New team, same results? Ryan Garcia shakes things up with new coach ahead of Emmanuel Tagoe fight
It appears as if Ryan Garcia is heading into his return fight on April 9 with a clean slate. It was announced via a release that Garcia will be moving on from Eddy Reynoso. He will now be working with Joe Goossen.
The move takes place just a few weeks before Garcia squares off against Emmanuel Tagoe inside The Alamodome in San Antonio, TX.
“I’m excited to announce that I will now be working with Hall of Fame trainer Joe Goossen, in addition to my father, Henry Garcia,” Garcia stated in a release. “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. I’ll now be working out of my own gym, Fierce King, in San Diego — and my goal remains the same: to become a world champion.”
Based out of Southern California, Goossen is known for working with Gabriel and Rafael Ruelas, as well as Diego Corrales. The well-dressed trainer has been known to work a lot of repetition and drills in his training. While different from Reynoso, Goossen still maintains a strict approach when it comes his fighters. His resume and pedigree appears to be good enough for Garcia.
Garcia made his pro debut in 2016. In November 2019 and February 2020, Garcia beat Romero Duno and Francisco Fonseca following two brutal knockouts to win and hold onto the WBC silver lightweight title. He passed his first major test in January 2021 when he beat Luke Campbell via TKO to win the interim WBC lightweight title. This was during a time in which Reynoso was in his corner.
Since then, Garcia has taken a break from boxing. In April 2021, he was supposed to fight Javier Fortuna but backed out to focus on his mental health. Set to return this past November, Garcia would undergo hand surgery. Garcia’s father spoke to Boxing Scene regarding the move, stating that the decision resulted from Garcia wanting to be his own man while having the opportunity to train based on his schedule, not the schedule of others.
“Ryan decided that it was time for him to have his own gym, where he’s not confined to a certain schedule and a certain day. It’s like, ‘hey, we have a fight coming up’ you know. He wanted to build his own brand and make it bigger,” said Henry Garcia. “I think it’s time. It’s like when you have an apartment – you get tired of renting and you want your own place. It’s almost like that.”
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Reynoso has worked with the likes of Canelo Alvarez and Andy Ruiz Jr. The move has come during a time when Canelo and Reynoso have questioned Garcia’s commitment to training. At one point, Canelo stated Garcia is wasting time with his talent while not giving 100% to their team. Garcia recently talked positively about working with Reynoso and Canelo, which many thought was a sign that everything was OK between the group.
The hope is that a change in direction for Garcia will result in the same outcome from his last few fights. He wants to compete for gold, calling out the likes of Gervonta Davis via social media.
Tagoe made his pro debut in 2004. After losing his first fight, Tagoe has won 32 in a row. A former IBO lightweight champion, Tagoe defended the title once. His last fight was in November 2020, beating Mason Menard via majority decision.
