Jorge ‘Chino’ Garcia Went From Being A ‘Lazy Kid’ To Fighting For The WBO 154 lb Title on ESPN

Scoring An Upset Decision In SoCal

In April, Jorge Garcia stunned the boxing world with a gritty split-decision win over former Olympian Charles Conwell—a bout many believed would be Conwell’s final hurdle before a long-awaited title shot. Instead, Garcia’s victory vaulted him to the No. 2 spot in the WBO rankings, reshaping the junior middleweight landscape. 

When WBC champion Sebastian Fundora opted to pursue a rematch with Tim Tszyu rather than face mandatory challenger Zayas, the door opened for Garcia to step in as Zayas’ opponent for the vacant WBO title.

Reflecting on the Conwell fight, Garcia didn’t mince words about the challenges he faced. “It was his style,” said Garcia. “It took about 2-3 rounds to get used to. A lot of times, the game plan you have during training camp isn’t what works on fight night. You don’t know how your opponent is going to react to the things you are doing in the ring. However, we always try to have a plan A, B, C, D, and so on. That’s what helped me that night; having a variety of plans.”

Although Garcia earned his shot at the title by defeating Conwell, he didn’t expect the opportunity to come so soon.

“I thought they were going to make me wait for the title shot,” said Garcia. “I felt that way because I’ve seen and heard of situations where fighters were the mandatory for a title shot and they never get it. For example, (Eduardo) “Sugar” Nunez, IBF featherweight champion, was told for like a year that he was going to get a title shot (Nunez fought for the vacant title in May, which he won).”

Addressing Expectations Knowing He Will Be In Zayas’ Home Turf 

Garcia knows that the odds are stacked against him as he heads into Madison Square Garden for Saturday night’s title fight. His fans have made it clear: winning a decision in his opponent’s backyard won’t be easy. So in June, Garcia took to Instagram with a message that left no room for doubt. “We are going to win this fight. We aren’t going to win a decision in my opponent’s house in front of his people. My job is 100% focused on winning by knockout.” When asked about the post, Garcia doubled down. “Fans on social media were saying that winning the split decision over Conwell isn’t a scenario that will always happen. I wanted to demonstrate my mentality heading into fight night.”

With the Mexico vs. Puerto Rico rivalry adding fuel to the fire, Garcia has a message for fans tuning in live on ESPN Saturday night: “Fireworks for everyone from Mexico and Puerto Rico. It’s going to be a great fight. He has his dreams, as do I.” Given both fighters styles and stakes, expect a tightly contested battle as Zayas and Garcia square off for the right to be called WBO junior middleweight champion.