“Benji” Garcia has been here before. On the brink of a bout with a former world champion or top contender, Garcia is slated to face former IBF minimum weight champion Roberto “Mako” Leyva of Ensenada, MX on Bobby D. Presents “Summer Showdown” at the 4th and B in downtown San Diego. Garcia in his seven year twenty five bout professional career has faced
world champions such as Giovanni Segura and Eric Ortiz and hot prospects such as Manuel Roman and Raul Martinez. “I am on the same level as those elite fighters that I have faced and maybe a little higher. The fact that I have never had a promoter has come to light in my career. As far as my style, I think I have what it takes like any of those fighters,” Garcia states.
Garcia (12-10-3, 1KO) began boxing at an early age in his hometown “I was eleven years old, I was very young. I began to train in Guadalajara. My father was a a gold gloves champion in Guadalajara and my uncles were also. I noticed that I was hot blooded and I had to do something so I began to train, I had a lot of energy.”
But the lure of the mighty dollar brought Garcia to the United States at the tender age of fifteen in search of a better life like many of his countrymen. Although Garcia stopped training, he could not ignore the calls of the gym “I came to work and to box. At first more to work but then I started getting up there in age so I decided to begin to train again because I wanted to fight. I trained hard and turned pro when I turned eighteen.”
“Benji” fought professionally for the first time in mid ’01 stopping Cesar Tapia in one round in Mexico City. After losing his next bout, Garcia rattled six wins against three draws before tasting defeat for only the second time in his career.
In ’05 Garcia became the spoiler for the first time against a big name opponent when he beat multi divisional champion Jorge “Travieso” Arce’s brother Francisco with a six round unanimous decision.
At the time, Franciso “Panchito” Arce was 19-1, 10KO. “I was on vacation before that fight and to be honest, I didn’t really train. They called me at last minute. I knew that I wasn’t in tip top shape but my work rate is what helped me. He wanted to fight me from the outside but I got on the inside and he fought my fight and that is why I won.”
Later that year, Garcia derailed the plans of top amateur standout Luis Sillas when he was awarded another six round unanimous decision. Sillas was undefeated at the time with a 5-0, 3KO record.
But the biggest trophy in Garcia’s mantle came when he defeated San Diego‘s Sergio Espinoza in June of ’07. Espinoza at the time was ranked in the top fifteen of various sanctioning bodies, but not only was Garcia able to defeat him with a close ten round decision but also send the “San Diego Sensation” to the canvas in the third round “again, I only had about two weeks to prepare to fight ten rounds but again with my work rate, I was able to overwhelm Espinoza and take home the win.”
But now as Garcia prepares to face another former world champion in southpaw Roberto “Mako” Leyva who won his IBF 105 lbs. title in ’01 by defeating Colombian
Daniel Reyes and has faced Miguel Barrera, Victor Burgos, Manny Melchor, Ivan Calderon and Edgar Sosa in his illustrous career, “Benji” knows that he must change his ways “by the time of the fight, I would of been training for a month, which gives me a lot of confidence.”
As far as his opponent, Garcia knows that he has a tough fight in front of him but a fight he must win never the less “I have seen him fight a long time ago and I thought he was good but I don’t really remember his style from that fight so I don’t really know him. I know that he is a good fighter and he is a southpaw which also makes it tough. I don’t feel pressure from the fact that he is a
former world champion because I am a fighter just like he is and I throw the same kind of punches that the fighters he has fought have thrown.”
“I am happy in fighting in San Diego because I think that the people are going to support me. I feel confident but not over confident, but I know that the San Diego crowd will give me that confidence. I am planning on training from here on out, until the end of my career, God willing and I hope that I have some belts in my future. I have to win this fight and hopefully some eyes will begin to turn my way.”