Reports: Legendary boxing cutman, Rafael Garcia, dead at 88
Legendary boxing cutman, Rafael Garcia, died Tuesday morning at the age of 88, according to several reports and social media posts.
Garcia, who worked with dozens of world champions, most recently worked with undefeated welterweight champion Floyd Mayweather Jr. The pay-per-view king often referred to Garcia as the best cutman in the sport.
Mayweather Promotions posted the following message on Twitter Tuesday: “Rafael Garcia you will be missed. You lived your life to the fullest, and you will be remembered for all your contributions to the sport of boxing. Let your soul rest with no more pain. Love always and forever – your Mayweather Promotions family.”
The World Boxing Council said: “On behalf of the WBC Family, we would like to send our condolences to the Rafael Garcia’s Family.
In 2015, El Paso doctor Rafael Armendariz opened a boxing and wrestling museum in honor of several sport legends, including Garcia.
Garcia, present during the museum’s grand opening, told ABC-7, “This means a lot to me. This is a part of my life. I have to leave it to the future people. Future boxers. They can do it. When you propose to do something, you can do that.”
In April 2010, the New York Times featured Garcia in an article about Mayweather Jr. “On his business card, Rafael Garcia lists trainer-consultant-cutman as his occupation. But his specialty, his artistry, lies in his hands,” the paper reported.
Garcia not only served as the cutman on Mayweather’s corner, he also wrapped the boxer’s hands.
The New York Times credited Garcia for saving the legendary boxer’s career: “For all boxers, hands hold the ultimate importance. Pain there helped force Mayweather into a sabbatical already, and had Garcia not joined his swollen entourage, Mayweather may have retired for good.”
“Those are very important hands,” Garcia told the Times, “In those hands, there are millions of dollars. I have to take care of that.”
Rafael Garcia you will be missed. You lived your life to the fullest,
and you will be remembered for all your contributions to the sport of boxing. Let your soul rest with no more pain. ~ Love always and forever your Mayweather Promotions family pic.twitter.com/1LlbBbBwwb
— MayweatherPromotions (@MayweatherPromo) November 14, 2017
