At Friday’s weigh-in for the Victor Ortiz-Josesito Lopez card taking place at Staples Center later Saturday, TQBR had a chance to catch up with Ortiz trainer Danny Garcia afterwards.
In an article posted at TQBR on June 19, Josesito Lopez and his trainer Henry Ramirez were quoted as saying that Garcia’s father Eduardo had giving them insight on how to beat Ortiz. Eduardo started out Victor as a fighter.
“I think it is a bunch of bull,” said Danny Garcia when asked what he thought about it. “I think that Josesito’s trainer Henry is just trying to play mind games, and even if he did help there is no information that is going to help Josesito Lopez beat Victor tomorrow. Even if my dad was working in their corner, that wouldn’t change the outcome of the fight.”
TQBR had a chance to relay Danny Garcia’s thoughts to Ramirez earlier Saturday.
“They’ve been in our gym since the beginning of 2010,” explained Ramirez. “They moved to Riverside in late ’09, and they trained in our gym since February of 2010 I think. They live in Moreno Valley which is neighboring. There ain’t no mind games it is the reality.
“At the end of the day it is just Victor and Josesito in the ring like he said,” Ramirez said. “But I would have been foolish not to pick Eduardo’s brain knowing they worked together 5, 6, 7 years. The kid lived at his house. That would be like someone fighting Chris, and say I didn’t train Chris anymore, why wouldn’t they try getting any information.”
Ramirez also made it clear Eduardo Garcia was never going to be part of the corner on fight night.
“I wasn’t going to ask Eduardo to work the corner with us or anything, because that would put him in a bad position.”
Whether or not the inside information on Victor Ortiz will come in handy, we’ll know in just a few hours. What effect it could have on an already strained family relationship between the Garcias will be much more difficult to pinpoint.
Mark Ortega can be reached via e-mail and followed via Twitter. Mark also contributes to renowned boxing publications RING Magazine and Boxing Monthly, and is a member of the Boxing Writer’s Association of America and RING Ratings Advisory Panel.
