Things couldn't be better for Mikey Garcia right now. Just this week, he celebrated his birthday with his kids and then announced he would sign a short-term deal with Eddie Hearn of Matchroom Boxing USA that will begin with a fight Feb. 29 on DAZN against former two-division world champion Jessie Vargas at the Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas.
"I've been on a good run," Garcia told DAZN News. "Good news after good news and closing this deal and closing that deal. Things are going so well. I'm very excited. I just turned 32 on Sunday. I'm in my prime, baby. I feel great. I feel terrific. I’m hungry. I’m motivated. I got that fire in me again."
By the time he steps into the ring with Vargas, it will have been almost a year since Garcia (39-1, 30 KOs) last competed. He moved up two weight classes to welterweight in March, only to lose a lopsided decision to unified 147-pound champion Errol Spence Jr. before 47,000 spectators at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
The prevailing thought was that Garcia's next fight would take place at 140, considering, as he acknowledged at a Wednesday press conference, he put on a "horrible performance" vs. Spence, but Garcia wanted to give welterweight another go and avenge the first setback of his career. Garcia says he knows what he did wrong and plans to correct those mistakes against Vargas as he tries to show he belongs in boxing's glamour division.
"When I got in the ring with Errol, it just wasn't my night," Garcia acknowledged. "I felt slow. I felt sluggish. I felt weak. I felt tired. Everything that could have went wrong, went wrong. He fought a great fight. He managed to use his timing, his height, his reach, and staying fighting in the southpaw stance was very Whereas. All of that just made me not have my night. It was bad.
"I know there’s a lot more that I can do. I hope that on the 29th of February, I will answer all of those questions. I will give all the fans a great performance that they can really look at me and be like, 'This guy is a true contender at welterweight. He can actually fight at welterweight.' That’s what I plan on doing. That’s my goal."
A lot is on the line for the four-division champion. who won his first world title at 126 pounds. A victory over Vargas would keep Garcia on track toward his goal for marquee fights at 135, 140 or 147 pounds, even though he'd like to remain at welterweight. Another defeat, and the California native would be facing a long road back and an uncertain future.
"I'm fighting for a little bit of redemption if I can get my goals accomplished for this fight," Garcia said. "I'm also looking for big fights. I also want to search for big fights that will add to my legacy.
"I think a win over Jessie leaves the doors open for bigger fights at welterweight. Whether I stay there or not in the future is to be determined. At least I’ll leave those doors open at (1)47, whereas, right now, coming off a loss like that (to Spence) in a bad performance, no one is interested in watching me fight at welterweight against any of the top, great champions. But a win will get open people’s eyes and at least give them the possibility of that I('ve) got enough at welterweight to give good fights."