GARCIA Y GARCIA SPARKLE IN FNF SHOOTOUT By George Elsasser

As previously stated, I had never before seen WBC Cruiser champ Wayne Braithwaite in action - nor his challenger Ravea Springs for that matter - and after three candles and change it was Braithwaite retaining the trinket via TKO4 … and I still have yet to see Ravea baby in ring action.

Cannot go into another's mind, but Springs was either intimidated by the aggressive Brooklynite by way of Georgetown, Guyana, or was simply frozen by the headlights of the oncoming one called "Big Truck."

Either way, Springs became road kill in candle number four when drilled by a lethal Braithwaite left hand delivered from the southpaw stance … after arising from the first knockdown he was again dropped by the same punch, and then wisely shouted a no-mas to the third man in the ring.

But what made the evening for the paying clientele was a classic start to finis sparkler between a couple of junior middleweights named Garcia … and were they blood relatives, we could have labeled this donnybrook " family feud or domestic violence."

Julio, who eked out the split-decision win is a Cuban defector, while ring partner Irving calls Puerto Rico home … and what we got was a classic text book clinic on the old cliché of styles makes fights.

No question about it, a throwback to a yesterday fite nite at the ol’ NYC St. Nick's Arena at Columbus Circle up from the Garden - a joint like other N.Y. fight clubs that when the action slowed the paying clientele would join in chorus of "Let me call you sweetheart."

Battle they did, these two guys named Garcia … Irving the boxer, Julio the relentless one firing away out of the bob & weave style … could easily have been a draw decision … guess here is we'll see these two guys over ESPN2 again.

Final thoughts:

Wayne Braithwaite: Goes to 19-0, 16 KOs and is fun guy to watch. Tough and willing and unskilled enough to bring in a few customers. Advice here is Wayne should milk that WBC belt a bit longer and give up the I want James Toney shout … might get it and that would be a mistake.

Ravea Springs: Drops to 25-3, 19 KOs … a slow moving southpaw with both weapons loaded with blanks. Think maybe a moonlighting job is the answer … maybe as grave digger at site where his 19 victims were once exhumed from.

Irving Garcia: Good news is he made many friends in that first loss on the resumé... drops to 9-1, 5 KOs but has mucho promise as classic boxer-puncher. Can only improve at age 24. Bad news is, squeaker or not, didn't need being rushed against a more experienced fighter of 25 bouts.

Julio Garcia: Good old "I am the real Garcia" is a crowd pleaser of the first order … non-stop guy with fair punching power … positive side is physical strength, toughness and unorthodox style can baffle other guy … no negatives other than forgot just a bit about the bob & weave when fatigue factor surfaced late in fite.