On April 12, Aaron Garcia of Payson made his professional boxing debut, and it has been a long time coming.

The 20-year-old has been boxing since he was a child, training mostly in his family’s gym, Maximus Boxing. Serve Daily has followed Garcia and his family for years, beginning when he was competing in local competitions and winning national junior titles. Garcia is even a state championship wrestler, earning that title as a member of the Payson High School team.

Today, Garcia is branching out on his own, making a name for himself as a professional boxer, and on April 12, he won his very first match in front of a crowd that meant a lot to him and his family.

“The match was in Ensenada, Mexico, where my dad was from, which was pretty cool,” he said. “We had some family down there that we haven’t seen in forever, so it was pretty cool getting to see them again and have them at my fight supporting me. It was a really good experience.”

Not only was it “quite the experience, but he knocked his opponent out in the second round. Getting this first win under his belt is one step closer to building a record so that he can get in larger fights and win bigger titles. 

“I’m working on building up that record, and just trying to get a few more wins under my belt and then later on, I can see if I can qualify to go for some international belts,” he said. “I had my pro debut in Mexico, and I think I’ll have maybe one or two more fights down there and then I’ll make my U.S. debut later on this year.”

Although Garcia has been competing in boxing for most of his life, he said that the pro ring is a whole other level with different rules and different tools. 

“Now that I have started my pro career,  It’s a whole different game now – especially with the small gloves,” he said. “It’s crazy how much of a difference it is. Even though the gloves are only two ounces smaller, I can really feel the knuckles. It’s kinda crazy. … We wear smaller gloves and then there’s no headgear, so it’s a whole different game now, and I’ve got a lot to learn.”

Garcia is used to learning and being a student of the ring, as well as a teacher. When he’s not training or competing, he’s working at his family’s gym teaching children and teenagers. He said that he loves teaching others about boxing, and hopes to inspire others to love the sport as well. 

Garcia’s next match will be in Tijuana Mexico on June 15, and said he he hopes it will bring him one step closer to his goal: to be a world champion.

Garcia is chronicling his journey on social media which can be followed on Instagram @aaronmaximusga