Who’s the next Freddie Roach? There are a lot of boxing trainers out there but do any of them have the potential to rise to the level of a Freddie Roach? There is one guy, and his name Roberto Garcia. I mean let’s look at this for a minute. Garcia already has an impressive list of fighters on his resume. Just to name a few, Fernando Vargas, Nonito Donaire, Antonio Margarito, Joan Guzman, Brian Viloria, Steven Luevano, and the list goes on. He certainly has an impressive list on his hands.
When I visited the Oxnard Boxing Academy during the Margarito Vs. Pacquiao camp, my whole team was welcomed and treated like family. Garcia has a gym that is very fan friendly, and media friendly. The atmosphere in the gym is very down to earth. The gym and its personnel were very engaging and it was filled with young up and coming prospects and champions.
Garcia is a former world champion in his own rights. He’s been in the ring with legends, and now he is taking his boxing skills and sharing them with future champions. He has an engaging personality, big smile, and he is a down right nice person.
Listen to Margarito Manager Sergio Diaz Podcast HERE
Can he rise to the level of a Freddie Roach? The verdict is not quite in yet, however he has not been blessed with someone like Manny Pacquiao walking into his gym. Not yet anyway.
Recently I saw a video that boxing scribes Dennis Guillermo and Ellie Seckbach put together. It was a fun like video that showed Garcia walking into his gym and noticing signs that were put up on the front doors and inside on the walls. The signs said, “No video or photography allowed” and all three men were having some fun with it. Advertisement
See the video HERE
The intent of the video was to take a swipe at the Wild Card Gym. Video and photography is a big no no at the Wild Card Gym these days. I don’t know why, or even if its still a no no, but when I was out there last time, my business partner Ed Anderson was told by gym manager/Roach Assistant Marie Spivey to put the camera away. I heard it with my own ears. I’m not sure what her reasoning was, but we respected the rule and packed up the cameras.
Garcia’s gym permits video and photography, and has a great atmosphere for fans and media types to enjoy. Don’t get me wrong, Freddie Roach is a darn good man. This writer has never had a falling out with him, and he’s always been a friendly and approachable guy. His accomplishments in boxing are hall of fame worthy, no questions asked. With that said, his gym has changed over the years. I’ll leave it at that.
Garcia trains former world champ Antonio Margarito. Recently here in my state of Mississippi we endured horrific tornadoes that killed several people, and wiped towns off of the map. Team Margarito stepped up and donated money to help the victims of these tornadoes. Love him or hate him, Antonio Margarito and his team (which is located out of the Oxnard Boxing Academy) gave from their heart and helped a lot of people that needed it. Other than Roy Jones Jr, they were the only boxing folks to reach out. This says something about the type of gym Garcia runs out there.
If you are a boxing fan, keep an eye out for Robert Garcia. His gym, his training skills, and his vision are capturing the respect of boxing scribes around the world.
