The boxing world is in mourning after Mexican journalist Salvador Rodriguez shared an update that veteran boxing trainer Tiburcio García had passed away at age 68 in Temoaya, his hometown, yesterday.

“Rest in peace, Mexican trainer Tiburcio García. He had his boxing school in Temoaya, EdoMex,” Rodriguez’s post on X read. “He trained ‘Temible’ Castillo, ‘Travieso’ Arce, ‘Finito’ López, ‘Dinamita’ Márquez, ‘Terrible’ Morales, ‘Chiquita’ González, Daniel Zaragoza, ‘Maromero’ Páez, and more.”

While details about Garcia’s passing are still limited, the news has nevertheless left everyone sad. The depth of the trainer’s association with the sport goes far deeper than what one normally sees in a relationship between a fighter and his coach.

Garcia’s legacy is closely tied to the May 2005 fight between Jose Luis Castillo and late Diego Corrales, viewed by many as the greatest fight in modern boxing. Alongside legend Fernando Beltran and co-trainer Jose Morales, Garcia drafted a script in which Castillo pummeled Corrales with body shots.

Even though the latter eventually won, his condition was so bad that after he was taken to the hospital, his trainer Joe Goossen said, “They took a urine sample (of Corrales), and it looked like a bottle of tomato juice.”

But that’s just only a part of Garcia’s story. His career extended far beyond that legendary fight, with many of the fighters he trained going on to etch their names in boxing history.

Among the most prominent names Garcia trained was Ricardo ‘Finito’ Lopez (51-0). Alongside Floyd Mayweather and Joe Calzaghe, the Mexican genius remains one of the very few modern boxers who left the sport as a champion without ever getting beaten.

That deep understanding of boxing began when Garcia first laced up under Arturo ‘Cuyo’ Hernández. Before he switched to training, he had amassed an impressive amateur record of 100 fights before competing in 30 professional bouts.

His training career began in 1985 when he joined Cristóbal Rosa as a co-trainer and took care of champions, including Omar Flores, Sulio Sanchez, and Rodolfo Batta, who held national-level championships, as well as Armando Velazco, a WBC-ranked contender.

Four years later, he joined Hall of Fame trainer Ignacio ‘Nacho’ Beristáin at the famous Romanza Gym in Mexico City. The period saw Garcia working with the Marquez brothers, Juan Manuel and Rafael, both world champions, before joining Erik Morales’ corner.

Beyond the popularity he received in his home country, Mexico, Garcia became a respected name in places such as Japan, where he played a key role in helping world champions Hiroki Ioka and Keiji Yamaguchi.

With the loss of such a valuable member of the community, who had such an impact on the careers of several fighters, the sport is clearly in a state of shock and sorrow.

A somber day for boxing as legendary trainer passes away

Reacting to Rodriguez’s tweet, one fan summed it up by saying, “Wow! Grande entre los grandes! DEP,” which in English translates to “Wow!” A giant among giants! RIP.

Sounding emotional, Jorge Acre, who spent considerable time learning under Garcia, wrote, “With great sadness, I learned of the passing of a man who worked with me, and with many more champions, a great boxing trainer, 🥊 Tiburcio García. I’m so sorry; my deepest condolences to his son Michel. Rest in peace, my berrinches, as I affectionately called him. 😢”

While it is not clear whether Garcia was in Acre’s corner when he became a multi-division champion, including winning titles in four weight classes, which made him his second Mexican fighter, after Morales, to accomplish such a feat, the duo had known each other since 2001, when Garcia joined Temoaya Municipal Gymnasium.

A year later, Acre became a first-time world champion when he defeated Choi Yo-sam in Seoul, South Korea.

In 2009, as he prepared for a title fight against Vic Darchinyan for the unified super flyweight titles, Acre, after rejoining Garcia, recalled those early years and said, “Tiburcio is also (Javier Capetillo—chief trainer) a great trainer. I won the title with him in 2002 in Korea, and we worked together until 2007. He knows me perfectly, and we had no problems restarting our working relationship.”

“With great sadness, I learn of the passing of boxing trainer Tiburcio Garcia. Rest in peace, good Tiburcio,” WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman wrote.

Sharing an old photograph in which Garcia was said to have adopted the reverse psychology method of a threatening tone to motivate his fighter, boxing media outlet En Esta Esquina messaged, “TIBURCIO GARCÍA, THE KING OF TEMOAYA, BEAT US TO IT. ‘I’m gonna beat you up good!’ That was the ‘threatening’ mutual greeting… This Friday, August 28, Tiburcio García beat us to it.”

Paying tribute, another user wrote, “May Coach Tiburcio García rest in peace, a good friend and always attentive. He worked alongside great champions, among them @terrible100 JL Castillo, among others. He will always be remembered with affection. My deepest condolences to his family. 🙏.”

According to a report shared by En Esta Esquina, Tiburcio Garcia had been dealing with health issues that deteriorated over the past year. In that regard, one may recall the 2018 message from Salvador Rodriguez seeking help for Garcia after he suffered a cardiac arrest and required ventricular catheterization.

With Garcia’s passing, one of the most important chapters in Mexican boxing history has come to an end. While he may no longer be there, his absence will be felt by all who were trained by him and knew him personally.

Tiburcio Garcia has left a void that will be hard to fill in the years to come. The boxing community stands with his family in this difficult time.