Big-time boxing retuns to Brooklyn after long absence

• The Barclays Center was built at a cost of $1 billion
• Brooklyn last hosted a world championship boxing match in 1931
• Heavyweight champs Mike Tyson, Riddick Bowe, Shannon Briggs and Michael Moorer were Brooklyn-born

Brooklyn, the New York borough that baseball's Dodgers brought a world championship in 1955 then lost "Dem Bums" three years later, is about to re-enter the big-time sports arena after 57 years.

With the new, state-of-the-art, $1 billion Barclays Center as its sparkling centerpiece, Brooklyn will reintroduce its 2.5 million residents to not only professional basketball, with the NBA's Nets debuting in the borough this season, but also to world championship boxing, which returns to Brooklyn Saturday night after an 81-year absence.

Headlining a Showtime card (8 p.m. ET) that features four world-title fights is 24-year-old Philadelphian Danny "Swift" Garcia, who will put his WBA and WBC light welterweight titles on the line in a rematch against legendary Mexican star Erik Morales (52-8, 36 KOs). "El Terrible" is well past his prime at 36, but he remains a major draw among Mexican fans and gave Garcia a tough fight the first time they met in March, losing a unanimous decision, although his trainign camp was interrupted by gall bladder surgery.

Garcia, coming off a stunning fourth-round knockout of former champion Amir Khan in July, knows he has the weight of the highly anticipated Barclays debut on his young shoulders and eagerly accepts the challenge.

"I'm the headliner here and I have to shine," he told USA TODAY Sports. "I gotta look my best and give the fans a great performance.

"I'm just happy to bring boxing back to the East Coast and in Brooklyn for the first time in 80 years. I feel like I'm doing my part as a boxer bringing the fights back east, and I want it to be like this for long time."

The last time a title fight was held in Brooklyn was 1931, according to Brooklyn-born boxing historian and Showtime broadcaster Steve Farhood. "Slapsie" Maxie Rosenbloom retained the New York World light heavyweight title with a decision against Jimmy Slattery at Ebbets Field, the legendary home of the Dodgers. Ebbets was built in 1912 for $750,000.

The birthplace of Hall of Famer "Iron" Mike Tyson, Brooklyn has hosted many of the greatest boxers in history, including John L. Sullivan, who fought there in 1882, before the Brooklyn Bridge was completed, James J. Jeffries, Jack Dempsey, Harry Greb and Joe Gans, as well as Rocky Graziano, Jake LaMotta, Kid Gavilan, Sugar Ray Robinson, Joey Giardello and Kid Chocolate.

The second coming of Kid Chocolate, Peter "Kid Chocolate" Quillan, is one of the boxers fighting for a title Saturday, taking on Frenchman Hassan N'Dam N'Jikam for the WBO middleweight title. Both fighters sport 27-0 records. Quillan, 29, resides in Brooklyn.

Another Brooklyn native and world champ on the card, Paulie Malignaggi (31-4, 7 KOs) puts his WBA welterweight title on the line against Pablo Cesar Cano (25-1-1, 19 KOs). Malignaggi, known as a skilled boxer who doesn't pack much of a punch, won his title by handing champion Vyacheslav Senchenko his first professional loss with a 10th-round TKO in Ukraine in April.

The fourth title fight features a former 140-pound champion, Devon Alexander (23-1, 13 KOs), challenging hard-punching 38-year-old Randall Bailey (43-7, 37 KOs), who won his junior welterweight title in spectacular fashion in June with an 11th-round TKO against undefeated Mike Jones in Las Vegas.

Other Brooklyn-born fighters who became world champions include heavyweight Riddick Bowe, 1984 Olympic gold medalist and welterweight Mark Breland, heavyweights Shannon Briggs and Michael Moorer, middleweight Giardello, light heavyweight Eddie Mustafa Muhammad, and junior welterweight Zab Judah.

Showtime Extreme will air some preliminary bouts beginning at 7 p.m. ET. Brooklyn-born middleweight prospect Daniel "The Golden Child" Jacobs and former world champion Luis Collazo will be among those fighting.

"It is my comfort zone knowing that I will be able to fight in front of my fans, people from Philly and New York and especially all of the Puerto Ricans that are huge boxing fans and know my background and that I am fighting for them too," Garcia said.

"I feel so fortunate to have the opportunity to open Barclays Center. It's going to be a really special night for me and the rest of the fighters on the show."