Robert Garcia Talks Chino Rematch With Floyd

Marcos Maidanas’ trainer Robert Garcia was expecting his guy to arrive at the gym in Oxnard around noontime when I caught him on his cell. He told me he didn’t know if indeed the final contract had been signed to make it official, that the 30-year-old rumbler would be getting another crack at Floyd Mayweather, on Sept. 13 in Vegas.

“If it’s official, that’s good news,” he told me.

They will get right to training, but the trainer said that Chino’s manager told him the fighter has been staying in shape at home, since his May 3rd tussle with Floyd, which saw him getting a draw on one of three cards, with the other two arbiters seeing Floyd the winner at the MGM.

This camp will run a bit more than eight weeks, compared to about five for the last one, so Garcia expects an even better session, he said. Alex Ariza won’t be present, with Garcia choosing to have his guys, like his brother Mikey, and Brandon Rios, using more old school methods of strength and conditioning. He’s thinking the same for Chino, he said, but wants to hear what the Argentine feels about the subject.

Garcia said that he sees this rematch as a brand new fight, because he realizes both boxers have watched the tape, and will make adjustments. He can’t assume Floyd will do this or that, because then Floyd will just switch things up, he said. “It’s a brand new fight, like they never faced each other,” he said. But yes, he expects a better Chino, he stated. For one thing, he’d like the boxer to come in a bit lighter, maybe a pound or so, to help in mobility, hand speed, and perhaps even power.

Oh, the gloves situation. Are we going to have that ironed out before? Yes indeed, Garcia said; he expects that matter to be locked down early. He’s happy with that, so he and the boxer can get used to the model before-hand. They don’t want a repeat of May 3 fight night, when Garcia has to use Vaseline on Maidanas’ taped hands to get them to slide into the mitts.

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