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"WHO IS WHYBER GARCIA?" By Elisa Harrison |
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"WHO IS WHYBER GARCIA?" By Elisa Harrison |
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Whyber (pronounced Weaver in English/Wiber in Espaňol) Garcia began fighting at age 15 after being told by a friend that he had the body of a boxer. A good street brawler who fought a lot in school, Whyber decided to give boxing a shot, (no pun intended). A visit to the house of Panamanian conditioner Francisco "Tolete" Arroyo followed and training began. Arroyo felt that Garcia was too privileged, a clean cut, homebred kid who simply was not going to make it. Nevertheless he put Whyber through 15 days of intense training, after which he enrolled the youngster in his first amateur bout. Not really giving his charge a chance, Arroyo quickly found out that he was all wrong about Whyber Garcia; the kid knocked out his opponent in 2 rounds. Whyber explains it by saying: "Coach Arroyo didn't think I was going to make it. Wrong! I knew what it was like to get hit, and I wasn't worried about it..." A somewhat short but successful amateur career yielded Garcia two Golden Gloves in his native Panama, at ages 17 and 18, along with a 19-3 record. Trainer Arroyo put Whyber Garcia in contact with Rogelio Espiňo, who became -and remains- Garcia's manager and advisor. When asked about Mr. Espiňo, Garcia says: "He is the best thing that has happened to my career. In Panama, he is not just a boxing manager, he is also a friend. He helps the boxers, and I can say that he is a trustworthy person, not the classic manager that wants to exploit fighters." Family means a lot to Whyber Garcia, who has two brothers and two sisters, all but one younger than himself; and while he loves the States, he is homesick and misses his folks very much. He often talks about buying a bike for his youngest brother and a car for Ulyses, who is 18, a van for his mother, so she can start her own business transporting school children back home; those are just some of the goals he has set for himself. I asked him about his parents and he talked on, starting out with his dad who -according to Whyber- never believed in him. "My father never believed in me as a boxer; he also saw me as a weakling, but I have demonstrated to him that the opposite is true. Now he is very proud of me, and although he has only come to two of my fights, (he gets too nervous, afraid that I could get hurt), he looks forward to seeing me fight for a world title soon." "My mother is my #1 fan. She has been to all my fights since I was an amateur. She has always believed in my talent as a fighter because she spent more time with me when we were home. (Smiling) She was also the one who had to come to my school whenever I got in trouble over fighting, so she knew I could fight. In a sudden pensive and matter-of-fact mood, he adds about his mom, "She is the vitamin that feeds me in lonely times." Garcia's only professional loss -and his admittedly hardest fight- came in November 30, 2001, hours after the death of his beloved grandmother, Mrs. Eugenia "Genia" Almanza. He faced Roynet Caballero, who beat him via majority decision in 6 rounds. The fierce competitor in him pushed for -and got- a rematch almost a year to the date, November 29, 2002. The second time around Whyber knocked Caballero out in 3 rounds. We asked if he has a boxing idol; his eyes widened with pride and the name Oscar de la Hoya flowed out with a smile. We asked why Oscar and Garcia told us: "Why? I liked him from the first time I saw him fight. Oscar is very humble, very fast, and very charismatic. I think that he has set the tone for the new breed of boxers. Everybody associates boxers with thugs, street people; Oscar has changed that perception of boxers. That has also made me promise myself that I will be different from all boxers from my country Panama in and out of the ring. "I always dreamed about wearing a championship belt and it became a reality because I begged my manager Mr. Espino to give me an opportunity to fight for a belt. 'One more fight and I promise you a title shot,' he said, and so it was. On May 16, 2003 I fought and beat Livinson Ruiz (TKO5) for the vacant WBA Fedecentro Featherweight Title. "Victor Julio followed, a very experienced fighter, who succumbed to Garcia's power early. The WBC Latin American Super Featherweight title also belongs to Whyber. "Julio had twice as many fights as I had, and I was still able to finish the fight in 3 rounds." To keep the sequence going, Garcia reminds me that in his next fight he will vie for a third title. "In my next fight I'll be fighting for a vacant NABA title, and if I am able to win this belt, it would be three consecutive belts for me," he adds in business like manner. Not so fast... Let's crunch some numbers... The combined stats on Whyber's opponents to date is 43 wins, 36 losses, 3 draws, 25 KOs. Garcia's opponent, Bernard Harris, age 29, (22-17-2, 10 KOs), is a seasoned veteran who has fought -and lost to- some of the best in the division. However, it is worthy of note that in 17 defeats he has only been stopped once, at the Pond in Anaheim back in April 7, 1997. Some of the marquee names in Harris' resume are: Sharmba Mitchell (L-UD10), Joel Casamayor (L-UD10), Antonio Diaz (L-MD10), Derrick Gainer (L-UD10), Paul Spadafora (L-PTS8), Julio Diaz (L-UD10) and Carlos "Famoso" Hernandez, the man responsible for Harris' only KO stoppage. I think it's fair to say that Bernard Harris will be the biggest test in Garcia's career. The obvious question then is will the young champion be able to stand up to such a savvy warrior? Mark the date, October 30th at the Seminole Indian Creek Casino. We asked Garcia for one final statement, a message to the fans, and this was his response: "I would like to become a well known figure in the U. S. as is Roberto "Manos de Piedra" Duran because there are a lot of boxing fans here, something that is missing in my country, Panama. In this way, I can remind Panameňos that our country still produces good fighters. "Come out to the Creek on October 30th and watch my American debut. I won't disappoint!" I have a feeling that come Halloween eve, Whyber Garcia will let his fists and grit grab the fancy of American fans. Yours truly will certainly be watching... Tickets for "Fright Night at the Creek", priced at $30 general admission, $100, $125 and $150 ringside reserved are available through the Seminole Coconut Creek Casino by calling (877-50-FIGHT) or in person at the Seminole Coconut Creek Casino box office. Doors open at 5:30 PM. First fight is at 6:30 PM. For more information on Warrior's Boxing Promotions, visit their Website at: www.warriorsboxing.com. 10-16-2003
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