Contributor: Nolan Howell
It is a double-edged sword when I look at the relationship between Danny Garcia and PBC. Not many fighters are looking at the opportunity to fight on Fox in a primetime Saturday night slot. Also, Garcia is perhaps the cream of the crop for the company and having someone that good on free TV is always a good start for building a draw.
The thing that really hurts Danny Garcia is the showcase matchmaking PBC has going for him. It’s one thing to be fighting guys like Lamont Peterson who, while not a guy that will ever reach the mountaintop, is someone who always sits at the cusp. It’s another to be fighting Paulie Malignaggi, who was always near that cusp, but his time there has come down in a landslide over the last two or three years and is better suited as a commentator. And it is even another to be fighting the likes of Rod Salka, who was essentially a top regional competitor in Pennsylvania, making him a king of kings as a club fighter.
In terms of demonstration, Garcia gets to style on opponents and that is not a bad recipe initially. However, the 
attitude the hardcore boxing community has towards the matchmaking he is receiving can bleed over slowly into casual opinion. Additionally, dominance is usually only a cherry on top of someone who is already a draw. The likes of Rousey and Tyson didn’t get noticed dominating the Julia Budds and “Razor” Ruddocks. It took the Miesha Tates and Larry Holmeses to give them that push, where a competitive opponent (on paper, anyway) and big enough personality are able to provide a tangible threat. Garcia has had these in the past, with the likes of Lucas Matthysse. The trouble is he’s so far removed from that at this point.
This isn’t to discount Robert Guerrero, who is a very good action fighter and could perhaps unexpectedly giving Garcia the firefight he needs to break out. That seems to be far-fetched though and the odds reflect that.
For now, Garcia benefits from the exposure PBC has to offer and maybe they have a plan to announce his next opponent or tease one on primetime cable. However, the grumbles from boxing fans have been put through megaphones and this matchmaking will not be able to stand under scrutiny for much longer.
-Nolan can be reached at [email protected] or @ucssuperstar.
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