‘It felt great to be back’: Danny Garcia hopes his tears can inspire others after winning in return to the ring

NEW YORK — Danny Garcia paused Saturday night before walking through the tunnel that leads to the arena floor. It had been 19 months since he walked to the ring as he stepped away from boxing to confront anxiety as the pressure of being at the top of the sport for a decade cracked the former world champion from Juniata Park. Now the fans at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn were chanting his name as Garcia — with his daughter, Philly, by his side — waited to make his entrance.

Garcia said he often felt as if he was trapped under a rain cloud during his time away. He won world titles in two weight classes behind an ability to take punches and keep moving, but the anxiety he experienced proved to be a much stiffer blow. But now he was back.

“It felt great to be back and to do what I love,” Garcia said after winning a majority decision over Jose Benavidez Jr. in his first fight since moving up to the super welterweight division. “I was a little nervous. I’m not going to lie. I had my days where I was like, ‘Yo, I haven’t been in the ring for a little bit. Am I still going to be the same?’ But I knew from the way that I’ve been sparring and the way I was working out in the ring that I was physically ready. I just had to be mentally ready. It felt great just walking out of that tunnel.”

Garcia did not look like a fighter returning from a long layoff as he controlled the pace of the fight and never seemed to fall in serious trouble. He outworked Benavidez, throwing 116 more punches over 12 rounds per Compubox and landing a career-high 153 body punches. Benavidez taunted Garcia throughout the fight, mocking him that he couldn’t feel his punches. Garcia just continued to land them, targeting him with body shots and overhand rights.

» READ MORE: Philly boxer Danny Garcia is back in the ring after a nearly 2-year break to confront his anxiety

Garcia’s emotions poured out after the win as he cried during his in-ring interview on Showtime when he was asked about his time away. Garcia knew he was going to share his story, but he didn’t expect the tears.

“I kept crying. I was like damn,” Garcia said. “But that’s what breaks people when you don’t talk about it. Being an athlete, people tell you, ‘You got to be strong. Don’t be weak. Feel good. Train hard. Run harder.’ People look at you like you’re strong so you just keep it yourself. Twenty-plus years of keeping it to myself, it just kind of bursted and I felt like I was tired mentally and knew I needed a rest from boxing.

“I knew boxing was triggering it, to be honest. It wasn’t anything else because I only felt like that when I was fighting. Now I know how to get around it and know how to turn that switch off, talk to somebody, go for a run, or just occupy my mind and get past whatever is making me feel that way.”

Garcia seemed to win Saturday by a wide margin and two of the scorecards — 117-111 and 116-112 — agreed while the third judge ruled the fight a draw. Garcia said he thought Benavidez won three rounds while a member of his team shouted that the opponent won just one. It was hard to see how the fight could have been ruled a draw.

“Any time they’re taking long with the scorecards, I know something’s wrong,” Garcia said. “I asked my Dad, ‘Why are they taking so long with the scorecards?’ I’ve been doing this for a while so I knew something wasn’t right. I felt like I dominated the fight.”

Tony Harrison, a former 154-pound champion, sat ringside and challenged Garcia but the Philly fighter doesn’t seem too interested. He said he’s targeting a rematch with Keith Thurman, who decisioned Garcia in 2017, or meeting middleweight champion Erislandy Lara at a catch weight. Angel Garcia, Danny’s father, said they would like a shot at one of Jermell Charlo’s 154-pound titles if the undisputed champion vacates them to move up in weight.

“We’re back and now we’re looking at the future,” Angel Garcia said.

Garcia missed nights like Saturday as he stayed out of the ring. He missed hearing the crowd and the way they roar when he connects with a punishing combination. He missed the competition of the sport he started when he was 7 years old and living at Second and Glenwood Streets. But most of all, Garcia said, he missed the stench.

“You know how a gym has a weird smell? You walk in there and you’re like, ‘It stinks, but it smells good,’ ” Garcia said. “Once I smelled that smell, I said, ‘Yo, I miss boxing. It’s time for me to come back here.’ Gyms have a weird smell, but you love it and I knew I was missing it once I walked back in.”

Angel Garcia slapped his son’s chest after the ninth round, which Benavidez won on all three scorecards. Garcia was in control, but his father didn’t want the fight to slip away in the final rounds.

“He said, ‘Are you listening? And then ‘Boom!’ I was like ‘Uhhhhh.’ Hardest body shot I got hit by,” Garcia said. “I said, ‘Why are you hitting me so damn hard?’ He catches my attention, somehow, some way. He’s always in my ear, all day, every day. We’re enjoying the moment.”

The slap helped Garcia rally as he pushed the action down the stretch, cracking Benavidez with his right hand, and even taunting his opponent the way he did earlier in the fight. Garcia landed 77 punches in the final three rounds while absorbing just 31.

The father and son, who started their climb to the top of the boxing world by training at the Harrowgate Boxing Club on East Venango Street, were back again.

“It was an honor for me to have Danny get back in the ring after 19 months,” Angel Garcia said. “I was happy that he wanted to get back in. A happy fighter is a great fighter. I’m glad people understand now that these guys aren’t Superman. They’re human beings just like any other human beings. And I’m glad Danny broke the egg in the boxing world.”