Team DSG: Beyond the Boxing Ring

Published

7 years ago

March 1, 2017

THE DANNY GARCIA STORY BY SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT LUIS CORTES III – “Success is one thing, impact is another,” is a quote attributed to former Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis. These words spoken by the greatest inside linebacker in NFL history give a clearer insight to the story between current WBC welterweight champion Danny Garcia and the community where he was born and raised: North Philadelphia.

While North Philadelphia is home to several urban neighborhoods with different demographic makeups, it is the predominantly Latino Kensington section where Team DSG (Danny “Swift” Garcia) originates from. It’s where their humble beginnings as a family have shaped both the man and the champion that Danny Garcia has become. As one looks closer at this tale one begins to take notice that this story runs deep for all of the players involved. – a tight- knit family, team, and community. Team DSG has become proof that success and a positive impact are indeed possible if you hail from Kensington.

Garcia fights Keith Thurman on CBS this Saturday. It’s customary that during the continuous promotion for a fight of this magnitude that fans are treated to an in-depth look at the back story of the combatants — what shapes them as men, which in turn tells us why they fight in the fashion that they do. In the case of Garcia, his family’s struggles have been the focus: Having a father (Angel Garcia) that lived a “gangster” lifestyle that included narcotics distribution that resulted in his incarceration. Trying to survive with his mother and siblings in a rough community while his father served his time. Garcia’s reconnection with his father, upon his father’s release from prison. Starting his boxing training at the tender age of ten and realizing early through the guidance of his father and trainer that this sport is serious business. To understand at an early age that in order to be successful and fulfill his dreams, dedication to the craft ruled supreme over every other aspect of life.

Which brings this tale to the role played by the aforementioned neighborhood, Kensington, a neighborhood that was omnipresent in the lives of the Garcia family. During the 90’s, when Garcia was a child, Kensington was best known for being home to many drug addicts and dealers. Crack cocaine hit this working class neighborhood hard. As a result, all of the social ills that come with the drug culture plagued the streets. Unfortunately that is something that still is the case within the confines of the Kensington neighborhood. Currently it is the heroin epidemic that has its tight grip on many members of the community.

Success is defined as being able to accomplish an aim or goal. In the case of many that call Kensington home, success is being able to avoid the awful pitfalls to which many succumb. So for Garcia making it through his adolescence alive is success in itself. Garcia took what many may think is a small example of success and parlayed it with staying focused on his goal of becoming a professional prizefighter. He was able to do this by having several interests aside from the boxing gym. While the pugilistic art form has always been his primary focus, he spent many hours as the local barber for his friends and family. A love for music and playing around with Hip Hop music was also strong and consumed his time as an escape from both boxing and the neighborhood. Garcia continued this formula throughout a successful amateur career that reached its crescent when he was named an alternate on the 2008 US Olympic boxing team.

So it shouldn’t be a surprise when Team DSG purchased a building on a plot of land right outside of Kensington in the Juniata Park section of the city. What followed was the creation of a home base or corporate headquarters for all things Danny Garcia. Upon visiting the complex recently, I got the feeling that Garcia fully understands that while he is a two division champion and in the prime of his career at just 28 years of age, his time inside the ring will not go on forever. He has positioned himself for life after boxing as a brand that is dubbed DSG.

The DSG complex is home to a beautiful barbershop, a private recording studio for his friends and twin sisters (who are singers), a detailing and minor repair body shop, a full time apparel store (set to open soon) and, of course, his own boxing gym. Another form of success and impact is that with all of these business ventures it means one thing for the community: jobs. His barber shop has nine full time barbers.”Danny has set the bar so high, he has my respect and everyone’s in here.” states Haz, the manager of his barber shop. “The gym is open to the public daily, when he is not training for a fight.” This means that many of the youth from the same neighborhood that he once called home can find their solace from the streets at the DSG gym — much in the same way that Garcia did at the Harrowgate boxing gym years ago.

Danny Garcia’s impact on the sport of boxing goes beyond his accomplishments inside the ring. Already a two division champion, a victory on Saturday against Keith Thurman will make him the recognized lineal champion at welterweight. As the first Latino champion in the rich history of boxing in Philadelphia, Garcia is on pace to becoming the best Puerto Rican fighter from mainland United States in history.

If you take a look at the list of all the Puerto Rican title holders, ten names pop off the list in a special way, while four are in a class of their own. Seven of these ten fighters, while born in Puerto Rico, moved to the mainland at an early age and called boxing gyms in the United States home, mostly in New York City. These boxers include Jose Torres, Carlos Ortiz, Eric Morel, Kermit Cintron and, of course, Hector Camacho.

Wilfred Benitez was born in New York and learned to box in gyms throughout the city. However as a professional he spent a huge portion of his time on the island. Currently Benitez has the distinction of being the best Puerto Rican fighter from mainland Unites States. Luis Collazo, also from New York and Jason Sosa from Camden, New Jersey are also on the list with Danny Garcia. It is a small list, but one that should continue to grow.

“For me, Danny is already the best Puerto Rican fighter from mainland U.S.A in history, no matter whatever happens in his career from here on out” quips Haz. Matthew Urrutia, who runs a local bar just minutes away from the DSG complex, loves what he sees happening. “Since his fight against Khan, every time Danny fights we get big crowds. It’s crazy cause these crowds have positive vibes. Everyone is together pulling for him to get the win, cause he represents Puerto Ricans from Philadelphia.” Urrutia brought up a solid point when he stated the following. “Is Oscar De La Hoya less Mexican cause he was from L.A? No, he isn’t.” What is happening on the east coast regarding mainland Puerto Rican fighters is similar to what has happened out west with Mexican-American fighters from states like California, Texas, Colorado, and New Mexico. New York, now Pennsylvania and New Jersey, are on the list of states with Puerto Rican champions from the mainland.

You get the sense that even a state like Florida, the home of Keith Thurman, is going to be added to that list in no time. Puerto Ricans are set to overtake Cuban-Americans as the largest Latino demographic in Florida in the near future. “To say that there are currently no real Puerto Rican champions because there isn’t one from the island is just disrespectful.” says Urrutia. “Here is the rub. I’m not even a big fight fan, but I like Roman Gonzalez cause my father is from Nicaragua. I support Danny though, cause he is from Philly and most of my customers are Rican.”

Impact can be a fickle thing. For all the things one can do to positively affect people and a certain place, all of that can be neglected by people outside of your community if the only thing people hear about regarding you or the members of your team is a negative that occurs from a mistake. This seems to be the case with what occurred at the well documented Garcia-Thurman pre-fight press conference in January. (The situation has already been discussed at length, so I won’t hash over the details.)

To his credit, Angel Garcia has gone on record stating that he shouldn’t have said what he did. But if you’re from an area like Kensington in a city like Philadelphia where, as mentioned before, success is something as fragile as staying alive, then when you feel as though you are being disrespected by someone, you strike back. Many times it’s an issue of survival. However what Angel said can’t be excused despite the forum in which it was used.

Moving forward, Danny Garcia is on the cusp of super stardom — something he and his team have to be aware of as they continue with the remaining portion of Danny’s career. With a vacancy on the short list of stars that carry the sport into the future, a victory on Saturday night can go a long way for Team DSG to fill that void. “My wish is that he wins and hopefully fights Cotto. If Chavez and Canelo can fight to see who is the best Mexican, why can’t Cotto and Garcia fight to see who the best Rican is? Plus, it will mean big business for me,” says Urrutia.

Whatever the future holds for Danny “Swift” Garcia,, this much is certain: He is a true success to have made it out of the conditions that he faced as a child growing up in a place like Kensington. His impact on the community can’t be denied and his impact on the sport he loves may be just getting started. Maybe these simple few words from Haz sum it up the best: “Danny’s type of success story doesn’t happen every day, especially when you’re from where he is.”

Check out more boxing news on video at The Boxing Channel.

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Haney-Garcia Redux with the Focus on Harvey Dock

Published

17 hours ago

April 22, 2024

Arne K. Lang

Haney-Garcia-Redux-with-the-Focus-on-Harvey-Dock

Saturday’s skirmish between Ryan Garcia and WBC super lightweight champion Devin Haney was a messy affair, and yet a hugely entertaining fight fused with great drama. In the aftermath, Garcia and Haney were celebrated – the former for fooling all the experts and the latter for his gallant performance in a losing effort – but there were only brickbats for the third man in the ring, referee Harvey Dock.

Devin Haney was plainly ahead heading into the seventh frame when there was a sudden turnabout when Garcia put him on the canvas with his vaunted left hook. Moments later, Dock deducted a point from Garcia for a late punch coming out of a break. The deduction forced a temporary cease-fire that gave Haney a few precious seconds to regain his faculties. Before the round was over, Haney was on the deck twice more but these were ruled slips.

The deduction, which effectively negated the knockdown, struck many as too heavy-handed as Dock hadn’t previously issued a warning for this infraction. Moreover, many thought he could have taken a point away from Haney for excessive clinching. As for Haney’s second and third trips to the canvas in round seven, they struck this reporter – watching at home – as borderline, sufficient to give referee Dock the benefit of the doubt.

In a post-fight interview, Ryan Garcia faulted the referee for denying him the satisfaction of a TKO. “At the end of the day, Harvey Dock, I think he was tripping,” said Garcia. “He could have stopped that fight.”

Those that played the rounds proposition, placing their coin on the “under,” undoubtedly felt the same way.

The internet lit up with comments assailing Dock’s competence and/or his character. Some of the ponderings were whimsical, but they were swamped by the scurrilous screeching of dolts who find a conspiracy under every rock.

Stephen A. Smith, reputedly America’s highest-paid TV sports personality, was among those that felt a need to weigh-in: “This referee is absolutely terrible….Unreal! Horrible officiating,” tweeted Stephen A whose primary area of expertise is basketball.

Harvey Dock

Dock fought as an amateur and had one professional fight, winning a four-round decision over a fellow novice on a show at a non-gaming resort in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania. He says that as an amateur he was merely average, but he was better than that, a New Jersey and regional amateur champion in 1993 and 1994 while a student New Jersey’s Essex County Community College where he majored in journalism.

A passionate fan of Sugar Ray Leonard, he started officiating amateur fights in 1998 and six years later, at age 32, had his first documented action at the professional level, working low-level cards in New Jersey. The top boxing referees, to a far greater extent than the top judges, had long apprenticeships, having worked their way up from the boonies and Dock is no exception.

Per boxrec, Haney vs Garcia was Harvey Dock’s 364^th assignment in the pros and his forty-second world title fight. Some of those title fights were title in name only, they weren’t even main events, but, bit by bit, more lucrative offerings started coming his way.

On May 13, 2023, Dock worked his first fights in Nevada, a 4-rounder and then a 12-rounder on a card at the Cosmopolitan topped by the 140-pound title fight between Rolly Romero and Ismael Barroso. It was the first time that this reporter got to watch Dock in the flesh.

Ironically (in hindsight), the card would be remembered for the actions of a referee, in this case Tony Weeks who handled the main event. Barroso was winning the fight on all three cards when Weeks stepped in and waived it off in the ninth round after Romero cornered Barroso against the ropes and let loose a barrage of punches, none of which landed cleanly. Few “premature stoppages” were ever as garishly, nay ghoulishly, premature.

With all the brickbats raining down on Weeks, I felt a need to tamp down the noise by diverting attention away from Tony Weeks and toward Harvey Dock and took to the TSS Forum to share my thoughts. Referencing the 12-rounder, a robust junior welterweight affair between Batyr Akhmedov and Kenneth Sims Jr, I noted that Dock’s Las Vegas debut went smoothly. He glided effortlessly around the ring, making him inconspicuous, the mark of a good referee. (This post ran on May 15, two days after the fight.)

Folks at the Nevada State Athletic Commission were also paying attention. Dock was back in Las Vegas the following week to referee the lightweight title fight between Devin Haney and Vasyl Lomachenko and before the year was out, he would be tabbed to referee the biggest non-heavyweight fight of the year, the July 29 match in Las Vegas between Terence Crawford and Errol Spence Jr.

The Haney-Garcia fight wasn’t Harvey Dock’s best hour, I’ll concede that, but a closer look at his full body of work informs us that he is an outstanding referee.

—

While the Haney-Garcia bout was in progress, WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman threw everyone a curve ball, tweeting on “X” that Devin Haney would keep his title if he lost the fight. Everyone, including the TV commentators, was under the impression that the title would become vacant in the event that Haney lost.

Sulaiman cited the precedent of Corrales-Castillo II.

FYI: The Corrales-Castillo rematch, originally scheduled for June 3, 2005 and aborted on the day prior when Castillo failed to make weight, finally came off on Oct. 8 of that year, notwithstanding the fact that Castillo failed to make weight once again, scaling three-and-a-half pounds above the lightweight limit. He knocked out Corrales in the fourth round with a left hook that Las Vegas Review-Journal boxing writer Kevin Iole, alluding to the movie “Blazing Saddles,” described as Mongo-esque (translation: the punch would have knocked out a horse). After initially insisting on a rubber match, which had scant chance of happening, WBC president Jose Sulaiman, Mauricio’s late father, ruled that Corrales could keep his title.

Whether or not you agree with Mauricio Sulaiman’s rationale, the timing of his announcement was certainly awkward.

Haney’s mandatory is Spanish southpaw Sandor Martin (42-3, 15 KOs), a cutie best known for his 2021 upset of Mikey Garcia. A bout between Haney and Martin has the earmarks of a dull fight.

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In a Shocker, Ryan Garcia Confounds the Experts and Upsets Devin Haney

Published

2 days ago

April 21, 2024

David A. Avila

In-a-Shocker-Ryan-Garcia-Confounds-the-Experts-and-Upsets-Devin-Haney

Its good to be crazy. Like a fox.

Ryan “KingRy” Garcia knocked down WBC super lightweight titlist Devin Haney three times to remind everyone of his fighting abilities in winning by majority decision on Saturday.

“I just knew what I could do,” Garcia said.

Fans will not forget the lanky kid from Victorville, California now.

Garcia (25-1, 20 KOs) fooled everyone in playing crazy weeks before the fight, then showed shocking power to hand Haney (30-1, 15 KOs) his first loss as a professional at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

Haney’s WBC super lightweight title was not at stake for Garcia because he weighed three pounds over the limit.

After Garcia seemingly acting out of control on social media, Haney’s guard must have slipped in the first round during the first few seconds as Garcia connected with that hellish left hook and Haney, with a look of shock in his eyes, almost went down. He barely survived the first round.

“He caught me with it,” said Haney.

During the next few rounds, Haney proceeded to advance toward Garcia seemingly fully aware of the lethal left hook. He used feints and rights to score with a busier approach as Garcia seemed cocked and ready to counter with a left hook.

In the fourth round it seemed Haney was confident he had regained control of the fight, but every time he opened up with more than a two-punch combination Garcia reminded him whose hands were faster and more dangerous.

Though Garcia seldom jabbed he seemed bent on looking for the right moment to unleash his deadly left hook. And every time the Southern California fighter opened up with a combination he scored and Haney dare not exchange.

A few times Haney smiled as if signifying he escaped.

In the seventh round Haney looked to punish Garcia’s body and instead was met with a three-punch combination included a left hook to the chin and down went Haney slumped on the ground. He managed to beat the count and as soon as Garcia came within reach Haney wrapped his arms around him with a python grip. Despite the warnings by referee Harvey Dock, the fallen fighter would not release and Garcia impatiently fired a weak punch during the break. The referee deducted a point from Garcia though he could have deducted a point from Haney for not obeying his instructions to release his hold. Haney actually went down three times in the round but only one was counted by the referee.

From that point on Haney was very cautious but still looking to win by decision.

Though Garcia kept using a shoulder-roll defense that left his body exposed, he would retaliate with three and four punch combinations that usually Haney could defend against other fighters.. But Garcia’s blazing combinations were too fast to defend.

In the 10^th round Haney looked to attack and was countered by Garcia’s right and a blinding left hook to the chin and another two blows that sent the former undisputed lightweight champion to the floor again.

It didn’t look good for Haney to survive.

Garcia walked into the 11^th round still composed and never out-of-control He dared Haney to exchange and when within striking distance Garcia unleashed another lightning combination and down went Haney again with a defeated look.

Both fighters had fought each other as amateurs six times so there were no surprises between them. But Garcia’s power and speed were superior and that was the difference in a professional fight.

In the final round both were cautious with Garcia’s combination punching proving too dangerous for Haney to open up. Garcia celebrated early as the round ended confident of victory.

After 12 rounds Garcia was seen the victor by majority decision 112-112, 114-110, 115-109.

“You really thought I was crazy,” Garcia told the interviewer and the crowd. “You guys hated on me.”

Other Bouts

Arnold Barboza (30-0) won a curious split decision victory over United Kingdom’s Sean McComb (18-2) in a 10-round super lightweight fight. McComb’s long reach and busy southpaw style gave Barboza trouble. But he managed to win the fight though the crowd was not pleased.

Bektemir Melikuziev (14-1, 10 KOs) defeated France’s Pierre Dibombe (22-1-1) by technical decision after eight rounds due to a cut on his eye from an accidental head butt. It was a very competitive super middleweight fight.

Costa Rica’s David Jimenez (16-1, 11 KOs) outworked John “Scrappy Ramirez (13-1, 9 KOs) in a 12-round scrap to upset the Los Angeles based fighter. After a few close rounds Jimenez simply bullied his way inside and forced Ramirez against the ropes and unloaded his guns.

After 12 rounds two judges saw it 117-111 and 116-114 all for Jimenez.

“I’m a hard-working man from Cartago I come from nothing,” said Jimenez. “My corner told me I had to work inside.”

Charles Conwell (19-0, 14 KOs) stepped on the gas early with vicious body shots and uppercuts and blasted through the resilient Nathaniel Gallimore (22-8-1, 17 KOs) for several rounds. After a brutal fifth and sixth round the referee halted the one-side beating in favor of Conwell who was fighting for the first time under the Golden Boy banner.

Another winner was Sergiy Derevyanchenko (15-5) by decision over Vaughn Alexander (18-11-1) in a super middleweight match.

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Haney and Garcia: Bipolar Opposites

Published

3 days ago

April 20, 2024

TSS Press

Haney and Garcia: Bipolar Opposites

One young man flew halfway around the world to take on a world champion in his own living room; not once, but twice. The other young man quit prior to one fight, and then again during another one.

The first guy mentioned is an obedient son of an ultra-streetwise father. The type of parent where, if he doesn’t know the answer (and more times than not he most likely does), he will know where to find it. The second guy doesn’t appear to have that quality guidance scenario going on for him, which is probably for the best, because he believes he has all the answers.

The first guy is on record as saying he wants to go down in boxing history as an all-time great. The other guy? He decided not to continue in a fight while he was still sporting an undefeated record. You may think to yourself if there was ever a time to soldier through, right?

Then yesterday, that same guy missed making weight by 3.2 pounds, and seemed to be more than fine with it, to the point where he actually appeared to be quite pleased with himself.

If you haven’t heard, Devin Haney and Ryan Garcia are going to share a boxing ring in a twelve round go for God knows what will be at stake by the time they actually punch off. The fact that no one from Garcia’s team has stepped in and rescued him from these unfolding events, his own personal well-being, and/or not to mention Devin Haney is, well, troubling in and of itself.

Back in the amateur days, the record shows they split six fights. They were boys back then, so it means zero. If anything, you’d want to be the older of the two, and Ryan had over a three-month age advantage. If you’ve only been on the planet for a total of 120 months or so, every extra month could be a big enough difference in strength and development. Now as world class professionals in their prime? That’s different. Younger is always better. Devin is that guy.

Haney and Garcia fought six times for free but will fight only once as professionals. Then one of them will continue with their march for historic greatness, while the other will head back to Kamp Krazy, where he’s the current Mayor.

It’s never smart to lay 8-1, 9-1 in boxing. And if you see taking Garcia as a value bet with +500 to +600 and beyond, you don’t understand value and you evidently don’t like money.

There is, however, a wagering opportunity here.

Total Rounds: Fight doesn’t go 10.5 rounds.

Take anything over +125. It’s worth a unit on a scale of 5. Logically, there are a lot of ways to cash this ticket: legitimate victory, meltdown, catching lightning in a bottle, etc. Or simply the exiting stage left of a guy who may be already plotting his next career move.

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