‘I’m preparing to be a world champion’: Elijah Garcia on taking tough fights at age 20

Elijah Garcia and Armando Resendiz both want to make a statement on the Canelo-Charlo undercard.

Rising middleweight contender Elijah Garcia will face Armando Resendiz in a 10-round pay-per-view opener on the Canelo vs Charlo card on Sept. 30, a potential show-stealer with two young, hungry fighters looking to make a mark.

The 20-year-old Garcia (15-0, 12 KO) has had a breakout 2023, stopping Amilcar Vidal in March and then adjusting to win a tough 10-round scrap over Kevin Salgado just six weeks later in April, and he says the plan is still to win a world title when he’s 21.

“I’m preparing to be a world champion and these tough fights are what will get me ready for that. This has been the best year of my career. I had a big upset early in the year and then got a hard 10-round victory,” Garcia said at Tuesday’s press conference.

“Now I’m in back-to-back pay-per-view events. It’s like a snap of the finger and I’m blowing up. I’m just training hard and preparing for a tough fight.

“I want to be a world champion at 21 years old. Fighting tough opponents like Armando will get me ready for when that opportunity comes. I know how hard it’s gonna be, but that’s the way I have to go.”

Resendiz (14-1, 10 KO) has bounced back from a 2021 upset loss to tough gatekeeper Marcos Hernandez to win two in a row, including a March victory over former 154 lb titleholder Jarrett Hurd. Garcia says he respects his opponent, and that he knows he’ll come to fight.

“Armando is coming off a huge win and he’s young and strong. I don’t see why this fight wouldn’t be a step up for me. I’m ready for it,” he said. “I’m just staying humble and keeping my faith strong. I don’t want to look ahead and take too big of a leap. I’m following the direction that my team is telling me to go.”

Resendiz, who is just 24 himself, will also be looking to keep his career momentum, of course.

“I think that I have experience on my side, but age doesn’t matter too much,” he said. “When I was younger, I fought older fighters as well. How you prepare is what really matters and I think we’re both going to prepare in the right way.

“I showed how hungry I was when I beat Jarrett Hurd. I have big goals in the sport. I want to be a main event staple and that was a big step toward that.”