Mikey Garcia is going to be a world champion again. He can feel it. The Ventura, California native has blown the doors off of every opponent he’s faced. Garcia of course had to vacate his featherweight world title in Dallas this past June after failing to make weight before his much anticipated bout with Juan Manuel Lopez.
Garcia (32-0, 27 KOs) will have the opportunity to become a world champion again Saturday night November 9, when he faces Roman “Rocky” Martinez (27-1-2, 16 KOs) for the WBO Super Featherweight Championship in a bout that will be televised on HBO.
Mikey took time out of his pre-fight schedule, to sit down with BlackSportsOnline to talk about his training camp, the family business, Nonito Donaire, and why he’s the future of boxing.
BSO: How do you feel about your upcoming bout with Rocky Martinez with the fight only hours away now?
MG: “I feel great, I feel good, I’m really motivated. My intensity is high, and I’m just looking forward to the opportunity to be world champion again. I”m just really excited to be champion one more time, and I think this fight is really good for me.”
BSO: How are you feeling coming off a disappointing scenario in which you had to vacate your Featherweight World Championship because you were unable to make the 126 pound weight limit.? You were also forced to cough up $150,000 to keep the fight scheduled, and then you came out and totally annihilated the guy. How are you feeling right now after all that took place?
MG: We were already aware that I might not make weight, and weren’t sure how my body would react. Luckily I was able to drop him early in the fight, so I wasn’t forced to go 8, 9, or 12 rounds. I’m disappointed in losing the title, but we were fully prepared as a family for me to move up in weight after that bout.
BSO: You are a big, heavy handed puncher who’s obviously growing and getting bigger as a boxer as the years go past. Can we assume that you’ll gradually make the climb up in weight similar to Manny Pacquiao, or are you content to take on the best competition at 130 and 135?
MG: “Right now my focus is at 130, and I feel really good at this weight. I think this is a strong division right now, and it can provide me some good fights. If there’s a huge fight I can get at 135, then yes I would move up. Right now I’m content to keep fighting at 130, and naturally grow into my 135 pound body.”
BSO; I’m a Philadelphia native, and during some of my research for the bout, I was made aware that you actually beat our own Danny “Swift” Garcia as an ammetuer. Promotional companies aside, Is that a fight you might possibly want to make at somepoint down the line as a professional?
MG: “Maybe in the future at some point. Right now we have two promotional companies that refuse to work together, so right now that’s not going to happen. You never know though, so we’ll see. If something could happen in the future, of course I’ll fight him”
BSO: You expect to win this next fight, most prognosticators have you winning this bout, do you have any idea of who you would like to face next?
MG: “I always allow Top Rank and my management to handle that. They’ve done a good job of managing my career up to this point. I like to let them handle their business outside of the ring. There are few names that have been mentioned, but nothing that’s concrete at this time.”
BSO: “Lets imagine this scenario for a second. Your father and brother train you, but your brother, Robert Garcia also trains Nonito Donaire. You both are two of Top Rank’s most talented boxers. Is their a chance we could ever see you two gentleman in a big money welterweight fight sometime down the line.’
MG: We’ve been training together for a long time. I don’t know. If he were to leave the gym, and find another place to train, and another trainer, then yea maybe. If it’s a fight that has to made then yea maybe. It’s not likely, but it’s possible. Even if I said yes to the fight, he wouldn’t say no either. But do we really want to fight each other? Do we really have to fight each other? I’d say no. We can just fight other guys, stay friends, continue to train in the same gym, and fight other peoeple.
BSO: Your a boxing aficionado, so what are your thoughts on the upcoming Adrien Broner vs Marcos Maidana main event at the Alamo Dome?
MG: “I’ve seen Broner’s past couple of fights. I think Maidana is the naturally bigger guy even though Broner weighs more right now, ha, ha, ha. I think Maidana carries a naturally stronger punch. I think Broner had one good fight last year, and now people feel he hasn’t look as great as expected. When he fought Ponce De Leon at 130, he didn’t look sharp at all and Ponce De Leon is a pretty big puncher. Maidana is a bigger puncher and will give Broner problems. He’s got all the tools to give Broner some physical problems in the ring. I think Maidana will have a pretty good fight, and I think he’s going to win.”
BSO: I see that you are a graduate of the Ventura County Police Academy. Do we see any serious full time law enforcement in your future after boxing?
MG: “My main focus right now is boxing, but I do have plans on being a reserve officer for the county sheriffs office when my boxing career is over. We want to make sure that my complete focus is on boxing, but I do have plans of becoming a reserve officer at some point.”
BSO: My final question for you Mikey? What’s it like having a father, Eduardo García, and a older brother, Robert Garcia, that are boxing trainers and both working in your corner. How great is that? Is there ever any conflict, are is it just an amazing thing going on?
MG: “It’s just a great combination. My dad and my brother know me better than anybody else. There’s no conflict, There’s nothing to argue about, I have full faith in them, and they know how I want to approach things. It’s just great having both trainers in my corner, and I have the best trainers in the world.”