Garcia’s Dad Whupped His Butt So the Son Could Kick Tail in Ring

Published

10 years ago

April 2, 2015

It’s a long way from the steaming sugar cane fields of Puerto Rico to owning a raft of businesses in the blue-collar Juniata Park section of Philadelphia. But Angel Garcia made that transition, and he says he has tried to instill the same tenacious work ethic in his son Danny.

Apparently, the lessons passed on from father to son took root and flourished. Danny “Swift” Garcia (29-0, 17 KOs) is the WBC super lightweight champion of the world, a title which will not be on the line when he squares off against IBF junior welterweight champ Lamont Peterson (33-2-1, 17 KOs) the night of April 11 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. Neither man’s belt will be on the line as the fight will be at an agreed-upon catch weight of 143 pounds.

Garcia-Peterson is the main event of the second Premier Boxing Champions series on NBC, to be preceded by the co-feature, in which WBO middleweight champ Andy Lee (34-2, 24 KOs), of London, defends his title against Peter “Kid Chocolate” Quillin (31-0, 22 KOs).

Not that the absence of title-unification status – there has been more than a little discussion about that — means a whole lot to either Garcia. To them, any fight is a fight to be won, whether it is or isn’t for a bejeweled strap or straps.

“I wish we were fighting for that IBF title because that would be Danny’s, too,” said Angel, who talks loud and proud, with some justification because, well, his kid backs it up. “It’s OK, though. As far as I’m concerned, it’s still a championship kind of fight. And when it’s over, Danny will still be undefeated.”

It irks Angel that Danny, who has defended his championship five times, was the underdog against challengers Lucas Matthysse (whom he defeated on a unanimous decision on Sept. 14, 2013) and Amir Khan (whom he stopped in four rounds on July 14, 2012).

“We’re used to being disrespected,” said Angel, disregarding the fact that Danny is nearly a 3-to-1 favorite against Peterson, who now lives in Memphis, Tenn., by way of his birth city of Washington, D.C. “But what can I say? I like for Danny to be the underdog. There’s nothing wrong with being favored, but it does motivate you more when people don’t expect you to win.

“As far as I’m concerned, Peterson is the favorite this time, too. He’s probably thinking that April 11 will be an easy night for him. He’s imagining himself on the top of the mountain, but it’s not going to happen. We’re going to ruin his party.”

The Garcia family complex on Jasper Street – five businesses under one roof– is a testament to the value of sweat equity, as continually espoused by the patriarch.

“You can bring your car in to be fixed at the auto body shop, get your hair done (at the barber shop or the beauty salon, which is currently under construction) or cut a record (at the recording studio),” said Angel, the budding entrepreneur.

If you’re a fighter and are a dues-paying member of the gym around the back, you can also train alongside Danny, widely considered to be the best 140-pound fighter in the world – at least until he makes his expected move up to welterweight, which could be as early as this summer.

“I would love to defend my title one more time, but if I can’t make 140 by the summertime, I’ll go up to 147,” the 27-year-old Danny said as he wrapped his hands in preparation for going through his paces during a media availability session Wednesday afternoon. “I’m just building my legacy one fight at a time. A lot of fighters say their careers go by so fast. This is my 30^th professional fight and they’ve all been a blessing. I soak in every moment of it.”

Angel said Danny always strives to get better because, well, nothing less than maximum effort in the cozy little enclosure to the rear of the low-slung, white cinderblock building is acceptable. Sure, the trip up that figurative mountain has been exhilarating, but Angel remembers what it was like when he was an impoverished youth who had nothing, and the only way to get something was to attack every task as if it were the most important thing in the world.

“When I was a child in Puerto Rico, they still had a lot of people cutting sugar cane,” Angel recalled. “It was hard work, cutting that sugar cane. People here think Puerto Ricans came to America to just go on welfare. That’s a lie. There wasn’t no welfare when I lived in Puerto Rico. People worked hard. I worked hard. There was nothing free there.

“Now, people are a little more pampered. But Danny got his work ethic from me. That’s why he’s champion of the world.”

That, and maybe an old-fashioned butt-thumping when Danny lost a bout in the amateurs, giving what Angel considered to be less than his best effort.

“I took him in a room and whipped his ass,” Angel said, an admission that sounds harsh in light of the Ray Rice and Adrian Peterson incidents that darkened the 2014 NFL season. “He never lost again after that. I didn’t whip his ass to abuse him; I whipped his ass to wake him up, so he wouldn’t ever lose to himself again.”

For his part, Danny appears to have no qualms about having survived Angel’s brand of tough love. If he puts in the dedication required to gain his father’s approval in the gym, he figures he’s most of the way toward winning it on fight night. He said he is prepared for anything and everything Peterson might throw at him.

“I’m ready for whatever,” he said. “If he wants to box, I’ll be a lion and stalk him down. If he wants to fight, we can fight. Everybody knows I can fight. That’s not hard for me. But I’m not going to go crazy and try to knock his head off. I’m going to go in there and be Danny Garcia.”

Should he get past Peterson – Angel said Danny “on his worst day” could handle his April 11 opponent – there are a wealth of attractive options available to him. His next fight could be against his mandatory super lightweight challenger, Ukraine’s Viktor Postol (26-0, 11 KOs), who is scheduled to appear on the Garcia-Peterson undercard, or Adrien Broner (30-1, 22). Welterweight contender Marcos Maidana (35-5, 31 KOs), he of the two most recent challenges of WBC/WBA/IBF 147-pound ruler Floyd Mayweather Jr., also has been mentioned.

Any mention of Mayweather (47-0, 26 KOs) or Manny Pacquiao (57-5-2, 38 KOs), who clash May 2 in Las Vegas in what is sure to be the highest-grossing prizefight of all time, certainly gets Danny’s attention.

“Big money,” Danny said. “I would love to fight either of those guys. That’s what boxing’s about. It’s every fighter’s dream to fight on that kind of stage, for a lot of money and all the exposure in the world. But I take it one fight at a time. Every fighter gets his chance to eat. They all can’t be at the table at the same time.”

As confident of success as the Garcias are, Danny enters the matchup with Peterson with at least one perceived blemish on his undefeated record, and with a hint of controversy. More than a few observers believed he should not have gotten the majority-decision victory over challenger Mauricio Herrera on March 15, 2015, in Bayamon, Puerto Rico, Danny’s first fight in his father’s homeland. Others derided his most recent bout, a two-round blowout of the overmatched Rod Salka in the Barclays Center that was so non-competitive that it was not sanctioned as being worthy of sanctioning as a championship event.

The fact that Garcia-Peterson is at a catch weight is suspicious, if for no other reason than both fighters are advised by the all-powerful, seldom-seen Al Haymon, the money man behind the Premier Boxing Champions series.

“I know a lot of fans wanted it to be a unification fight, but it’s still a big fight,” Danny said. “It’s a fight the public wanted. I’m going to give them a good night of boxing on NBC. It’s time to show the world who the star on NBC is – Danny Garcia.”

Which means that winning in and of itself might not be enough. The old adage is “Win this win, look good the next time out,” but the Garcias know there is no time like the present to make a splash.

“The whole idea (of PBC on NBC) is to broaden boxing, to bring it back to where it used to be,” Danny said. “I think the first showcase on NBC (on March 13) had, like, 4.6 million viewers. I know this fight will be even better. I can’t wait to go out there and showcase my skills.”

And, maybe, avoid another butt-thumping from dear old dad.

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Bernard Fernandez

Emanuel Navarrete and Rafael Espinoza Shine in Phoenix

Published

24 hours ago

December 7, 2024

Phil Woolever

Emanuel Navarrete and Rafael Espinoza Shine in Phoenix

PHOENIX – Saturday was a busy night on the global boxing scene, and it’s quite likely that the howling attendees in Phoenix’s Footprint Center witnessed the finest overall card of the international schedule. The many Mexican flags on display in the packed, scaled down arena signaled the event’s theme.

Co-main events featured rematches that arose from a pair of prior crowd-pleasing slugfests. Each of tonight’s headlining bouts ended at the halfway point, but that was their only similarity.

Emanuel “Vaquero” Navarrete, now 39-2-1 (32), defended his WBO Junior Lightweight belt with a dramatic stoppage of more-than-willing Oscar Valdez, 32-3 (24). The 29-year-old champion spoke of retirement wishes, but after dominating a blazing battle in which he scored three knockdowns, his only focus was relaxing during the holidays then getting back to what sounded like long-term business.

“Valdez was extremely tough in this fight,” said Navarrete. “I knew I had to push him back and I did. You are now witnessing the second phase of my career and you can expect great things from me in 2025.”

“I don’t really know about the future,” said the crestfallen, 33-year-old Valdez. “No excuses. He did what he wanted to and I couldn’t.”

Navarrete, a three-division titlist, came up one scorecard short of a fourth belt in his previous fight last May, a split decision loss to Denys Berinchyk. This was Navarrete’s fourth Arizona appearance so he was cheered like a homeboy, but Valdez was definitely the crowd favorite, evident from the cheers that erupted as both fighters were shown arriving in glistening, low rider automobiles.

Both men came out throwing huge shots, but it was Navarrete who scored a flash knockdown in the first round, setting the tone for the rest of the fight. There was fierce action in every frame, with Navarrete getting the best of most of it, but even when he was in trouble Valdez roared back and brought the crowd to their feet. He got dropped again at the very end of round four, and Navarrete sent his mouthpiece into orbit the round after that.

When Navarrette drove Valdez into the ropes during round six it looked like referee Raul Caiz, Jr was about to intervene, but before he could decide, Navarrete finished matters himself with a perfect left to the ribs that crumpled Valdez into a KO at 2:42.

“He talked about getting ready to retire soon so I told him we had to fight again right now,” said Valdez prior to the rematch. There were numerous “be careful what you wish for” type predictions of doom and he entered the ring at around a two to one underdog, understanding the contest’s make or break stakes. “Boxing penalizes you if you have a lot of losses,” observed Valdez. “It’s not like other sports where you can lose and do better next season. In boxing, most people don’t want to see you again after a couple of losses.”

What Valdez might decide remains to be seen, but even in defeat he proved to be a warrior worth watching.

Co-Feature

After their epic, razor-close encounter almost exactly a year ago, it was obvious Rafael Espinoza, and fellow 30-year-old Robeisy Ramirez should meet again for the WBO featherweight title belt Espinoza earned by an upset majority decision. Espinoza turned the trick again this time around, inside the distance, but it was more anti-climactic than anything like toe-to-toe.

The 6’1” Espinoza, now 26-0 (22), was the aggressor from the opening frame, but 5’6” Ramirez, 14-3 (9) employed his short stature well to stay out of immediate danger and countered to the body for a slight edge. The Cuban challenger avoided much of their previous firefight and initially controlled the tempo. The crowd jeered him for staying away but it was an effective strategy, at least at first.

Espinoza connected much better in the fifth round and looked fresher as Ramirez’s face rapidly reddened. Suddenly, seemingly out of nowhere in round six, Ramirez took a punch then raised a glove in surrender. Whatever the reason, even looking at Ramirez’s swollen right eye, it looked like a “No Mas” moment. Replays showed a straight right to the eye socket, but that didn’t stop the crowd from hooting their disgust after ref Chris Flores signaled the end at 0:12.

***

Richard Torrez, Jr, now 12-0 (11), displayed his Olympic silver medal pedigree in a heavyweight bout against Issac Munoz, 18-2-1 (15). Torrez, 236.6, found his punching range quickly with southpaw leads as Munoz, 252, tried to stand his ground but looked hurt by early body work that forced him into the ropes. He was gasping for breath as Torrez peppered him in the second, and Munoz went back to his corner on unsteady legs.

Munoz’s team should have thought about saving him for another day in the third as he ate big shots. Luckily, referee Raul Caiz, Jr. was wiser and had seen enough, waving it off for a TKO at 0:59.

“I don’t train for the opponent,” reflected Torrez, who isn’t far from true contender status. “Every time I train, I train for a world championship fight.”

***

Super-lightweight Lindolfo Delgado, 139.9, improved to 22-0 (16), and took another step into the world title picture against Jackson Marinez, now 22-4 (10), 139.2.

On paper this junior welterweight matchup appeared fairly even, and Marinez managed to keep it that way for almost half the scheduled ten rounds against a solid prospect but Delgado kept upping the ante until Marinez was out of chips. The assembled swarm was whistling for more action after three tentative opening frames, as Delgado loaded up but couldn’t put much offense together.

That changed in the 4th when Delgado connected with solid crosses. In the fifth, a fine combination dropped Marinez into a delayed knockdown and a wicked follow-up right to the guts finished the wobbly Marinez, who had nothing to be ashamed of, off in the arms of ref Wes Melton. Official TKO time was 2:13.

In a matter of concurrent programming, Saturday also held a lot of highly publicized college football and basketball games which likely detracted from the larger mainstream audience and media coverage this fight card deserved. That’s a shame but you can’t fault boxing, Top Rank, or any of the fighters for that because, once again, they all came through big time in Phoenix.

Photos credit: Mikey Williams / Top Rank

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Brooklyn’s Richardson Hitchins Wins IBF 140-Pound Title in Puerto Rico

Published

1 day ago

December 7, 2024

David A. Avila

Brooklyn's-Richardson-Hitchins-Wins-IBF-140-Pound-Title-in-Puerto-Rico

A change of champions took place as Richardson Hitchins rallied from a lethargic start to wrest the IBF super lightweight title from Australia’s Liam Paro by split decision on Saturday in Puerto Rico at Coliseo Roberto Clemente in San Juan.

Brooklyn has another world champion.

“I’m just happy to be a world champion,” Hitchins said.

Hitchins (19-0, 7 KOs) proved that his style of fighting could prevail over Paro (25-1, 15 KOs) who had previously knocked off another Puerto Rican champion, Subriel Matias.

Both fighters expected a different kind of encounter as Paro immediately started the fight with constant pressure and short, precise combinations. Hitchins had expected a different attack and seemed hesitant to pull the trigger.

“I couldn’t get my timing,” said Hitchins. “I thought he was going to put the pressure on me.”

Soon Hitchins ramped up his attack.

After Paro had jumped ahead with a constant strategic attack, Hitchins slipped into second gear behind a sharp right counter that found the target repeatedly.

Things began to swing in the Brooklyn fighter’s favor.

Those long arms came in handy for Hitchins who snapped off deadeye rights through Paro’s guard repeatedly. Soon the southpaw Aussie’s eye began to show signs of damage.

But Paro never quit.

Aside from using quick counters, Paro began firing lead lefts and the occasional right hook and uppercut. But seldom did he target the body. Slowly, the rounds began mounting in favor of the Brooklyn fighter.

Perhaps the best blow of the fight took place in the ninth round as Hitchins connected flush with a one-two combination. Though stunned, Paro trudged forward looking to immediately counter.

He mostly failed.

Still, Paro knew the rounds were not one-sided and he could close the distance. The Aussie fighter did well in the 11^th and 12^th round but could not land a significant blow. After 12 rounds one judge saw Paro the winner 117-11, while two others saw Hitchins the winner 116-112 for the new IBF titlist.

“He’s a hell of a boxer,” said Paro who loses the title in his first defense. “It’s not a loss, it’s a lesson.”

Other Bouts

A battle between Puerto Rican featherweights saw Henry Lebron (20-0) out-battle Christopher Diaz-Velez by decision after 10 action-packed rounds.

In a lightweight fight Agustin Quintana (21-2-1) gave Marc Castro (13-1) his first loss to win by split decision after 10 rounds.

Welterweight Jose Roman Vazquez (14-1) defeated Jalil Hackett (9-1) by split decision after 10 rounds.

Photo credit: Melina Pizano / Matchroom

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A Six-Pack of Undercard Action from the Top Rank Card in Phoenix

Published

1 day ago

December 7, 2024

Arne K. Lang

A Six-Pack of Undercard Action from the Top Rank Card in Phoenix

Top Rank promoted a 10-fight card tonight at the NBA arena in Phoenix. The undercard included welterweight standout Giovani Santillan and a bevy of young prospects.

Based on his showing tonight, Albert “Chop Chop” Gonzalez is a prospect on the cusp of being a contender. A high-octane fighter with ring smarts that bely his tender age, the 22-year-old Gonzalez pitched a near 8-round shutout over Argentina’s Gerardo Antonio Perez, advancing his record to 12-0 (7). Although Gonzalez was forced to go the distance after five straight wins by stoppage, Perez, an Argentine who had never been stopped and was better than his 12-6-1 record, had a granite chin.

LA junior bantamweight Steven Navarro improved to 5-0 (4 KOs) with a second-round stoppage of Gabriel Bernardi (7-2). Navarro had Bernardi, a Puerto Rican, on the canvas twice before referee Raul Caiz Jr waived it off.

In a welterweight contest slated for “10,” Giovani Santillan improved to 33-1 (18 KOs) at the expense of Fredrick Lawson who retired on his stool after only one round. It was a nice confidence-booster for Santillan who took a lot of punishment in his last fight vs. Brian Norman Jr, a fight that Santillan was expected to win. However, tonight’s win should come with an asterisk as Lawson, a Chicago-based Ghanaian, is damaged goods and ought not be permitted to fight again, notwithstanding his 30-6 record. (All six of his losses, including the last three, came inside the distance.)

In a welterweight contest slated for six rounds, 19-year-old SoCal prospect Art Berrera Jr advanced to 7-0 (5 KOs) with a second-round TKO over Juan Carlos Campos (4-2) who fights out of Sioux City, Iowa. Referee Wes Melton lost his balance as he stepped in to stop the one-sided affair with a nano-second remaining in round two and went flying into the ropes, but was seemingly unhurt.

In a major surprise, Cesar Morales, a former Mexican national amateur champion, lost his pro debut to unheralded Kevin Mosquera, a 23-year-old Ecuadorian. A flash knockdown in the opening minute of final round factored into the result. The judges had it 39-36 and 38-37 for Mosquera (3-0-1) and 38-38.

The night did not start well for Morales’ trainer Robert Garcia who had five fighters in action tonight.

In the lid-lifter, 21-year-old Las Vegas lightweight DJ Zamora, a protege of the late Roger Mayweather, improved to 15-0 (10 KOs) with a second-round stoppage of Argentine import Roman Ruben Reynoso (22-6-2). Zamora put Reynoso on the canvas in the opening round with a left to the solar plexus and knocked him down in the second round with a counter left to the chin. Reynoso made it to his feet, but had no beef when the fight was waived off. The official time was 1:56 of round two.

Bouts involving former Olympians Lindolfo Delgado and Richard Torres Jr plus two compelling world title rematches round out the 10-fight card. TSS correspondent Phil Woolever is ringside. Check back later for his post-fight reports.

Photo credit: Mikey Williams / Top Rank

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