Antonio “Chico” Garcia, the legendary Lower East Side graffiti artist, was in town this past weekend when the news broke that another legend, the great heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali, had died.
Chico relocated to Tampa awhile back, but periodically returns to Loisaida to do commissioned mural work.
His Ali mural is on a roll-down gate just off E. Houston St., at 9 Avenue B, next to Raul’s Barber Shop. The gate is down most of the time except for when the building’s super needs to go inside to get tools, usually around 11 a.m. and 3 p.m.
“He was a popular guy, number one,” Chico said of the outspoken three-time heavyweight champion. “He was a family man. He fought for what he believed in. He was a political boxer. He was generous. He was a great person. He was a champ.
“To me, he was an icon,” he said. “I remember the Frazier fights. I’m 52, so I grew up with Ali.”
Earlier on Sunday night, before he made the mural, Chico found out that he had also lost a close friend. The graffiti project was a way for him to deal with the pain.
“I just wanted to release myself,” he said.
— Lincoln Anderson
