Featherweight Fights THIS Saturday!
Miguel Angel Garcia has quietly become one of boxing’s biggest rising stars.
Calm, quiet and humble outside the ropes, he’s a calm, smart fighter who becomes a bull-dozing force once inside the squared circle.
Now Mikey Garcia (26-0, 22 KOs) is set to square off against Juan Carlos Martinez (19-12-1, 7 KOs) THIS Saturday, October 22 on Top Rank’s Nonito Donaire vs. Omar Narvaez in Madison Square Garden’s Theater in New York and airing on HBO’s Boxing After Dark.
Just 23 years old, Garcia is an unbeaten talent trained by brother Robert Garcia and father Eduardo Garcia. The Oxnard slugger trains in Riverside at cutman “Indian” Willie Schunke’s private gym.
An NABF Featherweight champion and a WBO NABO titleholder, Mikey plans on keeping his perfect record intact come this Saturday night as he defends his NABF belt. In his veteran opponent, Garcia be facing a fighter hungry for another victory, especially after “El Pez” Martinez scored a win over Bernabe Concepcion in his last outing.
I had a chance to chat with Mikey as he took time to lend support to a recent “Battle of the Badges” charity fundraiser held at Pechanga Resort and Casino in Temecula, California. He and his wife, Fatima, also introduced me to their two cute kids, Angela and baby Michelangelo. A solid family man with a disciplined work ethic, this is one young fighter with a good head on his shoulders. If the sizzling slugger continues at this KO work ratio, look for Garcia to add multiple world titles to his resumé.
Garcia was honored to be involved at the charity fight night and paid tribute to the courage of the first-timers stepping into the ring. The boxing event was for former officer Jeff Penn’s nonprofit Cops 4 Kids & Communities. Garcia was invited by Penn and World Boxing Hall of Fame’s Frank Martinez to be a special guest judge scoring the amateur bouts alongside former WBC Super Bantam champion Israel Vazquez and uncrowned welterweight champ Mando Muñiz. With Garcia as a judge watching policemen and firemen go to war in on the canvas, it was excellent casting considering that Mikey, himself, is a Police and Sheriff’s Academy graduate.
But instead of working with handcuffs, for now he’s chosen fisticuffs as his profession.
Listen in on my conversation with Mikey Garcia as he talks about the “Battle of the Badges” sluggers, his upcoming clash and his thoughts on the Antonio Margarito vs. Miguel Cotto rematch. Mikey’s brother Robert Garcia is also Margarito and Donaire’s trainer so the youngest Garcia knows a thing or two about this highly-anticipated war. AND get an exclusive look at a future champion in the next generation of Garcias in three-month-old Michelangelo Garcia!
Here’s the reigning NABF champion in his own words.
Photos by Michele Chong
Tickets: www.thegarden.com
Mikey Garcia Interview Link: