New champ, Mickey Garcia
[BoxingGlove Notes]
Miguel Angel “Mickey” Garcia not only is the new W.B.O. Super Featherweight Champion, with a record of 33-0, 28 knockouts, but also is a recent graduate of the Ventura County Police Academy. So now we not only have one of the most talented young boxers in the ring today but also a dedicated public servant who has solidified his future when he retires from the ring.
Saturday, November 9, 2013, at the American Bank Center, in Corpus Christi, Texas, in his present “role” of a professional boxer super talented Mickey Garcia knocked out Champ Roman “Rocky” Martinez, 29-1-2, 15 k.o.’s and won the coveted W.B.O. 130 pound Crown. Garcia expressed relief because as he had stated at some of the press conferences, “I felt ‘naked’ without a belt and when I lost my 126 pound title to the scales, I knew that I had to challenge someone for another title.” He further stated that, “I knew I could never make 126 pounds again, and when I tried I got very sick”.
When Roman “Rocky” Martinez accepted his challenge Garcia worked very hard to be ready to fight a bigger opponent with the hopes of winning. Well, Garcia was ready because with the added weight he did not lose any of his speed, punching power, and punch accuracy.
From the very first round although very cautious Garcia utilized his piston-like jab, keeping Martinez off balance and closing the distance to begin to do more fistic damage. Martinez fought back and in the 2nd round scored a surprise flash knockdown of Garcia with only seconds to go before the bell.
It seemed like the tide was turning in Martinez’ favor because he had a longer reach but, for some strange reason Martinez taller than Garcia decided to fight him at his height level by squatting so Garcia was then able to reach and hit him easier. That was the beginning of the end for Martinez as Garcia was able to hit him more frequently and with harder debilitating punches.
By the 5th round and through the 7th, Martinez was being hit at will with no response from him as he suffered severe cuts on both eyes and a bloody nose. At the start of the 8th round Garcia threw a combination of punches the last of which was a left hook to the liver. Martinez went down in severe pain unable to get up as referee Lawrence Cole counted to ten, waving the fight over at 58 seconds. Martinez now an ex-champ remained on the canvas unable to get up until the ring Doctors attended him and placed him on a ring stool. Fight over, and Martinez’ dream of keeping his title and taking it back to Puerto Rico as the only Puerto Rican born champ, was over. Another Mexican victory over a Puerto Rican fighter.
As for Rocky Martinez who had defended his title successfully 4 times until the loss to Garcia, he stated that he was surprised that Mickey Garcia hit that hard especially the punch to his body that paralyzed him, but that he wanted a re-match so that he could regain his title. In the meantime he was going back home to rest with his family.
Mickey Garcia very jubilant at winning a 2nd world title, stated at the post fight ring interview that he wanted to be a “busy” champ, whether it was a rematch with Martinez or anyone else in his new weight category, he also added however, that he was not reluctant to fight at the 135 pound level. He really wanted to fight his Cuban nemesis, Yuriorkis Gamboa, who refused to fight him when they were both Featherweights.
I feel that Mickey Garcia only 26 years of age has a very good future in boxing and perhaps will win more world titles following the family legacy of the“Fighting Garcia’s”. Being the youngest he has had years to “apprentice” his boxing craft while watching his father and brothers all world champs in their prime.
Above that he has developed a fighting style and strength all his own that has allowed him to remain undefeated. He is a hard and accurate puncher in the triple G category. His jab reminds me although many others may disagree, of the powerful way the great Joe Louis used to jab. It was a hurting knockout designed, powerful weapon, which added to his ring generalship, made Louis a complete fighting machine. This also describes Mickey Garcia.
There was another great Mexican fighter of yesteryear, who fought in the same manner as Garcia. He was Ricardo “El Pajarito”-Little Bird-Moreno who amassed a fighting record of 60-12-1 draw, 59 knockouts and won the Super Featherweight Title, Super Bantamweight Crown, and also the Bantamweight-118 pound world belt. Pajarito never fought amateur but when he turned pro at 17 he scored 19 knockouts in his first 20 fights before winning a world title. Moreno was a pure fighting machine, and Garcia is on the same path.
In the supporting fights Bob Arum’s Top Rank feasted us with some very exciting fights and one was a championship fight.
Demetrius Andrade, 19-0, 13 k.o.’s defeated Vanes Martirosyan, 33-0-1, 21 knockouts, and won the vacant W.B.O. Junior Middleweight Title by a split decision. The decision caused a minor uproar because although Martirosyan knocked Andrade down in the first round, Andrade battled back strongly and battered Martirosyan throughout the rest of the 12 round fight, earning a unanimous decision. The score by the judges was, Javier Vasquez-115-113, Martirosyan, and Don Griffin-115-113 & Jesse Reyes-117-110 both for Andrade, I scored the fight 116-111 for Andrade which was just.
The other fight was perhaps a comeback grudge battle rematch for both participants, who at one time were world champs, Nonito Donaire, 31-2, 20 knockouts and Vic Darchinyan, 35-5, 21 k.o.’s. Donaire had knocked out Darchinyan 6 years ago in the 5th round and the result this time was the same except that the repeat knockout occurred in the 9th round. Perhaps the only difference was that Donaire was fighting tentatively and losing the fight on 2 judges’ score cards. When his trainer told him that he was losing, Donaire became aggressive and finally k.o.’d Darchinyan.
In the opening fight, W.B.A. 126 pound champ, Nicholas “The Axe Man” Walters, 23-6, 19 k.o.’s from Jamaica , knocked out Mexico’s Alberto Garza, 25-6-1, 15 knockouts, at 1:57 of the 4th round. After his victory he reportedly asked his promoter, Bob Arum to match him with the other knockout winner, Nonito Donaire, and Arum’s answer was, “in six months.”
Maybe it is the fable of “Closing the barn door after the horse is gone”, but now an extensive investigation is being conducted on the near death condition of Russian heavyweight Magomed Abdusalamov as he lies in a coma on life support in Roosevelt Hospital.
Why was the New York State Athletic Commission Doctors at ring side so lax in examining him thoroughly in the dressing room at Madison Square Garden? Aren’t Doctors supposed to take the “Hippocratic Oath”? Where were the E.M.T.-Emergency Medical Technicians-, who are supposed to be on duty at all fights? Questions that I don’t have answers to.
A fund is now being organized to help Magomed Abdusalamov and his family financially. If interested in helping, please click on www.ring10ny.com
