PHOENIX — For middleweight boxer Elijah Garcia, fighting is a family affair.
"It's just...my dad took me to a boxing gym, and I just fell in love with it," said Elijah.
His father, Jorge Garcia Jr., was a fighter too. As was his father's father, Jorge Garcia Sr.
"Like, boxing was great. I just hated training," said Garcia Jr. "My dad loved boxing," he added.
Even Elijah's great-grandfather got into the ring.
"He had like 20 fights. He would just go fight for money. You know, he would go make some money," said Garcia Jr.
Still, the fourth-generation fighter is determined to forge his own path.
We asked Elijah what it is about fighting that gives him the ultimate feeling. He responded, "I think it's just you know, getting your hand raised. Getting to that victory knowing you put in six to eight weeks of hard training."
The 22-year-old has had his hand raised quite a bit. Right now, he's undefeated with a 15-0 record.
With a 15-0 record and 12 knockouts, Elijah has some heavy hands, but where did he get them?
"I'm sure I do hit hard, but I think the biggest thing is, you know, I have a good style. I like to break people down and you know, I just end up catching them," said Elijah.
It helps that the young warrior has wise men in his corner while he's training and when it's time to get in the ring.
"Me and my dad train him. You know, when he was younger, I just said, 'look, if you want to be good, just listen to me. You got to listen. You got to be coachable," said Garcia Jr.
Elijah holds two belts — the WBA Intercontinental title and WBC Latino Title — but he's far from done. The young father tells us he won't stop until he's at the top.
Garcia Jr. believes his son could be one of the greats.
"He's good, man. He could be a world champion. Yeah, it's like I said. He's not scared to lose. So, he's confident," said Garcia Jr.
Now, Elijah is fighting for his own family, his heritage, and representing where he's from.
We asked Elijah where he sees his future in boxing.
"At the top, that's for sure. You know, winning titles young, being the face of boxing, being the face of Arizona, fighting the best fighters. You know, just really putting Arizona on the map. That's what I'm all about," said Garcia.
His next fight is Friday, Sept. 30 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. He's facing off against Armando Reséndiz on the undercard of the Canelo Alvarez vs. Jermell Charlo fight.
It will be broadcast by Showtime.
