Many fighters must rebuild after a loss – and rebuilding often means taking an easier route at first in order to regain confidence. They will work on their flaws in the gym, and then they will test those fixes against a relatively safe opponent.

That’s not the route being taken by Elijah Garcia, 16-1 (13 KOs). The 21-year-old middleweight from Phoenix is returning to the ring nine months after he dropped a split decision to the 18-3-1 Kyrone Davis on the June 2024 undercard of Gervonta Davis vs. Frank Martin.

Garcia’s opponent this Saturday at the Michelob Ultra Arena in Las Vegas is former title challenger Terrell Gausha, part of a three-fight show streaming on Amazon’s Prime Video and headlined by Sebastian Fundora-Chordale Booker.

Gausha “was the only opponent they offered me,” Garcia said Thursday at the final press conference before the event. “They said if you want to fight, here’s your guy. I guess I could’ve said no, but I’m here to get better. I want to be a world champion one day. Terrell’s very experienced, very talented, and he knows how to control the ring. I had lost to a boxer. Terrell is another great boxer. I just want to get better. That’s the biggest thing. If I fight some nobody, how’s that going to prepare me to win a world title?”

While Gausha, 24-4-1 (12 KOs), has never won a world title, he has competed at a high level. The 37-year-old from Cleveland fought in the 2012 Olympics, and as a pro he’s taken on a slew of recognizable names. Gausha lost a decision to Erislandy Lara in 2017, fought to a draw with Austin Trout in 2019, was outpointed by Erickson Lubin in 2020, dropped Tim Tszyu early but lost on the scorecards in their 2022 bout, and lost widely to Carlos Adames last June.

Gausha has said Garcia made a mistake by taking this fight, though he respects his foe for taking it, two points Gausha reiterated during this press conference. 

Garcia, however, is confident that his change in trainers will lead him to victory now that he has Bob Santos in his corner.

“Bob’s the best. All he cares about is winning. He’s there everyday with me in the gym. He’s on top of everything,” Garcia said. “That’s what I needed. My dad was fantastic. My dad was a great coach. If it wasn’t for my dad, I wouldn’t be where I am right now. But it’s just time to take it to another level.”

David Greisman, who has covered boxing since 2004, is on Twitter @FightingWords2. David’s book, “Fighting Words: The Heart and Heartbreak of Boxing,” is available on Amazon.