“He’s going to learn firsthand how dangerous I am…I love when people think that power is going to save them against me.” Unbeaten Rising Star Colbert Nears Showdown Against Undefeated Dominican Olympian Hector Garcia Headlining Live on SHOWTIME® Saturday, February 26 in Premier Boxing Champions Event from The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas Click HERE for Photos from Stephanie Trapp/SHOWTIME BROOKLYN – February 18, 2022 – Unbeaten rising star Chris “Primetime” Colbert held a media workout in his hometown of Brooklyn Friday, as he prepares to take on undefeated Dominican Olympian Hector Garcia in the SHOWTIME main event Saturday, February 26 in a Premier Boxing Champions event from The Chelsea inside The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas.
Colbert vs. Garcia tops a stacked SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING® tripleheader beginning at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT as the undefeated fighters match up in a WBA Super Featherweight Title Eliminator.
Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by TGB Promotions, are on sale now and can be purchased through Ticketmaster.com.
The 25-year-old Colbert held the workout at the NYC Cops & Kids Boxing Club where he began his boxing journey, from his decorated days in the amateur ranks, to his burgeoning pro career. Here is what Colbert had to say about training camp, his February 26 opponent and more:
CHRIS COLBERT
“He’s going to learn firsthand how dangerous I am. I’m not worried about anything he brings to the ring. I love when people think that power is going to save them against me.
“I don’t have to live up to the ‘Primetime’ name, that’s just me. That’s who I am. People know who I am. I just have a job to do and I’m going to do it on February 26.
“I don’t really know anything about Garcia. I know he’s got two arms and two legs, and beyond that I expect him to bring his A-game, because he has to against me. There’s no way that I’m letting him come in as a late replacement and beat me.
“I spent most of training camp with Coach Aureliano Sosa and Herman Caicedo at Caicedo Sports down in Miami, but with the change of opponent I made the decision to come back to my gym in Brooklyn because we have three lefties in the gym up here.
“The only real difference for this camp is that I have a nutritionist now, so they’ve got me on a strict diet and I’m just more focused than ever. The other thing about this camp is that I was originally supposed to fight in mid-December, but then it got pushed back to now. So we went through two camps basically. It’s been about a 14-week camp in total.
“We went down to Miami mainly because of the weather, and because of our connection with Coach Herman. I hate the cold up north. And then they’ve also got a lot of quality sparring partners for me down in Miami and they gave me some good work to get me ready for this fight.
“I’m all about making adjustments. I’ve had opponent replacements happen before, and I know this is part of the business of boxing. I just have to roll with the punches, make lemonade out of these lemons and do what I do on February 26.
“I don’t fight for the belts. I fight for the money and my legacy. I still have a job to do next Saturday. I’m still getting paid. After I win, I get to fight again soon for the belt and get paid again for that fight.”
“I don’t consider Chris Colbert particularly dangerous.” UNDEFEATED DOMINICAN OLYMPIAN HÉCTOR GARCÍA FACES UNBEATEN RISING STAR CHRIS COLBERT LIVE ON SHOWTIME® SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 26 IN PREMIER BOXING CHAMPIONS EVENT FROM THE COSMOPOLITAN OF LAS VEGAS LAS VEGAS (February 17, 2022) – Undefeated Dominican Olympian Héctor García will look to put himself one step closer to his championship dreams when he faces fellow unbeaten Chris “Primetime” Colbert in a 12-round WBA Super Featherweight World Title Eliminator headlining live on SHOWTIME Saturday, February 26 in a Premier Boxing Champions event from The Chelsea inside The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas.
García stepped in to face Colbert after WBA Super Featherweight Champion Roger Gutiérrez withdrew due to a positive COVID-19 test. Despite the sudden change, the 30-year-old is prepared for what the supremely-skilled Colbert brings to the ring.
“I don’t consider Chris Colbert particularly dangerous,” said García. “I’ve watched him fight before and I know that I do have to be agile, since he is very fast. I have been sparring with many training partners that have styles similar to his here in Las Vegas and that should help me adjust once we’re in the fight.”
Trained by renowned coach Ismael Salas in Las Vegas, García has sparred with champions and top contenders including Devin Haney and Rolando “Rolly” Romero. He enters this fight coming off the most impressive victory of his career, a unanimous decision triumph over Isaac Avelar in December 2021.
“I make sure I stay in shape even if I’m not training for a specific date or opponent,” said García. “I heard about this opportunity when I got back to Las Vegas from the Dominican Republic, and I just knew I had to grab the bull by the horns. I am making sure that I make the most of this by having the best possible preparation.”
The San Juan de la Maguana, Dominican Republic product knows this is his chance to go from underdog to world championship contender, and plans to show off his versatility and power in the biggest fight of his career to date.
“People will witness my potential on February 26,” said García. “They are also going to find out that I can brawl or be tactical from any kind of distance. If I had to define myself as a boxer in one word, that would be ‘versatile’. My power is a weapon because I can hurt you with anything and everything that I throw.”
García is an avid Boston Red Sox fan who used to play baseball and dream of hitting home runs at Fenway Park while admiring Dominican baseball legends such as Pedro Martínez, David Ortíz and Manny Ramírez. His family wanted him to study, but it was his stepbrother who turned him to boxing when García was a teenager.
“Baseball was my first love, but my older stepbrother Derlin Valdez used to box and he would encourage me to do the same,” said García. “He kept telling me to go to the gym and, when I was 14, I decided to heed his advice and dedicate myself to boxing. I didn’t really want to at first, but I also didn’t have the resources I needed to be a true professional baseball prospect.”
García turned pro in December of 2016 after a runner-up finish at the 2015 Pan-Am Games in Toronto and qualifying for the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
“I waited for the (2016) Olympics before turning pro,” said García. “My dream was to win a medal, and I didn’t get to because of an unfair loss during the preliminary rounds.”
Six years later, boxing is still a family matter in the García household. That is what drives him to succeed.
“My goal is to be a world champion, and I’m dedicated to showing my family that I am indeed able to be successful as an athlete,” said García. “They wanted me to study, study, study and study some more, but I’m showing them that I achieved my goal.”
ABOUT COLBERT VS. GARCÍA Colbert vs. García will see undefeated rising star Chris “Primetime” Colbert square off against unbeaten Dominican Olympian Hector García in a 12-round WBA Super Featherweight World Title Eliminator headlining live on SHOWTIME Saturday, February 26 in a Premier Boxing Champions event from The Chelsea inside The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas.
The SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING® telecast kicks off at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT and will feature another unbeaten young phenom in the co-main event. Gary Antuanne Russell, a 2016 U.S. Olympian, faces former world champion Viktor Postol in a 10-round super lightweight bout, while IBF Junior Bantamweight World Champion Jerwin Ancajas defends his title against unbeaten Argentine Fernando Martinez in the televised opener of the loaded tripleheader.
Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by TGB Promotions, are on sale now and can be purchased through Ticketmaster.com.
