BOXING BLOG: The weigh-in

The boxing blog will follow the fighters as they prepare for "Friday Night Fights" at the Desert Diamond Casino.

Weigh-in, Desert Diamond Casino, Aug. 13.

Bad news, fight fans. Danny Garcia has been pulled off the card.

One of Golden Boy's most exciting and promising prospects was left without an opponent. Everyone Golden Boy attempted to line up ended up falling through.

"It's like trying to drop a needle into a straw sometimes, balancing the needs of the fighter, the TV network and the budget," said Golden Boy Chief Operating Officer David Itskowitch. "Sometimes, the needle doesn't go in. We'll get Danny back in the ring as soon as we can."

However, Itskowitch is excited to add Vivian Harris to the Golden Boy family.

He said that he fully expects Harris to re-establish himself among the elite at 140 pounds, now that the business side has reached some stability, which will allow Harris to focus on just being a fighter.

Given the fluidity that seems to exist between 135 and 147 pounds, there is a large number of high-profile fights available for anyone who puts themselves in a financially viable position. Itskowitch believes Harris is ready to do just that.

"Vivian is a total pro," he said. "He's not going to scream about the money, as long as he thinks its fair. He's still in the prime of his career, and we believe Vivian is ready to put himself right back in the mix."

Harris tipped the scales at 142 pounds, one pound over the contracted weight. At the time of this posting, Harris was attempting to drop that final pound.

Open workout, Boxing Inc. in Tucson, Aug. 12.

When Golden Boy Promotions first started to become a major player in boxing, the main criticism was that it simply poached the best fighters from other firms without growing any of its own talent.

Danny Garcia is one of a growing number of fighters attempting to change that perception.

After a stellar amateur career, Garcia signed with manager Shelly Finkel in 2007, who advised him to let Oscar De La Hoya guide his career. After racking up a series of quick knockouts, Golden Boy started to feature Garcia on a number of its most high profile events -- Hopkins/Pavlik, Hatton/Malignaggi, Marquez/Diaz and De La Hoya/Pacquiao.

"Fighting in front of those big crowds that early in my career has been a huge motivator for me," said the 21-year-old Garcia. "That's where I want to get to one day."

Garcia (13-0, 8 KO) knows most young fighters don't get the kind of exposure he's seen so early in his career, which keeps him in the gym after hours to make sure he doesn't start to slip. He said he doesn't want to end up a cautionary tale for other gifted fighters who peak too early.

At the time of our interview, he didn't know who he'd face on "Friday Night Fights" yet, or whether his bout would be included on the TV broadcast, but he maintains that this uncertainty holds no bearing on his preparation.

"It's just like amateurs," Garcia said. "Back in those days, you never know who you're going to fight. You just have to stay prepared and enter every fight in good shape."

Garcia idolized Julio Cesar Chavez growing up, and cited Miguel Cotto as one of his favorite active fighters (picking Cotto to defeat Manny Pacquiao in their Nov. 14 mega-fight). But he didn't hesitate to bring up the boxer whose career he hopes to emulate.

"We all want to be like Oscar," Garcia said. "That guy has it all."

Vivian Harris may have spent most of 2008 on the sidelines, but that hasn't diminished his confidence.

Now that he has a new contract with Golden Boy Promotions after splitting with long-time promoter Gary Shaw, Harris hopes to put the business squabbles behind him and focus on reclaiming what he believes is his rightful property -- the WBA junior welterweight title.

"That belt was not taken from me the right way," Harris said, citing his 2005 loss to Carlos Maussa happened because Maussa hit him while he was down. Harris has a legitimate beef -- watch the YouTube clip for confirmation. "I'm on a mission to take it back. I'm still the rightful owner of the WBA belt."

The ridiculous WBA currently has British phenom Amir Khan listed as its full titlist, but also has Marcos Maidana (ironically, the fighter who filled in for Harris after a deal with Victor Ortiz fell through) as its interim champion. How an organization can have an active titlist AND an interim titlist is beyond me, but there you go.

Despite the abundance of top-flight up-and-coming talent in the division (Khan, Ortiz, Tim Bradley, Devon Alexander, etc.), Harris still sees himself as the best fighter at 140 pounds.

"These young fighters, all they have on their side is youth," Harris said. "They haven't done what I've done, fought where I fought, seen what I've seen."

The last time Harris was in the ring, he struggled to beat obscure Octavio Narvaez -- his only bout in 2008. However, Harris looks at the rough year as a blessing in disguise.

"Sometimes, it takes a bad thing to motivate you," Harris said. "I feel more motivated than ever."

He elected to sign with Golden Boy because two of his best friends in boxing -- Shane Mosley and Bernard Hopkins -- are involved with the business side of things, and both of them have put business problems behind them and enjoyed remarkable success late into their careers.

"These guys know all that goes into being a fighter, and they look out for your best interest," Harris said.

On Friday, he'll square off against Noe Bolanos from Mexico. The bad blood was apparent at the open workout, as the two of them could hardly stand being in the same room with one another.

The always-entertaining Deontay Wilder was also at the workout, eager and willing to chat about his quest to bring excitement back to the heavyweight division.

Even though Wilder is extremely raw, he possesses that one trait that always draws a crowd -- knockout power.

"Giving fans knockouts is like giving a kid some ice cream," Wilder said. "They just go crazy for it."

In his six pro fights, five of them have ended in the first round. Nobody has been able to withstand Wilder's powerful right hand, but Golden Boy is doing the right thing and bringing him along slowly.

"I do need to get some rounds in, but I'm not going to carry an opponent just for that purpose," Wilder said. "My motto is get in and get out."

While he might not have the technical prowess of someone like Eddie Chambers, Wilder has the physical attributes necessary to step in with some of the giants in the heavyweight division. At 6-foot-7 with an 84-inch reach, he believes few can match his size and speed.

"Right now, I'm at 220 pounds, but my team wants to get me to 240," said the 23-year-old WIlder. "At 6-7, 240, I'm going to be a beast."

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