By Ryan Maquiñana

Robert Garcia replied to recent comments from Freddie Roach disparaging the trainer’s prized pupil, unified bantamweight champion Nonito Donaire.

“Nonito’s looked sensational for those last four fights, and I just happened to start working in his corner for those fights,” Garcia told BoxingScene in an exclusive interview.  “Interesting, right?  He knows that everybody believes in him being an expert in boxing, and he knows that the end of the year is coming.

“With that said, a lot of people are already thinking about Robert Garcia being Trainer of the Year so he wants to say something like that so people start thinking, ‘Oh, Robert’s not that great.’  That’s my only guess.”

The Oxnard, California-based Garcia took exception to Roach’s assessment of Donaire, who has risen to the upper half of most pound-for-pound rankings.

“He is either damn lucky or the cornermen of his last four opponents are just plain dumb,” Roach told the Manila Times while running Manny Pacquiao’s training camp in Baguio City, Philippines.  “He used that same left hook to knockout [Vic] Darchinyan, [Wladimir] Sidorenko, [Hernan] Marquez and [Fernando] Montiel."

Garcia, who has been traveling between both halves of the Golden State this month training WBA lightweight champ Brandon Rios, featherweight contender Mikey Garcia, and Donaire among others, addressed Roach’s quote with a question of his own.

“What’s wrong with a fighter winning a lot of fights with a left hook to the body?” he asked.  “Nonito’s been knocking opponents out with the left hook.  Well, he does have a powerful left hook, but that doesn’t mean that’s the only punch he throws.  We practice everything, and he knows Nonito’s looked sensational.

“He’s just talking sh*t.  He wishes he had Nonito.  Who else does he have besides Manny [Pacquiao]?  [Jorge] Linares?  [Amir] Khan will get destroyed if he fights [Floyd] Mayweather.  He wishes he had Donaire.”

Roach also opined that Donaire would “not stand a chance” against featherweight kingpin Yuriorkis Gamboa, even adding, “That Cuban will kill him.”

“That wouldn’t happen,” Garcia said in response.  “If Nonito were to fight Gamboa, I’m not saying it’s going to be easy, but he would find a way how to control the fight.  Nonito’s two or three inches taller than Gamboa.  He has the reach advantage.

“It’s still a year away, but why wouldn’t he have a chance? All this talk is just somebody knowing that the end of the year is coming where people start giving trainers credit and he just wants to make us look bad.”

Ryan Maquiñana is the boxing correspondent at Comcast SportsNet Bay Area.  He’s a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and Ring Magazine’s Ratings Advisory Panel.  E-mail him at rmaquinana@gmail.com, check out his YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/user/rmaq28 or follow him on Twitter: @RMaq28.

Tags: Robert Garcia , Nonito Donaire , Freddie Roach