By Keith Idec

Danny Garcia hopes he gets another shot at Keith Thurman at some point.

The former WBC welterweight champion just doesn’t sense the feeling is mutual. Garcia thinks Thurman will be content to have edged him by split decision in their 12-round, 147-pound championship unification fight and leave well enough alone.

“I don’t think he does [want a rematch], in his heart,” Garcia told BoxingScene.com on Tuesday. “It’s just one of those things like you go in somebody’s backyard and you steal something, and you never come back. He ain’t never coming back. But only time will tell.”

Garcia (33-1, 19 KOs) discussed his close loss to Thurman (28-0, 22 KOs, 1 NC) before a press conference in Los Angeles to promote his next bout. The Philadelphia native is scheduled to battle Brandon Rios (34-3-1, 25 KOs) in a 12-round welterweight fight February 17 at Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas (Showtime).

The 29-year-old Garcia hasn’t fought since Thurman beat him 10 months ago. Thurman, of Clearwater, Florida, hasn’t boxed since beating Garcia, either, largely due to elbow surgery he underwent 8½ months ago.

The 29-year-old Thurman is expected to return to the ring sometime in April. An eventual title unification fight against IBF champion Errol Spence Jr. (22-0, 19 KOs) and a WBC-mandated rematch with Shawn Porter (28-2-1, 17 KOs) could keep Thurman plenty busy once he returns boxing top opponents, but Garcia wants a rematch, too.

“I would love that,” Garcia said. “I really wanted it right away, to be honest. But, you know, it is what it is. I took some time off. I rested.”

His extended break gave Garcia plenty of time to think about the competitive nature of his fight against Thurman.

Two judges – John McKaie (116-112) and Joe Pasquale (115-113) – scored their fight for Thurman. The third judge, Kevin Morgan, appreciated Garcia’s rally in the later rounds and scored it for him, 115-113.

“I thought I did enough to win the fight, especially in the championship rounds,” Garcia said. “I closed it off strong. One judge gave me the last two rounds and that was the [reason] for the [split] decision. But it is what it is. That’s in the past and 2018 is the future. I’m coming back strong.

“I can’t worry about [the Thurman rematch] right now. I’ve got a desperate fighter who’s got something to prove in front of me. I’ve gotta lock in and I can’t worry about none of that stuff. I know all that stuff will come in the future.”

Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.