By: Austin Killeen     (click on pictures to enlarge)

When I first started covering boxing in New Mexico in 2011, the Power & Glory team was clearly a force in amateur boxing. Steve Garcia’s team practiced at the Mountain View Community Center in Albuquerque. His squad always seemed to compete for the team trophy at every amateur event. The reason being his team had many participants and they were well schooled in the fundamentals of the sport. Three of the team members were Jordanne Garcia, Santiago Giron and Lorenzo Benavidez and they had a way of finding the win column. Today his gym is located at 900 4^th Street SW in the “Duke City.” The location is different, but the results are the same; mostly victories. As for the pros, Garcia didn’t seem to put much emphasis in that area. But that will all change on April 5, as Steve’s daughter Jordanne, Giron and Benavidez will all have turned professional. Garcia and Benavidez already are fighting in the punch for pay ranks while Giron will turn pro that evening.

I visited Garcia’s new gym this week and spoke with the younger Garcia, Benavidez and the debuting Giron. I interviewed cruiserweight Benavidez first.

The first time I saw Lorenzo Benavidez fight was in the 2014 Golden Gloves and he made quite an impression. Standing five feet two inches, he was competing in the heavyweight division. Needless to say he could duck punches while standing up straight. He reminded me of Two Ton Tony Galento who fought Joe Louis for the heavyweight title in June of 1939. I didn’t attend the fight that evening, as I wasn’t born yet. Not only does he look like Galento, he has a style similar to the former title contender. The fans loved the aggressive style of Benavidez in 2014 and they love his style today.

I asked Benavidez about his amateur career and he replied; “I had between 45 and 50 amateur bouts. At first I fought show bouts, but eventually competed in open competition. In 2017 I qualified for the nationals in the Golden Gloves. This experience has helped in the professional ranks.” I’ll admit I was skeptical about his chances, but in his pro debut he was more than ready. Coach Garcia has taught him to move his head so that he would be able to slip punches effectively. Additionally, Benavidez is no longer a heavyweight, having loss over thirty pounds. As a result he has split in his first two pro bouts and hopes to enter the ring on March 30^th weighting no more than 180 pounds.

All these improvements are vital if he hopes to win in seven days at the Manuel Lujan Center. He will be facing Rico Urquizo (5-6-2, 3 KO’s) of Clovis, NM. I’ve watched Urquizo fight many times over the past seven years, and he will be the toughest test of Benavidez’s career. Urquizo has won his last two fights, both by KO and plans to make three in a row next week. The Clovis import is a cutie when fighting off the ropes, and loves to launch counter attacks from that position. In a fight card loaded with excellent matchups, Benavidez versus Urquizo could be the fight of the night.

To say that Jordanne Garcia is Steve Garcia’s favorite fighter of all time should come as a surprise to no one. He has known her all his life, as she is his daughter. Jordanne estimates that she had over 70 amateur bouts prior to turning pro. Although she compiled a very good record there were few tournament wins. Through much of her amateur career, boys could fight in tournaments and move on to the next level, girls could not. She did capture Junior Olympics titles twice in Alabama and West Virginia and a NM Golden Gloves State title. She credits her amateur background for her success in the pros. Commenting on how fans see a difference between men and woman competition; “I don’t think people look at woman’s boxing the same as they do male competition. Our sport is legal and we brawl and bang the same as the men do.” Watch one of her fights and you will see what she means.

I’ve watched her in both amateur and professional competition and she is benefiting from the same training experience as the boys. Fighting behind a strong left jab, Garcia likes to control her opponent’s movements. But I don’t want to give the impression that she’s a one arm fighter. Her jab is the master of ceremonies, introducing her arsenal of punches. So far her favorite combination seems to be a straight left jab followed quickly by an overhand right. “I’m still working on my professional skills, as I still have habits carried over from my amateur days. In the pros there are more rounds, allowing you to pace yourself. In the amateurs there are only three rounds, so you have to be throwing from the opening bell.” She is very good at cutting off the ring, trapping her rivals on the ropes or in a corner. She also has good balance and is very strong; you seldom see an opponent backing her up. Commenting on a lack of competition; “I’ll travel anywhere for a fight and I had to in the amateurs.”

In her last two fights she faced Karina Mendoza of El Paso, Texas resulting in a draw and a unanimous decision win in the rematch. These were entertaining bouts with lots of action and little clinching. For the Neanderthals who think woman belong in the kitchen, female boxers display the same skills in the ring as their male counterparts. As for the Mendoza family, Garcia hasn’t finished with them yet. Next Saturday she will be facing one of Mendoza’s sisters and if blood lines mean anything she will be in for another difficult fight. If the Mendoza sisters are part of a big family, Jordanne next five or six fights may already be scheduled. Her dad wanted to credit Sharahya Moreu, of the Olympic training team and Jocelyn Shade for providing his daughter with some tough sparring in preparation for next week’s fight.

I first saw Santiago Giron in action when he was thirteen years old. Watching him in the ring I thought I was seeing a Hispanic version of Willie Pep. His footwork was masterful, causing his opponent to lunge all over the ring. Half the time his adversary was looking in the wrong direction. Giron would touch him a couple of times and move off in another direction. I remember thinking too bad the kid can’t punch with any power. Finally his frustrated rival trapped Giron on the ropes and rushed in to do some damage of his own. This proved to be to be a mistake, as he walked into an overhand right which clearly hurt. That changed my mind regarding Giron’s punching power. Giron won by unanimous decision that afternoon.

Giron had his first amateur fight when he was nine years old. When I asked him what got him interested in boxing he gave credit to his father. “My dad would have me hold my hands by my head while he threw lazy punches in that direction. I liked the attention and wanted to go to a gym.” Giron estimates that he had over 150 amateur fights, winning Silver Gloves and Junior Olympics every time he entered the tournaments. He never won a national tournament, but came close on several occasions.

I asked Santiago if he had any amateur fights where he realized he could be good at boxing. He responded “I fought a boxer from Ohio who was part of Adrien Broner’s camp. I dropped him in the second round and went on to win a unanimous decision. I lost a decision to World Champion Brian Garcia’s younger brother Sean. I learned a lot even though I didn’t win. There was a boxer from Las Cruces whose last name was Sandoval, who I fought twice splitting two decision. In Albuquerque I trained with a fighter by the name of Michael Pavelko, we had to fight each other once. Tough fights like those tell you how good you really are.”

On Friday April 5^th Santiago will turn pro on the same card as his stable mate Jordanne Garcia. His opponent will be Gabe Vigil of Santa Fe, NM. If things go well for team Power & Glory, Steve Garcia will have three pros in his camp; all with winning records. Not bad for a bunch of amateurs.