‘Buzz’ Garnic preps for last fight as a trainer

By JEFF OLIVER

MVI Sports

In 67 years, Andrew “Buzz” Garnic has pretty much seen and done it all in the sport of boxing.

He has trained club fighters and he has trained champions. He has worked out and housed hundreds of hopeful and successful fighters at his training camp in the hills of Coal Center. He has run and lifted weights with those fighters and prepared meals.

During his hectic career, Garnic has traveled all over the world to work in the corners for fights. He worked title fights and he worked prelims.

And while he can still rattle off fighters’ names, their biggest fights, the results and where they were held during the last nearly seven decades, he is proud to say: “I did and seen a lot, but never once did I do it for the money. I did it because I loved the sport and I loved the guys I worked with. Period.”

On June 19, Garnic will be in the corner for heavyweight Danny Martz of Morgantown. Martz (20-12) will take on undefeated Zhilei Zhang (22-0) of China in Miami.

While his fighter goes in as a decided underdog against the 6-8 Zhang, the night will be special for Garnic.

It will be his final fight as a trainer.

Garnic, whose famous Round 2 training facility is on the market, said it’s time to retire.

“I’m 85,” he said. “I still work out three, four times a week. I have spunk in me, but 85 is 85.”

Garnic says the last two years have been tough, starting with the death of his wife, Patty, in 2019 and with the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The last time I was at a fight was February 2020 in Canada. Boy, you think it’s cold here in the winter,” he said.

“I’ve been winding down. “I don’t have the time I did 35 or 45 years ago to put in training a young fighter. It’s time.”

To read the rest of the story, please see a copy of Saturday’s Mon Valley Independent, call 724-314-0035 to subscribe or subscribe to our online edition at http://monvalleyindependent.com.