The rematch between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Marcos Maidana is now less than 2 weeks away and with ?Mayhem? fast approaching, trainer Robert Garcia is making final preparations with Maidana in what is one of the most highly anticipated boxing events of the year. Many wonder if the second fight will be a repeat of the first or something completely different, where the tough Argentina boxer will become the first man to put a loss on Mayweather?s record.
In part 1 of my ?On The Ropes? interview with Robert Garcia, I get his views on the September 13th rematch, and his thoughts on what Maidana can do to reverse the defeat. Robert also speaks on whether or not he believes ?El Chino? needs a knockout to win and if he thinks Mayweather is starting to show his age. Additionally Garcia give his thoughts on his brother Mikey Garcia, and if he thinks a Pacquiao-Garcia bout could be in the future. Here is what Robert Garcia had to say.
Jenna J: Robert you recently commentated for the ?Big Knockout Boxing? event, and I?m wondering after that experience that you had, what boxers would you like to see face off in ?The Pit?
Robert Garcia: This might not happen because both guys are already planning on doing that big fight on their own. The two fighters I would love to see are Mayweather vs. Maidana.
I know it would never happen because Mayweather would never even dare fighting Maidana in a pit with no ropes, because you know he uses the ropes a lot. But the main fight I know people would love ? and there?s probably more chances of that happening in BKB ? would be Rios vs. Alvarado III.
Jenna J: The fight between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Marcos Maidana is getting closer. What do you think about the rematch?
Robert Garcia: It?s a fight that fans can?t miss. Everybody in the world has got to watch this fight because the first fight was already close enough. A lot of people thought we pulled it off, I thought we pulled it off, but we also got to understand that we?re fighting Mayweather and Mayweather is the man in boxing and any round that?s close enough, of course judges are gonna give it to Mayweather.
This time we?re having more sparring, better sparring partners, more rounds of sparring ? for the first fight I was a little bit short on sparring because Maidana came in five weeks before the fight. This time he got in nine weeks before the fight, so I?m having a full training camp with enough rounds of sparring.
I?m having enough rounds of mitt work and that?s gonna be a big difference. The sparring partners that we have right now, I don?t want to call them sparring partners because they are world class fighters and they are doing a good job of giving Maidana the best sparring that he could have.
Jenna J: During the press tour, you said that the second fight would be rougher than the first fight for Mayweather. Do you think you?re truly gonna go out there and try to do more things to bother Mayweather than you did the first time?
Robert Garcia: Look, the first fight we came in and pushed the fight. I think Maidana did what he does best and that was pressure and throw a lot of punches. This time we?re gonna throw more punches, we?re getting ready to throw a lot more punches, put a lot more pressure but with a little more distance. Instead of being too close to Mayweather and throwing those overhand rights, I think we?re gonna be a little bit smarter doing that.
The idea is to keep pressure and stay on him throughout 12 rounds. The first fight, I think Maidana slowed down a little. I think being too heavy ? being 20lbs overweight ? is what maybe affected him to slow down in the later rounds. This time we?re gonna maintain the same rhythm for 12 rounds.
Jenna J: Do you think you guys are capable of getting a decision against Mayweather or do you believe you have to knock him out?
Robert Garcia: Well, Maidana goes out for the knockout and if he lands the right punch, he could knock him out. But I don?t think that we need to win by knockout, I think we can also win a decision. We thought the same against Broner and Maidana beat him up really good and took the decision. I think we can do the same with Mayweather.
If we win the rounds clear and there?s no doubt that the rounds have to go our way, the judges can?t score against us. The judges know that close rounds, yeah they may give them to Mayweather, but not when Maidana wins the rounds clearly. I think the judges are gonna do the right thing.
Jenna J: As a trainer, do you think Floyd is starting to slow down at all? Do you think his legs aren?t what they used to be now that he?s getting close to 38?
Robert Garcia: I truly don?t believe that. I think Mayweather is still fresh, still young. He stays healthy year round, he doesn?t blow up in weight, he doesn?t have to cut weight for his fights. I think he?s still as healthy as he was ten years ago.
Jenna J: I want to talk about another one of your fighters, Mikey Garcia. Fans have been dying to see him come back into the ring but there?s been some promotional issues. What do you know about his future?
Robert Garcia: Well he?s obviously not retired, he?s in the game. He?s actually one of Maidana?s sparring partners, so we should resolve this pretty soon. I know that Mikey is ready to come back, especially during training camp with Maidana and sparring Maidana. He wants to fight sometime in the next two months. We?re working on it, we?re working on bringing something soon and hopefully we?re able to do it.
Jenna J: A fight that they talked about for Mikey in the future would possibly be a Manny Pacquiao fight. As his brother and trainer, do you want to see that happen?
Robert Garcia: Look, Mikey is champ at 130 right now and more likely he?s not gonna defend that title because he?s gonna move up to 135. Pacquiao fights at welterweight, so that?s probably something that we won?t see in the next year or so because Mikey is not gonna move up to welterweight just to fight Pacquiao.
That would be skipping two divisions and going to welterweight, that?s something Mikey will not do. He has to fight at 135 first and a couple of fights at 140, so we?re talking about at least a year or a year and a half. We?re not even thinking about Pacquiao right now.
