Undefeated Franco Is Spoiling for Good Fights

Fights fall out all the time in boxing, for a variety of reasons. But fighters seem to be falling all over themselves trying to avoid meeting Long Beach’s undefeated welterweight Raul Franco in the ring.

On Sunday, Sacramento’s Horatio Garcia pulled out of tonight’s scheduled eight-round bout with Franco at the Irvine Marriott because he came down with spinal meningitis. It was the third time Garcia (8-2-1 with seven knockouts) has called off a fight with Franco, who also had a bout canceled last month in Coachella.

“It would have been a hell of a fight,” Marriott matchmaker Jerry Bilderrain said. “Raul would have won this fight and I think he would have won it going away, but now we’ll never know.”

Bilderrain spoke with Garcia and he believes Garcia’s illness is legitimate. “He sounded like a little old lady,” Bilderrain said. “He said he wanted this fight badly.”

Franco (10-0 with five knockouts) is beginning to wonder just how badly Garcia wants to fight him. Garcia earlier canceled fights with Franco because of injuries sustained in training.

“I felt this one against Horatio Garcia was going to put me over the top,” Franco said.

Lately, Franco has been desperately looking for that one fight, that one break, that will put him into boxing’s spotlight.

“The people don’t really know who I am,” Franco said. “Orange County knows me because I’ve fought here, but I don’t even think my hometown of Long Beach knows me very well.”

Marriott promoter Roy Englebrecht knows Franco well after promoting his first six fights. He likes the baby-faced 21-year-old with the powerful right hand so much he has offered him a three-year promotional deal that would include a nearly $10,000 signing bonus and a $3,000 minimum for 10-round fights. Should Franco fight for a world title, he would earn a minimum of $20,000.

For Englebrecht, the contract offer to Franco is ground-breaking. All of his previous promotional contracts have been on a much smaller scale. To help finance the possible deal, Englebrecht has hooked up with Newport Beach sports agent Michael Watkins and Newport Beach accountant Michael Rivello. Englebrecht is paying Franco $2,000 for tonight’s bout with Dexter Williams (4-8-1) of Las Vegas, a last-minute replacement for Garcia.

Franco and his management team of Richard Garcia and Gonzalo Garcia have also been talking to Top Rank’s Miguel Diaz about a promotional deal.

“If Raul could sign with Top Rank, it would be in his best interest,” Englebrecht said. “We can’t compete with them. But if they’re not interested, let’s not lose any more time. We’re talking about his future. This [deal] could set up Raul up for the rest of his life.

“We would deem it a real shot in the arm for Roy Englebrecht promotions to sign Raul. Our first order of business would be to get him to 16-0 and get him ranked. I want to get a plan in place so that Raul is fighting for a world title in a year.”

So far, Franco and the Garcias aren’t taking what Englebrecht is offering.

“I think Roy could steer us in the right direction and I’ve always thought that,” Richard Garcia said. “But if he wants to stay in the club scene where he’s at, that’s where he’ll stay. He needs to understand the separation between what he pays his club fighters and us.”

Franco said he would like to get his career moving. He lives in Long Beach with a high school friend and does not even own a car.

“I think Roy would be good for me, but he has to see my potential,” Franco said. “I don’t have a job. This is what I do. If I don’t fight, I don’t make money. I’m doing all this hard work for nothing. I sometimes get depressed about it.”

Although Franco trains intensely, Bilderrain doesn’t believe he has perfected his style.

“I’ve noticed Raul needs polish badly in certain areas,” said Bilderrain, a former fighter. “He doesn’t jab enough or use the uppercut enough. If he jabbed better, he wouldn’t get hit as much.”

Franco had his toughest tests as a pro in his last two victories, over Joani Cervantes of Bell and Gustavo Soto of Culiacan, Mexico, but he emerged with clear-cut unanimous decisions each time. Though he sees flaws in Franco, Bilderrain also sees a world of potential.

“He shows me more ability at this point than Oscar De La Hoya did at the same juncture,” Bilderrain said. “His style is smoother. He’s more fluid than Oscar was. If I were a millionaire, I’d buy [the Garcias] out. I’d want this guy above any other prospect in the U.S.”

In tonight’s 10-round main event, Los Angeles flyweight Pedro Pena (12-0, seven knockouts) will fight San Diego’s Edgar Garcia (9-6-1). Pena, ranked 13th by the International Boxing Federation, will defend his state title. The show begins at 7:30 p.m.