Never let it be said that former IBF junior lightweight champion turned trainer par excellance Robert “Granpa” Garcia is not fearless.
He proved that in fights against the likes of Diego “Chico” Corrales and others in his ring past.
On Saturday, Garcia proved his aquatic bravery as he, his wife and two sons took to the waterways of Long Island sound with that noted amateur admiral Lou DiBella at the captain’s wheel.
I mean, come on, pipe me aboard, Lou Lou.
Garcia and his family are aolso braving the 100 plus heat wave in the Big Apple as guests of their longtime friends, Manhattan businessmen Jay and Alan Wartski.
I won’t say that Garcia, who returns to NYC for the Dec. 3 Madison Square Garden “revenge bout” in which he sends his guy Antonio Margarito against Boricua Banger Miguel Cotto, isn’t thinking about the fight game will on his brief holiday trip.
“That will be a fun fight, it will really be intense,” Garcia told me Friday night over dinner at The Palm where fully medically recovered promoter Cedric “Mustachio” Kushner also joined in on the camaraderie.
Advertisement
Garcia plans to closely watch Saturday night’s Zab Judah-Amir Khan HBO fight and he is leaning toweards the 33 year old veteran from Brooklyn pulling off an upset.
“Zab knows all the tricks of the tarde,” Oxnard (Calif.) resident Garcia said. “Anjd Zab is so fast, really fast even at his age. If he can catch Amir leaning in, he may tag him good.
“I don’t think Khan takes a real good shot. We know he can be hurt and he has shown that when he gets hurt, he doesn’t know what to do.
“Marcos Maidana hurt Khan and he was puzzled. Zab has speed and Zab has power. Combine that with Khan’s chin and, yeah, I give Zab a good chance.”
Fresh from his world champ Bam Bam Rios’ July 9 successful title defense against Urbano Antillon, Garcia too a van full of amateur kids to a weeklong tournament in the Coachella Valley.
“I need a little break from boxing and this is it. We’ve been to Times Square, we’re going to the Statue of Liberty and we’re having a ball despite the heat.”
