Danny Garcia once fought several times a year against some of the best boxers in the world. Today, the 36-year-old is painfully inactive. This is the natural progression of a boxer who is nearing the end of his boxing tunnel.

But before Garcia takes off his boxing trunks and says goodbye to his fans forever, he believes he has a few more fights left in him. On September 14, the Philadelphia star will add a few more pounds to his stocky frame when he moves up a weight class to face WBA middleweight titleholder Erislandy Lara at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Far too many boxers have gotten themselves into trouble by looking past their current opponent. In short, focusing on a future opponent rather than the one trying to slam his head into the third row has not ended well in most cases. Garcia (37-3, 21 KOs), however, was never that guy. He knows that despite his 41 years, Lara is as dangerous as one can be. Gone are the days of the Cuban punching his opponents into the ground before easily scoring a point victory. After four KO wins in his last five appearances, Garcia is paying special attention to Lara’s dangerous left hand. He also has an eye on what might happen next.

Terence Crawford officially made his debut at 154 pounds just a few weeks ago, picking up a close but clear win over Israil Madrimov. Ironically, Crawford (41-0, 31 KOs) is a lot like Garcia. He’s been in the business for over a decade and has built generational wealth by being good at punching people in the face.

Neither man has much fighting spirit left, but Garcia has always been hopeful and interested in facing Crawford in the pros. The two have split two matches in the amateurs, meaning it could come down to a tiebreaker with a lot on the line if Garcia does well.

Garcia is determined to prove he has always been the better fighter, but before he fully commits to a fight with Crawford, he is focused on a crafty and strong Cuban who will try to put his lights out.

“Anything can happen,” Garcia recently told FightHype.com when asked about a fight against Crawford. “I have Lara first. Right now I just have to win this fight against Lara and the sky’s the limit.”