This past August, former unified and lineal junior welterweight champion Danny “Swift” Garcia moved up and fully committed to the 147-pound welterweight division, winning by a ninth-round stoppage of Paulie Malignaggi in Brooklyn. Garcia (31 – 0, 18 KO’s) appeared in full control and well equipped in the TKO of Malignaggi ( a former two-time champion), making a statement to the crowded and talented 147-pound division.
As 2016 approaches, Garcia will be presented with another challenge at welterweight, in the form of Robert “Ghost” Guerrero (33 – 3 – 1, 18 KO’s) in a high profile, prime time affair on the inaugural PBC on Fox at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. During the press outings, FightHype was able to catch up with Garcia’s high energy trainer and father, Angel Garcia, for an interview.
“I’m training Danny Garcia, I’m worried about Danny, I don’t care if they (opponents) jumping to the moon, they leaping off buildings…they breaking stone with their hands, it doesn’t matter to me, what matters to me is Danny Garcia being ready January 23rd” proclaimed the high octane Angel.
The father-son dynamic will be a major storyline leading into the January 23rd clash as Robert Guerrero is also trained by his pop, Ruben. The two competitors almost play the same roles in this dynamic. The pairs are an almost yin to yang, with Danny & Robert acting as the level-headed cool customers and Angel & Ruben as the brash and confident speaker boxes. Father / son relationships have traditionally had mixed outcomes in the sport with some ending poorly (Roy Jones Sr & Jr.), some uneven (Floyd Sr. & Jr.) and some well (Kenny Porter and Shawn). In the Garcia & Guerrero cases, the duos appear to complement each other perfectly. And Danny and Robert’s cache of world title belts is quantitative proof they are working well together.
If we think about it, it’s simply organic of us to think highly of our offspring, so they confidence Angel and Ruben poses are by no means unwarranted. Angel, during his interview, has high aspirations in conquering multiple weight classes looking ahead, “going forward it’s welterweight, and after welterweight a couple years from now it’s super welterweight and next thing you know he retires a middleweight, you never know”. That’s a true example of a father who believes his son can accomplish anything.
