Arlington boxer fighting for his dream

Published 11:11 pm Thursday, April 9, 2009

ARLINGTON — Year after year, through the many long hours of training, Miguel Garcia of Arlington held to his dream of becoming a professional boxer.

“I’ve been preparing myself for seven years just for this and I think it’s about time,” said the 20-year-old Garcia, a 2007 graduate of Arlington High School. “My coach says I’m ready. And I think I’m ready.”

On Saturday night, Garcia will take the first step in his pro career when he debuts at Tacoma’s Emerald Queen Casino. He is scheduled for a four-round lightweight bout on the undercard of the venue’s 71st “Battle at the Boat” and will face J.R. Del Gadillo of Walla Walla, who also his making his pro debut.

“I think it’s exciting,” Garcia said. “I can’t wait, actually.”

Garcia, who balances studies at Everett Community College with his training, expects to be a little nervous as he enters the ring. And a few jitters are beneficial, he believes.

“It’s always good to be a little nervous because it keeps you on edge,” he said. “If you go in the ring without any fear at all, you’re going to get tagged a lot. But if you’re nervous, it keeps you more focused to avoid punches.”

Garcia joined the Arlington Boxing Club about seven years ago, and almost from the beginning he wanted to box professionally. He will earn $900 for his first fight, and his paychecks should increase if he can put together a string of wins.

“I want to take this as far as I can,” he said. “I want to try my best and see what the results are. And my dream would be to get a world title shot.”

Garcia had no knockouts as an amateur, but neither was he ever knocked out or even knocked down. He is deft at avoiding blows and is a skilled counterpuncher.

“Defense in boxing is the hard part, because it takes considerable effort and focus to learn to move your head and to know when to move your head,” said Dan Hathaway, Garcia’s coach with the Arlington Boxing Club. “Miguel will stand right in front of you, and that’s how good his defense is. He’ll make you miss and make you pay.

“And he’s got a tough chin. He’s been hit. He can take a punch. But he’s never been on the floor. He’s never been hurt.”

Garcia had a 19-18 record as an amateur, “but that’s deceptive,” Hathaway said. Because of dubious scoring, “10 or 12 of those losses were probably wins in my opinion,” he went on. “Now I’m somewhat partial, but I’ve watched videotapes of the fights and a lot of those are not even questionable.”

Garcia was a three-time Washington Golden Gloves champion, once at 132 pounds and twice at 141, “and I think he’ll do even better as a pro than as an amateur,” Hathaway said. “He’s got a good style. Miguel has extremely fast hands and very good movement. He’s hard to hit.”

Somewhere amateur boxers have trouble adapting as pros, “but I don’t think it’s going to be that big of a transition for Miguel. I think he’ll be comfortable in there.”

As a pro, Garcia will be fighting without headgear and with lighter gloves (8 ounces, instead of the 10-ounce gloves he wore as an amateur). Otherwise, Saturday’s bout should feel a lot like the ones he fought as an amateur.

“If I don’t win, it’s on me,” he said. “It’s not on anybody else. I’ll just try my best, and if my best isn’t good enough I’ll just come back to the gym and try a little harder.

“I’m 20 years old, so I have enough time (to develop). I won’t be at my peak until I’m 23 or 24. And I’m not planning on staying local the whole time. I want to get fights wherever I can. And I think I have decent skills to make promoters want me to sign with them.”