Marcos Maidana Trainer Believes Cain Velasquez Has Tools to Become Boxing Champion

OXNARD, Calif. -- Marcos Maidana will try to capitalize on the opportunity of a lifetime when he faces future hall of famer Floyd Mayweather Jr. on May 3 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

Maidana’s trainer, Robert Garcia, is no stranger to the mixed martial arts world. In fact, Garcia recently worked with Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight titleholder Cain Velasquez and believes the American Kickboxing Academy ace could succeed at a high level in boxing.

“There’s a local [MMA] gym here in Oxnard, and I have had some of the guys come in and do standup with us,” Garcia said. “One of the guys that came in for a few days that was training with me that we were really excited to have was Cain Velasquez. He was here for three days and worked with me and everything.”

Velasquez was a two-time NCAA All-American wrestler at Arizona State University, where he won two Pac-10 conference championships. Backed by a seemingly limitless gas tank, savage ground-and-pound and ever-improving standup, the 31-year-old Californian has delivered 11 of his 13 professional victories by knockout or technical knockout. Velasquez has not fought since he dispatched Junior dos Santos at UFC 166 on Oct. 19; he underwent shoulder surgery in December.

“I think this guy is not only great at what he does but he could also be a great boxer, because he’s got tremendous power,” Garcia said. “When I hold the mits with Cain Velasquez, right away I told his people that brought him, I said, ‘What do you guys think about training for boxing, because this guy could make a lot of noise in professional boxing?’ He’s got skills and tremendous power. He’s got good boxing skills.

“I think a good trainer could teach him how to fight, build up a good record in two or three years and become a champion,” he added. “I honestly believe so.”