Boxing has always had those types of characters who speak their mind and receive criticism for being controversial. Angel Garcia is certainly one of those figures. Love him or hate him, the one thing you can’t deny is the honesty in his outspokenness. Perhaps the word honesty is being used vaguely, but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Angel Garcia calls it like he sees it, so the honesty is usually as he sees it in his eyes.
I admire the fact that Angel doesn’t pull punches and has stayed committed to being honest in his answers with fans and media alike. I don’t always agree with the things he says, but I respect the fact that he can be open about almost any topic. It’s easy to be politically correct and I’ve co-hosted Thaboxingvoice.com’s podcast long enough to know that certain figures don’t have the courage to be honest in their responses. So I think I’d rather have a person be open, even if not everyone agrees, as opposed to politically charged responses that are often rehearsed and choreographed.
Angel Garcia is the father/trainer of the WBA & WBC junior welterweight champion Danny Garcia, who unified the titles in July by defeating Amir Khan via 4th round TKO. The fight was considered a major upset by most in the boxing world.
The buildup to the fight was centered on Angel Garcia’s comments regarding Khan’s race and perceived overrated skillset. Angel received a ton of backlash for his comments, but in the end Danny’s victory gave a sort of validity to the comments regarding Khan’s overhyped nature.
“How are you going to be a superstar boxer when you don’t have a chin? Khan was overrated. I saw that in Khan and I see that in a lot of fighters we’re going after in the future,” Angel Garcia told Thaboxingvoice.com in a radio interview.
Khan is trying to take some of the focus off of the Garcia fight by making a highly publicized change in trainers. Khan announced that he was leaving Freddy Roach a couple weeks ago, although it had been rumored almost immediately after the Garcia fight. Angel Garcia feels that a change in trainers is moot and won’t help Khan rebound.
“It doesn’t matter the trainer you got, if you got no chin then it doesn’t matter. I think Khan’s career is over, he’s just trying to work his way back into HBO.”
Angel felt that he was being perceived as the bad guy on the HBO telecast. A role he doesn’t mind playing, but also one that he felt was an unfair depiction of his true feelings, insisting he is not the racists he was being made out to be.
“I don’t care what [HBO] said because I knew it was going to be proven in the ring, but they did try to make me look like the bad guy. What I’m trying to say is when you represent the [American] flag all over the world like Danny did as an elite fighter for the USA team he got cursed at by the same people who come to this country and they’re the superstars of the world, that’s the stuff that gets me angry and makes me look like the bad guy, but I’m not a bad guy. I just try to be Danny’s mouth, you could say I’m like Danny’s mascot.”
Playing that role is important in the Garcia camp. Perhaps Angel prefers to take the attention off of his son in order to help him focus on the fight at hand. Angel explains it in a very deep and meaningful manner.
“I like saying the truth, I don’t like holding back. I’m not going to sit up there at the press conference and say ‘we’re going to have a good fight and this and that’ because my Son’s life is going on the line and his life is involved, people die in the ring. I love my Son and I’m not going to let nobody stop me from speaking what I really feel. At the time, I hate you, I don’t care who you are. I’m not going to sit there lovey-dovey because I want Danny to go in there with that anger too, that’s how you build a fighter mentally,” Angel Garcia explained.
Danny is now scheduled for a rematch with Mexican legend Eric Morales. In the first fight Danny won a 12 round decision over Morales and captured the WBC belt in the process. The fight wasn’t overly competitive, but Morales had a rematch clause in the contract and has decided to exercise it October 20th in the main event of a Showtime quadruple-header, live from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
Angel Garcia told Thaboxingvoice.com that Danny must use his youth as an advantage in hopes of disposing of Morales in a quicker fashion.
“Danny will take Eric Morales out in 5 rounds, the most rounds I can give Morales is 5. The first time Danny gave Morales too much respect, I think this time Danny needs to go out there and start working on Morales early,” Garcia said.
Danny Garcia is a true champion and was never handed a thing in his career. This will be the first time that Danny is the true “A-side” of a main event. Angel describes Danny’s career as a constant uphill battle to prove his worth.
“People always underestimated Danny. He was fed to the wolves and came out victorious, Danny is a true champion. This is Danny’s time right now.”
Angel believes Danny hasn’t gotten the credit he deserves from the naysayers, but Angel also believes that Danny has to prove himself to those from within his corner as well. Namely Golden Boy, Danny’s promoter.
“Honestly, I still think [Danny has been treated] the same, I don’t see no love with Danny. [Golden Boy] still doubts him, they can’t believe Danny is still around and undefeated. On the Khan fight, we were catching a cab to the gym, while Khan was driving 2 Suburban’s. That doesn’t bother me because that’s material things, as long as I know Danny is happy then I’m happy. When you make it hard for yourself you stay hungry.”
You don’t have to appreciate Angel Garcia’s candor, but you have to admit that he is honest, even if it is to a fault. The truth is Angel will always keep things interesting and for whatever reasons he speaks his mind so freely we mustn’t lose sight of the fact that it has worked thus far. Danny is still undefeated, still the champion, and still raising his stock with each and every victory.
Many experts will try to dissect Danny as a fighter, but it doesn’t matter what he does wrong because the main goal is to win and Danny does that as good as anyone.
For Full Audio Of This Interview Click Here: http://player.fm/series/tha-boxingvoice-voice-of-the-people–blog-talk-radio-feed/angel-garcia-tony-luis-sep-20-2012
