BRC: Let's start out by talking about when and how you left Cuba...

JGARCIA: I left Cuba in 1994, I left on a raft from the city of Cojima. I got picked up 76 miles outside of Cuba, a Russian boat stopped us and called the U.S. Coast Guard who picked us up. We had been at sea for seven days.

BRC: Can you tell me what that experience was like?

JGARCIA: It was very hard, very difficult. It was five of us, my cousin and three friends. At night it was very cold, we encountered rough seas; during the day it was terribly hot, sharks were all around us. We could hear noises, like people fighting, different sounds, we were seeing things, we were actually seeing mountains.

I don't think we were hallucinating, I am not sure if what we heard were the spirits of the dead but let me tell you we could hear and feel the hostility, people fighting with swords, people yelling and screaming. Very strange, and very traumatic experience.

The mere fact that we were in this raft, water all around us, without food, not knowing how much longer before we could be found, I mean, that was a horrible experience. I survived that, so to become a world champion, while it is also hard because of the training and the dedication necessary, doesn't even begin to compare.

BRC: Had you fought amateur in Cuba?

JGARCIA: No, I never fought amateur. I was a kick boxer, which is very different from boxing. Kick boxing is more about kicks, wrestling-like moves, elbows. It's nothing like boxing. To box you have to be dedicated, it's more technical, but the warrior is in me, I'm a natural warrior; it's in my Cuban blood.

BRC: Why the transition from kick boxing to boxing?

JGARCIA: Because I like combat sports, and I realized that although I liked kick boxing a lot, it didn't pay my bills, I couldn't live off kick boxing. So, I analyzed the situation, and I came to the conclusion that in boxing you can make good money, and I can be a champion, why not? It's all about being focused, mentally and spiritually, and I am that.

BRC: So, you came to the States without any amateur experience, unlike the well known group of Cuban defectors that at one time formed Team Freedom. How difficult was it for you to get started in boxing?

JGARCIA: Well, it's like everything else. Beginnings are always difficult, I had to start out sparring with very well known boxers, using the knowledge I had and my heart, my grit, and little by little I have learned the mechanics of boxing, and well, here I am. So far, I'm holding my own, I have a WBB belt and here I am ready to fight for an IBA championship, which is a "bigger" belt. In the future, the world championship opportunity will come, because I am a very strong fighter.

BRC: Do you think that being Cuban, with the reputation of Cuban fighters already established, in your opinion, did it open doors for you, did it hinder you or it had no bearing?

JGARCIA: No, no, it didn't make any difference. I think that it doesn't matter where you come from, your religion, none of that matters. What matters is that you have the strength, the mental discipline to train and fight, the focus to do what's in one's best interest.

BRC: Where do you reside now?

JGARCIA: In Las Vegas. When we first got picked up they brought us to Miami, we stayed here a week, and since we didn't have family or anybody, they asked us where we would want to go. We asked where would be a good place to live, a place that had job opportunities, where we could also practice the sport of boxing. They said Las Vegas, and there I went, and I have been there ever since. I like Las Vegas!

BRC: You have one loss in your record to Tito Mendoza. Want to talk about it?

JGARCIA: Yes, one loss to Tito Mendoza, in a fight for the NABF title. I lost by unanimous decision. Well, I am into professional boxing now, and I am learning; he was a very tall opponent and it was hard for me to cut the ring off, things like that. In my heart I don't feel I lost the fight; I was the aggressor, I applied pressure throughout the fight. He moved around, and did just enough to win the belt but he couldn't toe to toe with me. Maybe we will meet again, and next time, I will beat him for sure.

BRC: Critics say that you have no punching power. Care to comment?

JGARCIA: I like for people to think that, because I have very good punching power. The problem with me has been that since I had no amateur experience, I have made some mistakes. I have slapped a lot, because I didn't know how to throw punches, I didn't know how to hit properly, because I lacked the experience. That's why I don't have many knockouts, but the knockouts are coming now that I my technique is improving, and that's what most people don't know. But, I like for people to think that I have no punching power, it makes for good fights for me.

BRC: Kirino Garcia is an experienced fighter. He has fought some quality opponents, does that concern you?

JGARCIA: No, it doesn't, because although I haven't fought the same caliber opponents, I have sparred many of them. Oscar de la Hoya, Bernard Hopkins, David Reid, and I have done well against them. So, I know what I'm capable of and now is my opportunity to pave the road to where I can fight those quality opponents.

BRC: What does it mean to you to fight here in Miami?

JGARCIA: It means a lot, because Miami is like Cuba. So, I'm going to fight very excited, inspired, it's going to be like fighting at home. I am going to be very happy to fight here, that's going to give me a second wind, if you will, having the home field advantage.

BRC: Would you like to send a message to the fans?

JGARCIA: Yes, I would like to tell Cuban fans, Latino fans, fans from all over the world that they are going to have a new champion, a new Cuban icon, Julio Garcia, "The Cuban Lover." It's about time for Cuba to have another champion, specially a middleweight, I believe there has never been one. So, I am going to be the fortunate one to be the first Cuban middleweight champion of the world...

BRC: (Rudely interrupting, sorry...) Speaking of which, that is a hot division...

JGARCIA: Exactly, it is a hot division, and that's what gives me greater motivation because I love to fight to the level of my competition, so I can only get better by fighting the better fighters.

BRC: Your ideal fight?

JGARCIA: (Without any hesitation) Bernard Hopkins. It would be my ideal fight, because I know he is an opponent that can do everything; he can box, he can fight, he does what he has to do to win, he is a great fighter. To fight him, would put me at the top of the game in my division.

BRC: What was it like to spar with Mr. Hopkins?

JGARCIA: Well, it was a while ago, about three or four years ago, at the onset of my career, and I did very well. That was back then, things are quite different now, because I have learned a lot since he and I sparred.

BRC: Julio, you speak English very well, I must say I'm impressed...

JGARCIA: Thank you. I've made strides to learn, not just in boxing, but in life, so in order to do that, I have to become more polished, specially here in America, I have to be polished in the language. Unfortunately I haven't been able to go to school yet, I've learned English from talking to people, my former co-workers, my fiancée, people in the gym... I think that if I'm doing well is because I have tried very hard to learn, and when things become a bit easier for me, I will go to school so that I can learn proper English, to read it and write it properly. I can read it, but, not like I can read in Spanish.

BRC: Well, Julio, I know that your fight will be broadcast to Cuba tomorrow, and your family and friends will get a chance to hear how you will do against Kirino Garcia. It has been truly a pleasure to meet you and to have had the opportunity to learn all about Julio "The Cuban Lover" Garcia.

JGARCIA: You're welcome and the same here. I want to thank you for the interview.

Julio "The Cuban Lover" Garcia is a very special individual. Unlike many immigrants, he strives to assimilate while holding on to the best of his Cuban roots.

If reading his comments gives our readers the impression that he is cocky or arrogant, rest assured that nothing could be further from the truth. Garcia's words are spoken humbly and with great respect. He is very charismatic, self-assured, he believes in himself, but he is not petulant or arrogant.

"The Cuban Lover" moniker was given to him by a ring announcer in response to the love the fans have shown Garcia.

It is guys like him, who risk life and limb in their quest for freedom and their right to pursue their dreams that give boxing a good name. While malcontents and psychopaths earn millions, there are men like Garcia who continue to pound away, hoping for a shot at the golden ring, all the while, happy to be in a free country and grateful for the opportunities it affords them.

Photo Credit: Audrey Chang

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