Roberto Garcia Cortez (born January 29, 1975) is an American former
professional boxer
Professional boxing, or prizefighting, is regulated, sanctioned boxing. Professional boxing bouts are fought for a purse that is divided between the boxers as determined by contract. Most professional bouts are supervised by a regulatory autho ...
who competed from 1992 to 2001, and held the
IBF junior lightweight
Super featherweight, also known as junior lightweight, is a weight division in professional boxing, contested between and .
The super featherweight division was established by the New York Walker Law in 1920, although first founded by the New Y ...
title from 1998 to 1999. He has since worked as a
boxing trainer, and was voted Trainer of the Year by
''The Ring'' magazine in 2011, and by the
Boxing Writers Association of America The Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA) was originally formed in 1926 as the Boxing Writers Association of Greater New York. The association's purpose is to promote better working conditions for boxing writers, as well as hold its writers ...
in 2012. He is the older brother of professional boxer
Mikey Garcia
Miguel Angel Garcia Cortez (born December 15, 1987), best known as Mikey Garcia, is an American former professional boxer who competed from 2006 to 2021. He held multiple world championships in four weight classes from featherweight to light w ...
, who is a
world champion in four weight classes.
Early life
Born in
San Pedro, Los Angeles, Garcia grew up and still resides in
Oxnard, California
Oxnard () is a city in Ventura County, California, United States. On California's South Coast, it is the most populous city in Ventura County and the 22nd-most-populous city in California. Incorporated in 1903, Oxnard lies approximately west ...
, and was trained by his father Eduardo Garcia at the
La Colonia Youth Boxing Club. Garcia said that he has been in Oxnard, California, since he was two years old. He considers himself to be
Mexican, and has said that his father and mother are both of Mexican descent. He said that his parents were illegal immigrants until the eighties. He said that he grew up speaking Spanish, and that he learned to speak English when he went to school.
Amateur career
Garcia had an extensive amateur career, which included a fight with future Olympic gold medalist
Oscar De La Hoya
Oscar De La Hoya ( , ; born on February 4, 1973) is an American boxing promoter and former professional boxer who competed from 1992 to 2008. His accolades include winning 11 world titles in six weight classes, including the lineal championshi ...
.
Professional career
Known as "Grandpa", Garcia won his pro debut against Tsutomu Hitono at the International Center in
Fukuoka
is the sixth-largest city in Japan, the second-largest port city after Yokohama, and the capital city of Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. The city is built along the shores of Hakata Bay, and has been a center of international commerce since anc ...
,
Japan. He accumulated a record of 20–0, which included a win against future champion
Derrick Gainer
Derrick "Smoke" Gainer (born August 22, 1972) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1990 to 2012. He held the WBA featherweight title from 2000 to 2003.
Professional career
In 2000, Gainer defeated Freddie Norwood to win t ...
, before challenging for his first regional title.
NABF super featherweight champion
In 1995 he took down the previously unbeaten American
Julian Wheeler to win his first belt, the
NABF Super Featherweight Championship. He successfully defended his championship just three months later against Francisco Segura.
NABF featherweight champion
At the Miami Arena, Garcia moved down to Featherweight and beat Darryl Pinckney to win the
NABF Featherweight
Featherweight is a weight class in the combat sports of boxing, kickboxing, mixed martial arts, and Greco-Roman wrestling.
Boxing
Professional boxing
History
A featherweight boxer weighs in at a limit of . In the early days of the division, t ...
Championship.
IBF super featherweight champion
On March 13, 1998 a then undefeated Garcia (29–0) captured the vacant
IBF Super Featherweight Championship with a unanimous decision win over
Harold Warren. In his first title defense he knocked out Cuban
Ramon Ledon at the Trump Taj Mahal,
Atlantic City, New Jersey.
His next fight was against two-time World Champion, Puerto Rico's
John John Molina. Garcia defeated Molina over twelve rounds; that fight card also featured
Mike Tyson,
Zab Judah
Zabdiel Judah (born October 27, 1977) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1996 to 2019. He held multiple world championships in two weight classes, including the IBF and WBO junior welterweight titles between 2000 and 20 ...
, and
Fres Oquendo
Fres Oquendo (born April 1, 1973) is a Puerto Rican professional heavyweight boxer. He had a successful amateur record before turning professional in 1997. He has challenged three times for world heavyweight titles.
Amateur career
He had an amat ...
.
He lost the belt in an upset to rising undefeated phenom
Diego Corrales
Diego "Chico" Corrales Jr. (August 25, 1977 – May 7, 2007) was an American professional boxer who competed from 1996 to 2007. He was a multiple-time world champion in two weight divisions, having held the IBF super featherweight title from 199 ...
. After a win over title contender
Sandro Marcos
Ferdinand Alexander "Sandro" Araneta Marcos III ( , , ; born March 7, 1994) is a Filipino politician who is the representative of Ilocos Norte's 1st congressional district since 2022, and the eldest of three sons of Philippine President Bon ...
he moved back up in the world rankings.
WBA super featherweight title challenge and retirement
In January 2001, he earned a shot at the undefeated
WBA Super Featherweight champion
Joel Casamayor
Joel Casamayor Johnson (born July 12, 1971) is a Cuban American former professional boxer who competed from 1996 to 2011. He held world championships in two weight classes, including the WBA super featherweight title from 2000 to 2002; and the ...
. Casamayor won the fight and Garcia retired shortly after beating veteran John Trigg by knockout.
Training career
Garcia formally worked as a trainer at
La Colonia Gym in
Oxnard, California
Oxnard () is a city in Ventura County, California, United States. On California's South Coast, it is the most populous city in Ventura County and the 22nd-most-populous city in California. Incorporated in 1903, Oxnard lies approximately west ...
. Notable fighters who have trained under Garcia include
Nonito Donaire
Nonito Gonzales Donaire Jr. (; ; born November 16, 1982) is a Filipino American professional boxer. He has held multiple world championships in four weight classes from flyweight to featherweight, and is the oldest boxer in history to win a ...
and
Tony Ferguson
Anthony Armand Ferguson Padilla (born February 12, 1984) is an American professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Lightweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). He is a former Interim UFC Lightweight C ...
. Most recently he opened his own boxing gym named Robert Garcia Boxing Academy in
Oxnard, California
Oxnard () is a city in Ventura County, California, United States. On California's South Coast, it is the most populous city in Ventura County and the 22nd-most-populous city in California. Incorporated in 1903, Oxnard lies approximately west ...
.
Notable boxers trained
*
Christopher Algieri, former
WBO World Light Welterweight Champion
*Allan Benitez,
Lightweight
Lightweight is a weight class in combat sports and rowing.
Boxing
Professional boxing
The lightweight division is over 130 pounds (59 kilograms) and up to 135 pounds (61.2 kilograms) weight class in the sport of boxing.
Notable lightweight ...
boxer
*
Alfonso Blanco,
Light Middleweight prospect
*
Felipe Campa
Felipe Campa (born 13 January 1979) is a Mexican professional boxer. He was one of the first ever boxers to be trained by World Champion https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dean_Miller Robert Garcia.
Pro career
On 6 November 1999, Campa upset t ...
, former
WBC Youth World Super Bantamweight Champion
*
Francisco Contreras, Lightweight contender
*
Jesus Cuellar, former
WBA Fedelatin Featherweight
Featherweight is a weight class in the combat sports of boxing, kickboxing, mixed martial arts, and Greco-Roman wrestling.
Boxing
Professional boxing
History
A featherweight boxer weighs in at a limit of . In the early days of the division, t ...
Champion
*
Nonito Donaire
Nonito Gonzales Donaire Jr. (; ; born November 16, 1982) is a Filipino American professional boxer. He has held multiple world championships in four weight classes from flyweight to featherweight, and is the oldest boxer in history to win a ...
,
world champion in four weight classes and former
''Ring Magazine'' pound for pound fighter
*
Irving García, Lightweight journeyman
*
Mikey Garcia
Miguel Angel Garcia Cortez (born December 15, 1987), best known as Mikey Garcia, is an American former professional boxer who competed from 2006 to 2021. He held multiple world championships in four weight classes from featherweight to light w ...
,
world champion in four weight classes
*
Alfonso Gómez
Alfonso Salvador Gómez Becerra (born October 28, 1980), better known as Alfonso Gómez, is a Mexican former professional boxer. Gomez is best known for being a competitor on the debut season of reality TV show '' The Contender'', where he fi ...
, competitor on ''
The Contender''
*
Evgeny Gradovich
Evgeny Pavlovich Gradovich ( rus, Евгений Павлович Градович; born 7 August 1986) is a Russian former professional boxer who competed from 2010 to 2017, and held the IBF featherweight title from 2013 to 2015.
Amateur car ...
, former IBF Featherweight Champion
*
Joan Guzmán, former two divisions WBO World Champion
*
Jesús Antonio Hernández, lightweight prospect
*
Egidijus Kavaliauskas, established former amateur and welterweight title challenger
*
Steven Luevano
Steven "Steve" Luevano (born March 3, 1981) is an American former professional boxer who held the WBO featherweight title. He was trained by the former IBF Super Featherweight Champion Robert Garcia. He is remembered for his success inside th ...
, former WBO World Featherweight Champion; made five successful defenses
*
Marcos Maidana, former
WBA Welterweight
Welterweight is a weight class in combat sports. Originally the term "welterweight" was used only in boxing, but other combat sports like Muay Thai, taekwondo, and mixed martial arts also use it for their own weight division system to classify th ...
Champion and former
WBA Light Welterweight champion
*
Abner Mares, current WBA regular featherweight champion
*
Antonio Margarito
Antonio Margarito Montiel (born March 18, 1978) is a Mexican-American former professional boxer who competed between 1994 and 2017. He held multiple welterweight world championships, including the WBO title from 2002 to 2007, the IBF title in ...
, former two-time World Welterweight Champion
*
Hernán Márquez
Hernán Márquez Beltrán (born September 4, 1988), commonly known by his nickname "Tyson" Márquez, is a Mexican professional boxer. He held the WBA flyweight title from 2011 to 2012, and has challenged once for the WBA interim super flyweigh ...
, former
WBA World Flyweight
Flyweight is a weight class in combat sports.
Boxing
Flyweight is a class in boxing which includes fighters weighing above 49 kg (108 lb) and up to 51 kg (112 lb).
Professional boxing
The flyweight division was the last of b ...
Champion
*
Hanzel Martínez,
Bantamweight
Bantamweight is a weight class in combat sports. For boxing, the range is above and up to . In kickboxing, a bantamweight fighter generally weighs between . In MMA, bantamweight is .
The name for the class is derived from bantam chickens. B ...
boxer; brother-in-law of Antonio Margarito
*
Victor Ortíz
Victor Ortiz (born January 31, 1987) is an American professional boxer and film actor. He held the WBC welterweight title in 2011, and was formerly rated as one of the world's top three active welterweights by most sporting news and boxing web ...
, former
WBC welterweight champion
*
Victor Pasillas, undefeated Featherweight prospect
*
Kelly Pavlik, former Lineal
Middleweight Champion
[Rafael, Dan. (2011-01-02]
Dan Rafael Blog – ESPN
Espn.go.com. Retrieved on 2012-05-17.
*
Manuel Quezada
Manuel Quezada (born October 13, 1977) is an American professional boxer and former kickboxer. In boxing he fights at heavyweight, while in kickboxing he fought at both heavyweight and super heavyweight.
Amateur Kickboxing Career
Quezada won ...
,
Heavyweight journeyman
*
Marcos Reyes, Middleweight boxer
*
Brandon Ríos
Brandon Lee Ríos (born April 29, 1986) is an American professional boxer. He held the WBA lightweight title in 2011 and has challenged once for the WBO welterweight title in 2015. Nicknamed "Bam Bam", Ríos was known for his aggressive pressur ...
, former WBA World Lightweight Champion
*
Marco Antonio Rubio, former WBF World
Super Middleweight Champion
*
Erik Ruiz, Super Bantamweight journeyman
*
Mia St. John, former
WIBA,
WIBF Lightweight, and
WBC Light Middleweight Champion
*
Mark Suárez, former
WBO NABO Welterweight Champion
*
Fernando Vargas, former two-time World Light Middleweight Champion
*
Brian Viloria
Brian Viloria (born November 24, 1980) is a retired American professional boxer of Filipino descent. He is a former unified WBA and WBO flyweight champion, as well as a former WBC and IBF light flyweight champion. His nickname of "The Hawa ...
, former
WBC and IBF
Light Flyweight
Light flyweight, also known as junior flyweight or super strawweight, is a weight class in boxing.
Professional boxing
The weight limit at light flyweight in professional boxing is 108 pounds (49 kilograms). When New York legalized boxing in 1920, ...
Champion
*Joshua Franco, current WBA Super Flyweight Champion
*
Jesse Rodriguez, current WBC Superweight Champion
*
Anthony Joshua, former two-time
WBA Heavyweight,
IBF Heavyweight,
WBO Heavyweight,
IBO Heavyweight
Professional boxing record
See also
*
List of Mexican boxing world champions
In Mexico, boxing is considered a major sport, having produced over 200 world champions in professional boxing. Mexico ranks first worldwide between countries with most boxing world champions and is the second country to have world champions accre ...
*
List of super-featherweight boxing champions
This is a list of Super featherweight boxing champions, as recognized by boxing organizations:
* The World Boxing Association (WBA), established in 1921 as the National Boxing Association (NBA).
* The World Boxing Council (WBC), established in 19 ...
*
List of IBF world champions
*
Notable boxing families
Notability is the property
of being worthy of notice, having fame, or being considered to be of a high degree of interest, significance, or distinction. It also refers to the capacity to be such. Persons who are notable due to public responsibi ...
References
External links
RingTV poll: Trainer of the Year: Robert Garciaby
''The Ring'' magazine
{{DEFAULTSORT:Garcia, Robert
Living people
1975 births
American boxers of Mexican descent
Boxers from Los Angeles
Sportspeople from Oxnard, California
World boxing champions
International Boxing Federation champions
World super-featherweight boxing champions
American boxing trainers
American male boxers
Featherweight boxers
Super-featherweight boxers
Sportspeople from Ventura County, California