It's amazing how far Danny "Swift" Garcia has come in 2012.
Just three months ago, he was an opponent for Amir Khan, expected to surrender his belt and then go away.
But he didn't surrender his belt. He knocked Khan out in spectacular and brutal fashion, the same way he knocked out and nearly decapitated the legendary future Hall of Famer Erik Morales on Saturday night at the Barclays Center.
A note of caution for future opponents: Watch out in the fourth round. Both Khan and Morales saw their nights end—and for El Terrible, likely his career as well—in that round.
Now, Garcia finds himself one of boxing's fastest rising stars. He has an exciting style, underrated power and fights at a weight brimming with talented bangers who will make exciting fights.
And those guys will all be coming for him now. He's the top dog at 140 pounds, holding The Ring Magazine title and the unified WBA/WBC championship.
Argentine knockout specialist Lucas Matthysse is the most attractive option, both on paper and stylistically, for Garcia.
Matthysse holds the interim WBC title, has 30 knockouts in 32 wins and could well be undefeated. His two losses, to Zab Judah and Devon Alexander, came in fights where he dropped his opponent and was a victim of questionable hometown scoring.
This guy is a straight-out banger, and a fight with Garcia would be explosive.
Last week, boxing fans were treated to less of the sweet science and more of a nuclear exchange between Brandon Rios and Mike Alvarado.
Both Rios and Alvarado compete at 140 pounds as well, and if not for their association with Top Rank, Golden Boy Promotions' chief rival, fights with Garcia would be no-brainers.
Unfortunately, they are unlikely due to the war between the companies that has derailed high-profile fights in the past.
An intriguing option for Garcia could also be Pablo Cesar Cano, if he can get back down to junior welterweight, who lost a controversial split decision to WBA welterweight champion Paulie Malignaggi in Brooklyn.
Cano landed the harder shots throughout the fight and, despite fighting from the second round on with a massive cut above his left eye, dropped the champion in the 11th round. Many at ringside, including the entire Showtime announcing team, felt he deserved the nod.
He is a Mexican fighter in the Morales mold, though quite a bit younger, who is methodical, likes to pressure and attack the body and refuses to give up. This could be a very exciting and interesting clash.
Zab Judah has also been mentioned for Garcia's next fight, with Golden Boy Promotions apparently interested in a quick return to Brooklyn where Judah was raised.
This fight is intriguing, as Judah still has the skills to compete at a high level and will have extra motivation fighting in front of his hometown fans.
Garcia, too, has a chance to gain himself a large Brooklyn following, especially if he continues to knock out guys the way he handled Morales in the arena's inaugural boxing card.
It's an amazing story, that the kid from Philadelphia, who just three months ago was an afterthought, has become a star in his own right. And there seems no reason to believe his rise won't continue.
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