I have covered Danny Garcia for many years and [on Saturday] night he proved yet again what I have always said.
Danny is one of the toughest fighters in boxing.
Last night he showed that with his dominating win in his super welterweight debut against Jose Benavidez Jr.
Announced as a majority decision win, the contest was actually a unanimous victory for those who watched the fight; obviously, judge Waleska Roldan missed it as she scored it 114-114.
But it was a triumphant victory for Garcia (37-3) who returned to the ring for the first time since losing to Errol Spence Jr. almost two years ago.
After the decision, Danny revealed news of his own.
He had been battling mental health issues during his absence from the ring.
‘I was going through some mental things. I felt a little dark,” said Garcia, who then broke into tears as the Brooklyn crowd voiced their strong support for the Philly fighter. “I went through some anxiety and depression and I did my best to stray strong.”
It was a shocking disclosure from one of the toughest fighters in the game, one whom I have never seen hit the canvas.
Yet many athletes are revealing that they do, in fact, deal with challenges internally that take them to a dark place.
But fighting through those mental health obstacles proves their strength also exists outside of the field of play, and Danny proved that Saturday night.
Continue reading over at First and Pen.
This content has been brought to you by First and Pen in partnership with TheHub.News. First and Pen “amplifies local sports stories from voices of color to the national conscience…”