NEW YORK, N.Y. – Danny Garcia usually likes to play it calm. The two-division titleholder usually likes his dad and trainer, Angel, do most, if not all, of his pre-fight talking.

But there was something that Shawn Porter did after “Swift” beat Brandon Rios in February that still irks him. Porter rushed into the ring to challenge Garcia (34-1, 20 knockouts) during the Philadelphia fighter’s post-fight interview on Showtime, stealing from his moment.

So, when their fight for the vacant WBC welterweight title on September 8 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn was announced on Monday, Garcia couldn’t let it go when Porter apologized to Showtime interviewer Jim Gray for the intrusion back in February.

Photo by Amanda Westcott-SHOWTIME

“I want to publicly apologize to you,” Porter (28-2-1, 17 KOs) told Gray.

“You don’t have to apologize to him,” Garcia said to Porter.

“Yeah, you do,” Gray interjected.

“You’re apologizing to the wrong person,” Garcia said sharply. “I’m excited for this fight.”

Privately, Garcia stressed that Porter can’t really do anything against him. “He’s about dancing with the stars, and this is boxing, it’s not dancing with the stars, and that’s what [Porter] does,” Garcia said. “He doesn’t have my skills. I’m stronger than him. There’s nothing he can do that will hurt me.”

Porter laughed at the notion that he can’t hurt Garcia.

“He has a lot of holes in his game,” Porter said. “I see [Garcia] doing the robot. That’s his favorite move. When he tries to step forward and punch, it’s like it’s stiff and coordination is not there. When you’re in the ring with me, you need coordination.

“I saw the holes in him not being able to move and punch, not being able to cut off the ring against Keith Thurman, and I saw a lot of the same when Lamont Peterson moved around for like six rounds, and then started coming at him. He couldn’t handle the movement, then he couldn’t handle Lamont coming after him.”

Both fighters need this.

Each lost to Thurman. Each is in the heavy welterweight mix with Errol Spence Jr., Thurman and Terence Crawford.

“Garcia is an excellent counter-puncher, so we’re going to keep him off balance and not allow him to get in any kind of a rhythm,” Porter said. “You talk about Danny Garcia having a great left hook, but the same was said when I fought Keith Thurman, and I think I landed more left hooks than Keith.

“He can try and trade hooks if he wants to, or he can try to look for one shot. It’s not going to be there. I think I’m in his head. If I’m not in his head now, I will be.”

Garcia was admittedly angry when Porter stepped into the ring after the Rios fight.

“That bothered me, and we’re here because I’m going to show him that you can’t do that,” Garcia said. “He’s a volume guy, he’s not as strong a puncher as I am. I won’t say it will be easy, but this will be an easy victory.”

Garcia is far larger than he’s been in the past. He’s weighing around 160 pounds right now and is more chiseled than he’s been in the past.

“I’ve been working the gym the last five, six weeks for this already,” Garcia said. “I’m a world champion and that’s my belt. I’m going to wear it again.”