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"From Pillar to Post" - It's Friday Night, but "Baby Face" Didn't Come to Fight By Ryan Songalia PhilBoxing.com Sun, 24 Jun 2007 The honor of boxing is that, even in something as dangerous as a fight and as trivial as a sports contest, the combatants still risk everything in the pursuit of victory. Then, when a highly touted prospect like Julio "Baby Face" Garcia shows an utter lack of concern for winning, it challenges the integrity of the sport. And that is exactly what Garcia did last night in Miami, in front of a nationally televised audience. There aren't many words that can be used to describe what had occurred against 39 year old Troy Browning, but I got one: Dishonest. It didn't take a rocket scientist to see that Garcia was the superior fighter. Whenever Garcia asserted himself with combinations, there was nothing Browning could do to survive save for bracing against the ropes. Several times throughout the bout Garcia would turn up the pressure and do significant damage to Browning with body punching and combos upstairs. Then mysteriously, he would revert to a lackadaisical approach. For sustained intervals Garcia exhibited an absolute disdain for his opponent, allowing Browning free shots at his face and readjusting his protector while under fire. It was immaturity, the kind that you'd see in a high school baseball game with a son trying to stick it to his father by striking out on purpose. The kind that will dog Garcia's career for quite some time. It wasn't as if Garcia had anything to worry about. Even though Browning never stopped trying, he lacked the speed and power to be of any danger to Garcia. The only thing seperating Browning from an 8 year layoff is a six round contest he competed in December of last year. Browning simply did what Garcia refused to do, he behaved like a professional. When the majority decision for Browning was announced, Garcia calmly accepted his fate and congratulated Browning. Garcia's record now stands at 40-3 (34 KO). When searching for a parallel, Carlos Navarro taking a knee and the resulting 10 count against Bobby Pacquiao comes to mind. As does Jimmy Braddock's title-winning effort against Max Baer, when the incumbent champ Baer seemed more interested in clowning then holding on to the heavyweight crown. But could there be more to the issue? More than likely. Garcia is the focus of a bitter legal battle between Bobby Bostick and DRL Promotions. According to sources, Bostick bought out Garcia's contract from DRL after they defaulted on their agreed-upon monthly payments. DRL countered with a statement on their website, claiming that Garcia not only isn't under contract with Bostick, but that he never even heard of him. With all of the pressures mounting on him, would Garcia intentionally underperform to free himself of a promotional entity? Who knows. Would a 20 year old know how to handle this situation appropriately? Probably not. DRL Promotions, who promoted Garcia-Browning, has the option to release Garcia under their discretion. In the end, the only loser is Garcia, who jeopardized his ranking and will have to take short-money fights to rebuild. What Garcia does next is anyone's guess. He isn't even of drinking age, so to write him off is still premature. There is no shame in losing a fight, as long as you come to fight. Julio Cesar Garcia did not come to fight. They say that youth is wasted on the young. I say talent is wasted on those too immature to put it to good use. Any questions or comments? Send them to me at mc_rson@yahoo.com . Click here to view a list of other articles written by Ryan Songalia.  |
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