Beating Adrien Broner should catapult 'Mikey' into the elite level of America boxing...
Thursday 27 July 2017 16:35, UK
Mikey Garcia believes beating Adrien Broner will catapult him into the elite level in American boxing.
The three-weight world champion takes on 'The Problem' at super-lightweight in Brooklyn on Saturday night, live on Sky Sports.
Garcia has already won world titles at three different weights but following a two-and-a-half year break from the sport, has not filled the void left by the likes of the Golden Boy himself, Oscar de la Hoya.
While Anthony Joshua and Vasyl Lomachenko have taken the world by storm on the back of their London 2012 success, America failed to take a medal home for the first time in history.
Floyd Mayweather Jr is back in action and will still be the biggest draw going but without the wave of talented, popular fighters to turn to, there is a void that Garcia could fill.
Terence Crawford could become the undisputed world champion in Saturday night's weight class, Deontay Wilder still needs a defining heavyweight fight, while Andre Ward is the pound-for-pound's leader but shies away from the rest.
It's the media and the fans who decide when I am the best boxer. I am not chasing that, it will come on its own.
Garcia's time away, between January 2014 and June 2016, when injury and a contractual row saw him fall out of love with the sport, has now left the 29-year-old playing catch up.
"After I've beat Adrien Broner, it will really help my career and help my popularity and I think that opens doors for bigger fights and I am only a few fights away from being recognised as one of the best pound-for-pounders and this is a big step towards doing that," he told Sky Sports.
Garcia though seems happy to rely on his talent alone.
He goes in against four-weight world champion Broner, whose skills and success are overshadowed by his social posts and life outside of the ring.
'The Problem' is cut from a different cloth to some of American's favourites and Garcia insists he is too. Mayweather knows how to the play the game, De La Hoya did too, but Californian is going to let his fists do all the talking.
"I will let the fans and media decide," he said. "I am not looking for or chasing anything like that.
"If the media and the fans see me or recognised me as the next big star or the star of this generation, that's what they see.
"I am not after that though, I am just after big fights, giving memorable fights and leave my impression on boxing by winning world titles in multiple divisions as I have been."
Belts at featherweight, super-featherweight and lightweight in just six fights have proved that Garcia is still known for what happens when that first bell goes. Not at the first press conference or the weigh-in.
He remains modest and unfazed by the idea of being the new, if not belated Golden Boy America is missing, and is not going to adapt his approach.
"I am not looking for some new status or recognition from one group of people - that's the media and the fans who decide when I am the best boxer.
"I am not chasing that, it will come on its own."
Watch Broner vs Garcia live from the Barclays Center, Brooklyn, from 1am, Sunday, July 30, on Sky Sports Action (Ch407).
