Unified 140 pound champion Danny Garcia will defend his crown against Mauricio Herrera on March 15th in Puerto Rico according to Dan Rafael of espn.com
“Danny has talked to me for the last year and a half, saying, ‘We have to look at doing one of my fights in Puerto Rico.’ This is something he really wanted so, finally, I felt that this was a great opportunity for Danny to go to Puerto Rico and defend his title,” said Richard Schaefer told ESPN.com. “I am sure Puerto Rico will welcome him with open arms. He wants to represent the U.S. and Puerto Rico, given the heritage that he has. I am very happy to be able to fulfill his dream to bring him to the island and have him fight there.”
“Herrera is a good fighter and he beat Provodnikov,” said Schaefer, adding that Golden Boy signed him about 10 days ago. “Herrera is very excited about this fight. He sees it as a tremendous opportunity and is not worried at all about fighting Danny in Puerto Rico.”
“Danny has fought everybody the past few years,” Schaefer said. “He is clearly the man at 140 pounds and when you are the man you have a big target on your back. Whether Mauricio Herrera will be able to do something about it I don’t know. But I do know Mauricio Herrera comes to fight and will be ready.
“He knows what it means for him, his career and his family. He’s totally fired up for this opportunity. Herrera doesn’t have the same name recognition or the same credentials like Matthysse or Judah, but it is those kinds of fights that are sometimes most dangerous if Danny is looking past him.”
Schaefer said he also finalized two other bouts for the card:
• Top American heavyweight prospect Deontay Wilder (30-0, 30 KOs), 28, a 2008 Olympic bronze medalist from Tuscaloosa, Ala., will take a major step up in opposition against Malik Scott (36-1-1, 13 KOs), 33, of Philadelphia in the opening Showtime bout.
• In a fight that will be part of the Showtime Extreme coverage of preliminary fights, Juan Manuel Lopez (33-3, 30 KOs), 30, of Puerto Rico, and Mexico’s Daniel Ponce De Leon (45-5, 35 KOs), 33, both former junior featherweight and featherweight titleholders, will meet in a rematch at junior lightweight. Lopez knocked out Ponce De Leon in the first round in 2008 in Atlantic City, N.J., to win a junior featherweight title.
