Boxing
Danny Garcia opens up about mental health struggles after his win over Benavidez in 154 lbs debut
Garcia: I had to go through all those mental things
Two-division world champion Danny Garcia opened up about his mental struggles, depression and anxiety that kept him off the ring for almost 20 months.
Garcia debuts at 154 lbs
The American boxer with Puerto Rican origins came back to boxing in his super welterweight debut at Barclays Center, facing Jose Benavidez Jr..
Tears and confessions after win
Garcia won by majority decision. He broke down on the ring right after the fight, when he decided to discuss about his mental health struggles. “I did take a break going through mental things, things went dark. I went through anxiety, deep depression, just trying to be strong,” said a visibly emotional Garcia. “It was the pressure of life, being a good dad. Just letting it out right now, because it was all stuck inside. It rained on me for a year and a half. The only way to do better was to fight again. I’m a fighter. If you battle anxiety and depression, you can get out of it, that’s what I did today. I fought.”
Barclays Center is home
Philadelphia’s Garcia (37-3, 21 KOs) has become a staple at Barclays Center ever since headlining the arena’s first boxing event in 2012. His return on Saturday night against Benavidez (27-2-1, 18 KOs), saw him pick up his seventh victory in Brooklyn. After runs as a world champion at 147 and 140 pounds, Garcia debuted at 154 pounds after a one year and a half layoff. Known as a counterpunching expert, Garcia went on the attack early and often, targeting Benavidez’s body on his way to landing a career-high of 153 body shots according to CompuBox.
Garcia’s superior hand and foot speed left Benavidez trailing him for much of the night, looking to land right hands over Garcia’s vaunted left hook. In the post-fight presser, Benavidez said he thinks he won the fight, but this was a learning experience. Garcia spoke about what he is proud of about his performance. He explained how he changed style-wise at 154.
Garcia’s daughter speaks about what she felt during the fight
Watch the video until the end: There’s a gem from Garcia’s daughter, who wanted to share with us how she felt while her dad was fighting.
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