By Jake Donovan

For some, there’s no place like home especially when coming off a heartbreaking defeat.

As it relates to the career of Danny Garcia, wherever there’s a ring works just fine no matter its location—even one 2,700 miles from home.

That very scenario faces the former two-division titlist and still very relevant welterweight heading into his upcoming showdown with Chicago’s Adrian Granados. The two will collide April 20 at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, Calif., on the other side of the country from his Philadelphia hometown.

“I love fighting on the West Coast, the fans there have always been good to me,” Garcia (34-2, 20KOs) told BoxingScene.com of his upcoming road trip versus Granados, which will air live in primetime atop a Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) on Fox telecast. “I love the vibe out there. It’s always a good time, especially fighting in the Los Angeles area."

The bout will mark Garcia’s first since a heartbreaking 12-round loss to Shawn Porter in their vacant title fight last September at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. The venue has held a special place in his heart, having fought there seven times including its very first boxing card in Oct. ’12 when he knocked out Erik Morales in the 4th round of their rematch.

It’s also responsible for the lone two losses of his career. Just 18 months prior to falling just short versus Perter, Garcia dropped a hard-fought 12-round split decision to Keith Thurman in their March ’17 welterweight title unification clash.

Following his latest defeat, the 31-year old—who reigned as the World super lightweight champion before moving up for good in 2016 after a pair of catchweight bouts in 2015. His first title win at welterweight came in a Jan. ’16 nod over Robert Guerrero at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, Calif.

The very same venue was also the site of Garcia’s big win over Kendall Holt in their Oct. ’11 140-pound title eliminator. All told, the Philadelphia-based boxer is 17-0 on the West Coast and expecting a lot of fan sport in his quest for another major title. 

“I’m a big name in the sport, a three-time world champion,” Garcia states. “The fans will tell you why they come out and watch me. It’s not a brag, it’s just the truth. When these guys fight me, they sell out an arena. When they try to headline on their own, nobody shows up.”

When they fight him, they also always find themselves in big events.

Garcia was part of the first batch of plans for PBC on every major platform. His win over Lamont Peterson was the second to headline PBC on NBC, a similar positioning shared in his fight on ESPN later that year.

His win over Guerrero helped launch the original PBC on Fox platform, a fight which came 14 months prior to his narrow loss to Thurman live in primetime on CBS.

Now against Granados, the former champ finds himself back on Fox in primetime and ready to reestablish himself both as a major welterweight player and a significant draw.

“It’s definitely a blessing,” Garcia admits of it all. “It’s a great time to be a boxer. Fox is the biggest channel it’s a blessing for me and the sport of boxing. I will use this platform to show and remind the world who I am and that I’m the best welterweight in the world."

Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox