KEITH THURMAN has thrown down the gauntlet at Danny Garcia’s feet ahead of their welterweight unification clash on March 4.

The two unbeaten world champions will square off at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York in a bid to come closer to establishing a division leader.

While Thurman is not letting the significance of the fight get to him, he is ensuring he will enter the fight at 100 per cent.

“At the end of the day, it’s just another fight. My job has not changed since I was seven years old. This is the sport that I love. The name of the game to hit and not get hit, but you know I’m looking to inflict some damage as well,” he said.

“I know Danny is confident coming into this fight. He’s trying to challenge me and hurt me. I have an ‘0’ and I’m not ready to let it go. If you think you can beat me, beat me. It’s going down on March 4.

“You can expect a world class fight. We’re both great champions with impressive skills. We’re going to be pushing each other and testing each other. I see myself as the smarter fighter. I’ve shown that I can adjust in the middle of a fight. With the experience that I have, I go in there with an objective I’m trying to achieve. If it’s not happening, then I have to use something else.”

“I showed against Shawn Porter that when you fully challenge me and make me gut it out, I’m there. I’m a champion and this champion doesn’t lie down for anybody. That fight was a tremendous fight and we showed that we understand each other as fighters.

Last June, Thurman earned his biggest win to date when he outpointed former IBF champion Shawn Porter in a thrilling 12-rounder.

That was the 28-year-old’s last outing and Thurman is pleased that he will be engaging in yet another highly-anticipated match-up.

“I thought to myself after eight rounds against Porter, ‘this fight is tied.’ Nothing that happened in the first eight rounds mattered. The fight was going to be decided in four rounds, just like the amateurs. I had to do what Ben Getty always said, ‘smart fighters win and dumb fighters lose,'” he said.

“I just want to keep moving myself up and establishing my legacy. I want to distinguish myself from the other welterweights. The winner of this fight will get the spotlight over everyone else in the division.

“I’m doing this for my career, for my legacy and for the fans. Without the fans, there’s no legacy. I’ve been boxing for 21 years of my life and I look forward to having some more great years. I’m proud to be living my dream.

“To get two tremendous fights back-to-back is evidence that I’m on the right track and you could say we’re gaining more power in the sport. I’m getting what I want out of the sport, which are big fights like this.”