Heavyweights Michael Garcia and Rob “The Wolf” Perez each promise to bring their best to Dirty Boxing Championship (DBX) when they square off for the interim heavyweight title in the main event of DBX6 on Friday, April 10th at the James L. Knight Center in Miami, Florida. The full fight card will stream live and for free on the Dirty Boxing Championship YouTube Channel. While Garcia plans to show the “technical” side of heavyweight fighting, “The Wolf” promised destruction on fight night. “I’m being underestimated, but I’m gonna gain everyone’s favor and show the more technical side of heavyweight fighting,” said Garcia. “You’re gonna see something different from me. . Perez is a character, he talks a lot and keeps people engaged, but I’m gonna become heavyweight champion.”
“I just like to get down and dirty,” said Perez. “There’s a stigma of class and showmanship behind boxing, and with Dirty Boxing, it lets ‘The Wolf’ do what I do best. That’s entertain and be a crazy wrecking ball.”
With two first-round stoppages in DBX action already under his belt, Perez believes that his experience in Dirty Boxing and beyond will make the difference. “I’ve had a lot of opponent in the past underestimate me, and they’ve paid for it,” said Perez. “He doesn’t realize the danger he’s in there with. I have more amateur fights than he has amateur and pro fights put together. With my background in boxing, I’m gonna show him that there’s levels to this. He’s gonna learn the hard way that boxing is the better sport, especially when it comes to striking.”
With two DBX victories of his own, Garcia has made it clear that he’s prepared for the “wrecking ball” tactics from Perez and is dead set on showing the skill gap between the two fighters. “He’s just a pressure fighter,” said Garcia. “I don’t see too much skill really. It’s a lot of overhands and pressure. He’s a one-dimensional fighter. His ego is beyond what his skill can carry. I’m not saying it’s an easy fight. He’s durable and heavy-handed. But I don’t feel like I’m in danger. It’s a fight about skill at the end of the day and I know I possess more of that than he does.”
Going up against a fighter with an MMA and Muay-Thai background, Perez explained that his skillset is perfectly in-tune to counteract the elbows that Garcia will throw at him when they step into the ring. “He's gonna try come in there and throw the jab and throw the elbow behind it,” said Perez. “As long as I don’t get cut from the elbow, he can throw it all day. My head is a cement wall. I’ve broken probably four people’s hands in sparring in the last two months. He’s not ready for what I’m bringing. He’s gonna feel my power and my speed. I train like a monster. I’m not an elbow thrower, but if I see the opportunity, I’ll take advantage of it. I’m coming to do what I do best.”
For Garcia, the fight against Perez is one he’s sought out even before making his own DBX debut. While he’s been prepared for Perez’s “smack talk” outside of the ring, Garcia has focused on improving his own game inside of the ring and feels that DBX is especially suited to his skillset as he focuses on the fighting discipline. “I knew that he was gonna talk a lot of smack, that was my first thought when the fight came together,” said Garcia. I’ve been calling him out since before I got involved with Dirty Boxing. He’s been on my radar for a long time.
“I’m continuing to adjust to the rule set and getting better and better in this sport. Dirty Boxing is really fast paced and so I’ve had to just focus on boxing in training. I was intrigued the second I watched Dirty Boxing. I told everyone in the gym that I was gonna be fighting in that one day, I just knew it. I love the fast pace. I feel like this was created for me. It was new territory for me at first, but I feel a lot more comfortable in there now.”
With an opportunity to claim the Interim Heavyweight Title on April 10, both fighters made clear that they’re not looking past their opponent, and that no matter who’s next, they’re looking to be the best version of themselves every time they step into the ring.
“I want to fight the best,” said Perez. “I know Yoel Romero is kinda scared of me, so I’ll take whoever is the best who will fight me. I want people to look back at my resume and see that I was taking down all the greats. Win, lose or draw, ‘The Wolf’ will always put on a show and give the fans what they want. That’s what we’re doing here at Dirty Boxing.”
“I don’t look past my opponents ever,” said Garcia. “Whoever is next, it’s just about challenging myself. I’m more looking at how I can level up from my last performance, no matter who’s in front of me.”
The entire lineup will be announced shortly, but will also feature the return of standout Montavious Ware taking on veteran Luis Saldana in a battle of fighters sporting 1-0 DBX records.
