On a recent episode of BoxingScene’s Top Stories on ProBox TV, trainer Robert Garcia told Hall of Famer Marco Antonio Barrera that he might have some interesting career decisions ahead.
Garcia, a frontrunner for Trainer of the Year honors for work he has done with, among others, Vergil Ortiz Jnr and Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez, was asked by Barrera what could happen if Turki Alalshikh, one of the sport’s power brokers, saw the work Garcia had been doing in his Riverside, California, gym, and whether he might encourage Garcia to take his talents to Saudi Arabia.
“Oh, you’ve heard something?” Garcia said with a smile. “I think he’s heard something. There have been some talks about that. We’re on it. I’m glad you mentioned it, but we’re on it.”
Asked by Eduardo Camarena whether that interested him, Garcia added: “I have lots of work in California. We’re very busy year-round. Every weekend, we’re busy with fights, fighters that we have, prospects, world champions. But like I mentioned, I have a great team. It’s not just me. There is my son. There is my dad. … I have a great team that, should I have to leave for a couple of weeks, they have it covered. The same if I have to leave for a couple of months, so we’re ready to make it happen.”
Camarena added: “It would be historic, a trainer from America in Saudi Arabia.”