There is a lot happening these days at the Newburgh Boxing Club. While seven of its amateurs prepare for the Daily News Golden Gloves tournament, and one of them, Jaime Estrada, readies for both the Gloves and the Northeast Regionals on Feb. 15-17 in Lake Placid, NBC pro Tre’sean Wiggins (3-0, 3 KOs) has engaged in highbrow sparring sessions recently.
Wiggins, a 22-year-old light welterweight, had seven training sessions totaling 30 rounds last month with WBC light welterweight champion Danny Garcia (25-0, 16 KOs), who at 24 one of the brightest boxers in the sport. It was in preparation for Garcia’s showdown with three-time junior welterweight titleholder Zab Judah (42-7, 29 KOs) in the main event of a Showtime card on Feb. 9 at the Barclays Center.
But Garcia suffered a rib injury while sparring with former titleholder DeMarcus “Chop Chop” Corley on Jan. 19. The entire card was postponed to April 27 at Barclays. Newburgh Boxing Club trainer Ray Rivera said Wiggins held his own sparring against Garcia and could return to his camp in March.
Wiggins has been the victim of his own talent level by facing repeated fight cancellations since his pro debut in July 2010. The problem facing Wiggins is that inferior opponents generally either want too much money to fight him or flatly won’t take the chance. He has two first-round knockouts and a second-round KO, most recently stopping Duane Hall in the second round last March. As a result, Wiggins has had just three bouts in almost 2 1/2 years as a pro.
Wiggins deserves a shot at realizing his potential, and perhaps holding his own against Garcia will create some opportunities for him.