Mikey Garcia Explains Top Rank Rift, Jabs Top Rank's duBoef

By Radio Rahim

Last month, former two division world champion Mikey Garcia (34-0, 28 KOs), 28-years-old, officially announced his return to the ring. Garcia has been out of action since January 2014, when he won a unanimous decision over Juan Carlos Burgos at The Theater in Madison Square Garden.

Garcia had a bad falling out with former promoter Top Rank. The two sides were engaged in a legal battle, and finally came to terms to go their separate ways back in April.

He is scheduled to return against another former champion, Elio Rojas (24-2, 14 KOs), on July 30th as part of the undercard to the featherweight battle between Leo Santa Cruz and Carl Frampton. The Showtime televised card takes place at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.

Around that time Garcia had his falling out with Top Rank, there were ongoing talks for a fight with Yuriorkis Gamboa. When those discussions fell apart, the Gamboa fight was given to Terence Crawford.

Garcia explained, in detail, what happened with Top Rank, and he also touched on the subject of how he believes Top Rank President Todd duBoef is sporting the wrong mentality in terms of how he views fighters.

"The Gamboa talks were still in effect before all of this started [with Top Rank].  I think it was in February or March [of 2014 when we were talking]. First it was the purse that they offered, compared to what Crawford was making, was not something that we agreed. When they finally started to negotiate a little bit better on the purse, they wanted me to fight at 130. I said 'no, we have to move up to 135,'" Garcia detailed.

"Then the last thing, why we didn't come to an agreement is because they wanted me to sign an extension of my contract - which i believed was already up in February 2014. So if they want to sign another extension then we have renegotiate. My contract was up. They didn't want to renegotiate, they just wanted an extension on top of what I had. Those terms were set in 2009."

"Those terms were set in 2009. I said 'no, you want to renegotiate, let's go.' When they said no, then I'm free. And they said 'no, you're not free because there is already an extension in effect. If there is already an extension, then why do you want another one. So they said 'well, then you're just going to sit and we're not going to fight you.' I said 'ok then.' They tried to push me around and I didn't let that happen.'

"The way I seen it clearly, and the way we are... Todd duBoef kept claiming that he built products. Every time that we met with him and every time that I heard him, all he said was that his company built product. And that's all we are to him.... just product. Its like an assembly line. They grow you, they groom you, and if you're a champion and then you're gone, then they are on to the next one. Its just an assembly line to them, they are just building product. He kept emphasizing that and I clearly see it.

"When I was gone,of course they weren't going to focus on me any more. If they were still my promoter then they should have kept promoting me or offering me fights.  They honestly didn't care for that, they went on to whoever was next. That's the way their company works. But when you speak to them, as a fighter, they want to sweet talk you as much as they can. But when you really see how things work, it's not like that."