Garcia waits turn for title fight
If the boxing gods had been a little kinder to Mikey Garcia, he might be wearing a world championship belt today.
The featherweight star from Oxnard, Calif., has had two title shots evaporate this year through no fault of his own, as injuries and politics involving his opponents forced his bouts to be canceled.
Garcia (29-0, 25 knockouts) initially was supposed to fight WBO champion Orlando Salido on Saturday at Wynn Las Vegas. But that fight was canceled when Salido slammed a car door on his right hand in September and broke a finger.
Instead, Garcia will meet former world featherweight champion Jonathan Barros in a 10-round bout as the co-feature to the WBC junior middleweight eliminator between Erislandy Lara and Vanes Martirosyan. HBO will televise the bouts.
"It's a little upsetting, but that's boxing," Garcia said. "If it's not happening, it's not my fault. I have to keep on my toes, stay sharp and keep winning. If I lose this fight, it's going to set me back a year, maybe two.
"I've had a hard time getting a title shot. Imagine if I lose this fight how hard it will be. So there's plenty of motivation. I can't afford to go backward."
In July, Garcia was scheduled to face WBA champion Celestino Caballero. But the fight never happened, as legal issues between promoters weren't worked out in time.
Reportedly, Garcia and Salido will meet in February in Puerto Rico. But first Garcia must get past Barros (34-3-1, 17 KOs), a tough Argentine who wrested the belt from Caballero in July 2011 before losing it in their rematch three months later. In his latest fight, on Aug. 18, Barros lost a 12-round decision to IBF champion Juan Salgado.
"He (Barros) is a tough fighter who has been a world champion, something I'm striving to be," Garcia said. "He's beaten Caballero, and he's a quality fighter. He knows what to do in the ring."
Garcia was impressive in his latest outing, knocking out Mauricio Pastrana in the second round Sept. 2. Before that, Garcia dismantled the talented Bernabe Concepcion, scoring a seventh-round TKO on March 10.
"I was able to control the fight and do it my way," Garcia said of his domination against Concepcion. "It's a byproduct of having a good team. We're moving along. We're learning from every fight. We're fighting better fighters. I think I'm right where I want to be."
Robert Garcia, who trains his younger brother along with their father, Eduardo, said he's impressed with how well Mikey has handled things outside the ring.
"He knows things happen for a reason," Robert Garcia said. "He knows there's politics involved, and the things that happen frustrate us more than Mikey.
"The time he's not in the gym, he's enjoying himself, being around his family and friends. We tell him little by little good things will happen for him."
Garcia has spent the past six weeks getting ready for Saturday, and he won't change anything even though he has a different opponent than originally scheduled.
"I need to go out and set the pace and dictate the tempo and just fight a smart fight," he said. "If I do the things that helped get me to this point, I should be fine."
■ NOTES - Today's 4 p.m. weigh-in at the Wynn Encore Theater is open to the public. Nine bouts are scheduled for the card. A limited number of tickets remain, with prices at $40, $75 and $125, and can be purchased at the Wynn ticket office.
Contact reporter Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2913. Follow him on Twitter: @stevecarprj.
