By Keith Idec

Mikey Garcia isn’t interested in taking a perceived easier route toward a third world title.

That’s why the undefeated contender accepted a difficult fight Saturday night in just his second appearance after a 2½-year layoff. The 29-year-old Garcia recognizes he needs to dethrone an undefeated, powerful fighter like Montenegro’s Dejan Zlaticanin to re-establish himself as one of the best boxers in the world.

Zlaticanin (22-0, 15 KOs) isn’t well-known among American fight fans, yet has recorded victories over WBA super lightweight champion Ricky Burns (41-5-1, 14 KOs), Russian contender Petr Petrov (38-4-2, 19 KOs) and then-unbeaten Russian contender Ivan Redkach (19-2-1, 15 KOs) on his way to winning the WBC world lightweight championship in his last fight.

Garcia (35-0, 29 KOs), who’s about a 2-1 favorite, will challenge Zlaticanin on the undercard of the Carl Frampton-Leo Santa Cruz featherweight championship rematch at MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas (Showtime).

“We’re here,” Garcia said during a press conference Thursday at MGM Grand. “I was gone 2½ years. Everybody knows that story, how that went. And now that I’m back, I’m ready to take over. I’m here. I’m taking on the biggest challenges available, the biggest opponents available, with the credibility that I need. I’ve gotta take on a champion like Saturday night in Dejan, because that’s where I prove myself.

“It’s one thing to win a title and fight for a vacant title. I could cherry-pick my way to many titles like that, but that’s not what I’m about. That’s not what I need. That’s not what I want. I need to take the titles away from legitimate champions. And he seems to be the most dangerous in the division right now. Undefeated, great power, a very dangerous fight for me, a lot of people think. But I believe in my skills. I believe I know what I’ve got. My team believes in me.”

In his last fight, Garcia floored former WBC world featherweight champion Elio Rojas four times, twice apiece in the third and fifth rounds. The Oxnard, California, native beat the Dominican Republic’s Rojas (24-3, 14 KOs) by fifth-round technical knockout.

Garcia’s impressive victory July 30 in Brooklyn marked his first fight since January 2014, when he defeated Mexico’s Juan Carlos Burgos (31-2-2, 21 KOs) by unanimous decision in The Theater at Madison Square Garden to retain the WBO world super featherweight title. The long layoff that ensued was the byproduct of lengthy legal battle against former promoter Top Rank Inc.

Missing more than two years of his physical prime was costly from a financial perspective. Garcia feels fresh, though, and is convinced his best boxing is ahead of him.

“We’re picking up right where we left off,” Garcia said. “The best is yet to come. I keep telling everybody, this is only the beginning. Saturday night is only the beginning of the best stage of Mikey Garcia. What I accomplished in the past is only just a small glimpse, a preview of what’s to come. Saturday night, I will become a three-division world champion, remain undefeated, add another title to the collection and give the fight fans a lot more to watch and enjoy. This next stage will be the biggest, best stage of Mikey Garcia.”

The Zlaticanin-Garcia fight will open Showtime’s telecast at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT on Saturday night.

Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.