Garcia steps up to Rodriguez challenge

LUIS “El Leon” Garcia could be contemplating Olympic gold medals if he remained in his native Cuba but, instead, he faces the biggest assignment of his short professional career at The Aura in Letterkenny tonight when he takes on Uruguay’s Jorge Rodriguez on the undercard to Paul McCloskey’s European title defence.

Disgruntled Garcia arrived in Cork two years ago along with hiscompatriot, Alexei Acosta, after being overlooked for the Cuban Olympic team, and joined heavyweight Mike “The Rebel” Perez on Leeside.

The Cork-based Cubans have settled in nicely under Patrick Thomas who has an elaborate gym in Watergrasshill and has been keeping them busy.

Garcia captured worldwide attention in his last fight at the National Stadium when he made a tough, seasoned danger man like Christian Cruz look like a novice.

“It is going to be a very interesting night in Letterkenny,” matchmaker, Tomás Rohan, said.

“Olivera has an impressive record (20 wins, 1 defeat) but Garcia, who is still only 22 years of age, has had nine straight wins and seven of those were inside the distance.”

Garcia is already hankering for a shot at Britain’s Olympic gold medallist, James DeGale, who had some great battles with the late Darren Sutherland in his amateur days.

He only beat the Irish Olympic bronze medallist on two occasions and one of those was in Beijing.

In a political wrangle, Garcia was overlooked for the 2008 Olympic team in favour of Emilio Correa who would eventually lose out to DeGale in the Olympic final. Garcia had beaten Correa previously.

Explained Garcia: “I should have gone to that Olympics but it wasn’t to be so now I am concentrating on my professional career.

“DeGale would not have beaten me in Beijing and he certainly would not beat me now. If he wants to prove me wrong, then that’s not a problem but I’m pretty sure DeGale won’t want any part of me.”

Promoter Brian Peters feels Garcia is on the brink of a great professional career.

“There is no doubt about it, he is a very special talent and I’d put him in with any super middleweight or light heavyweight in the world right now,” he said.

“I believe it’s only a matter of time before Luis is one of the sports biggest names.”

Super bantamweight, Alexei Acosta, who is another amazing talent, will also feature on tonight’s undercard when Paul McCloskey defends hisEuropean light welterweight title against Barry Morrison from Scotland.

Meanwhile, St Saviours Olympic Boxing Academy and Smithfield BC will celebrate Dublin European Capital of Sport 2010, with a boxing showdown in the Mansion House tonight (8pm) featuring top boxers from Ireland, Russia, England and the Ukraine.

Boxers competing include Ireland’s Martin Maughan, Stephen Hennessy and Kirill Afanasev, Russia’s Maxim Akopov and Dmitry Ryzhikok and Ukraine’s Yaroslan Danylyshyn – all national bronze medallists – and England’s international Ben Bendall and English schools champion Will Dunphy.

Top European boxing coaches Sergey Ryzhikov (Russian Junior national head coach), Paulo Feborovych (Ukrainian national coach), Terry Gilliam (England head coach) alongside Dublin boxing development officers, Olympic gold medallist Michael Carruth, European bronze medallist Eric Donovan, Oisin Fagan, Paul Quinn and Tommy Ahern, Derek Ahern (St Saviour’s coach) and Igor Khamil (Smithfield BC head coach) spent the week exchanging knowledge of training styles.

In attendance tonight will be the Lord Mayor of Dublin, Gerry Breen, Russian ambassador, Mikhail Evgenyevich Timoshkin, Ukrainian ambassador, Sergii Reva, and the British ambassador, Ed Lowe, Larry Morrison of the Irish Amateur Boxing Association, Ger Carty and Aaron O’Callaghan of Dublin City Council.

The event also promoted social inclusion and cultural integration.

St Saviour’s and Smithfield BC have many members from different cultural backgrounds with three of the coaches at the Smithfield club coming from Eastern Europe and boxer Kirill Afanasev of Russian parents representing Ireland at underage level.