender. Often cast as the underdog in his biggest fights at 140 pounds, Garcia’s breakthrough victories over Amir Khan in 2012 and Lucas Matthysse in 2013 propelled him into the spotlight as an established star.

"I feel like, in my heart, I was never the underdog because in the amateurs, when I won the U.S. championship in 2006, you couldn’t hand pick [opponents]," Garcia explained. "In the amateurs, you have to fight the best every single day, and I was No. 1 in the amateurs. For some reason, when I turned into the pros, I guess I went under the radar. I wasn’t hyped.

"When I came out and I beat Morales, Khan, and Matthysse, everybody said, ‘Where the hell did this kid come from?’ I just didn’t get that superstar push from the beginning; I had to earn it. And I think that’s why I got the underdog look. I fought everybody they put in front of me because I thought I was better, and I knew I could beat them. That’s just what I was taught."

The final bout of Garcia’s career also marks the end of his long-standing in-ring partnership with his father and trainer, Angel Garcia. Whether serving as Garcia’s outspoken mouthpiece, his chief strategist in the corner, or his biggest supporter during challenging times, the Garcias have exemplified a positive and supportive father-son relationship in a sport often marred by volatility and conflict.

"I’m very proud of him. We started this journey together; we are going to finish together," Garcia said of his father. "I saw my dad lose his jobs, he almost lost his marriage, and he almost lost his life to cancer. He had a stroke. I have seen him go through everything, and no matter what happened in his life, he always showed up to the gym because he loved it. He sacrificed a lot to be here, we both did, and I’m very proud of him.

"I feel like I had a hell of a career. I thank my father, Angel Garcia, for being on my side. I thank Al Haymon for getting me all those big fights. I fought 14 world champions, 10 fights at the Barclays Center. I feel like I put a lot of work in, and I fought nothing but the best. That’s what boxing is all about. I won some, and I lost some, but at the end of the day, I’m still standing."