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Ryan Garcia is not only back but with an entirely new supporting cast.
The unbeaten lightweight dropped a stunning announcement ahead of his ring return, as he will now work under the guidance of renowned trainer Joe Goossen. The move comes two months out from Garcia’s upcoming fight with Ghana’s Emmanuel Tagoe (32-1, 15KOs), which takes place April 9 at Alamodome in San Antonio.
Goossen will work alongside Garcia’s father, Henry who was his first trainer before joining forces with Eddy Reynoso—best known for his work with boxing superstar Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez (57-1-2, 39KOs), with whom Garcia enjoyed a close bond.
“I’m excited to announce that I will now be working with [California] Hall of Fame trainer Joe Goossen, in addition to my father, Henry Garcia,” the 23-year-old Garcia announced Friday evening through his personal PR team. “Joe’s legendary career spans several decades working with championship fighters.
“I worked with Joe when I was growing up, and the two of us have maintained a great relationship over the years. I can’t wait to pick back up where we left off, and to continue this journey together.”
Goossen has trained numerous world champions in nearly forty years involved in the sport. The Van Nuys, California-based cornerman—who also works as an expert boxing analyst for Fox Sports— guided Michael Nunn and the Ruelas brothers—Rafael and Gabriel—to world titles in the 1980s and 1990s.
The well-dressed and brilliant-minded Goossen remains best known in recent years for his work with the late Diego ‘Chico’ Corrales. The two hooked up during Corrales’ return to the sport in 2003 following a 14-month prison sentence. Chief among their best work together includes Goossen coaching the two-division champion to an off-the-canvas, improbable tenth-round stoppage of Jose Luis Castillo in their May 2005 slugfest widely regarded as among the best fights in boxing history.
The move ends a three-plus year working relationship with Reynoso, whose stable Garcia (21-0, 18KOs) joined in October 2018. Garcia joined the famed stable shortly after his ten-round points win over Carlos Morales in September 2018, a tougher than expected fight for a then-20-year-old Garcia who acknowledged that an additional set of eyes was necessary for his career growth.
The union had immediate effects, with Garcia scoring five knockouts in as many fights with Reynoso. His time spent at the San Diego training facility also saw Garcia grow a strong bond with Alvarez, having fought on two of his cards including their both fight at Madison Square Garden (in separate fights) for the first time in December 2018.
Garcia has been out of the ring since an off-the-canvas, seventh-round knockout of England’s Luke Campbell last January 2 at American Airlines Center in Dallas. The win saw Garcia’s popularity soar to new heights, only for his career to come to a screeching halt. The unbeaten contender from Victorville, California withdrew from a planned July 9 fight with Javier Fortuna, citing a much-needed mental health check as his reason to briefly step away from the sport.
The break allowed Garcia to return clear-minded and ready to take his career to the next level. However, a planned November 27 showdown with former IBF junior lightweight titlist Joseph ‘JoJo’ Diaz was scrapped after Garcia was forced to withdraw due to a hand and wrist injury requiring surgery.
It turned out to be the last piece of career business involving the 2019—and very likely 2021—Trainer of the Year.
“I would like to thank Eddy Reynoso for everything,” acknowledged Garcia. “Eddy has been in my corner since 2018, and I’ve learned a lot from him, both inside and outside the ring. We built an incredible friendship that I’ll always cherish.
“On behalf of my whole team, I wish Eddy continued success in his amazing career.”
Interestingly, Garcia is leaving Reynoso’s gym but remaining close by for the next step in his career.
“I’ll now be working out of my own gym, Fierce King, in San Diego,” reveals Garcia. “[M]y goal remains the same: to become a world champion.”
Garcia’s name has been teased as a possible future opponent for lineal/WBA/IBF/WBO lightweight champion George Kambosos Jr. (20-0, 10KOs) for later this year. The first step back will be his fight with Tagoe, who has won 32 in a row since suffering his lone career defeat nearly 18 years ago.
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox