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Mikey Garcia, the four-division champion, appears to have retired at the age of 34.
Mikey Garcia appears to have announced his retirement with an updated Instagram bio that reads “Retired World Champ.”
Garcia (40-2, 30 KO) has been a staple on pound-for-pound rankings for years, having won belts in four different weight classes throughout a 15-year professional career. He defeated Orlando Salido for the WBO featherweight title in 2013, then knocked out Rocky Martinez for the WBO junior lightweight title less than ten months later.
Garcia won his first lightweight championship in 2017 with a vicious third-round knockout of Dejan Zlaticanin, then another in 2018 with a unanimous decision victory against Robert Easter Jr. In the meantime, Garcia won the IBF junior welterweight championship by unanimous decision over Sergey Lipinets.
Garcia moved up to welterweight to face Errol Spence Jr in 2018 after winning the lightweight unification. Spence was too much for Garcia to handle, winning every round on every card in Garcia’s first professional loss.
Garcia subsequently called his performance against Spence “terrible,” but he continued at welterweight and won a close decision over Jessie Vargas in February 2020. His most recent and ostensibly final bout took place in October 2021 at 145 pounds, when he suffered a devastating majority decision loss to junior welterweight Sandor Martin.
Garcia’s dismal performance against big underdog Martin immediately generated concerns about how or if Garcia might revive his career. This social media post appears to imply that he will not.
It’s a low-key departure from the sport. Not as dramatic as Manny Pacquiao’s 14-minute goodbye video, nor as swift or conclusive as Shawn Porter’s post-fight news conference following his defeat to Terence Crawford. However, it looks to be a clear and decisive declaration from Mikey Garcia and his staff. Best wishes for his retirement!
Garcia’s Early Career
Garcia is recognized as a patient boxer with strong striking power, a natural right-hander who occasionally switches to southpaw. In 2006, he turned pro and signed with Bob Arum’s Top Rank. Garcia went unbeaten in his first 20 professional fights, winning 17 by knockout.
Mikey Garcia won the USBA Featherweight Championship in April 2010 via TKO against veteran Tomas Villa in the opening round. He subsequently defeated Matt Remillard to earn the WBO NABO Featherweight Championship. This would not only be the last boxing match, but also the last event Nick Charles would broadcast; Charles died a few days later from cancer.
Garcia was requested by HBO to give up a world championship match against Billy Dib in order to fight on the undercard of Julio César Chávez, Jr. vs. Sebastian Zbik. Garcia expressed his congratulations to Genaro Hernández, who was battling illness and died a few days later, after his victory over Rafal Guzmán. Months later, he defeated Juan Carlos Martinez in under four rounds in New York’s Madison Square Garden.
