Ryan Garcia made major changes to his promising boxing career on February 11 when he parted ways with renowned trainer Eddie Reynoso and appointed the equally respected Joe Goossen as the new head coach. Garcia's father and lifelong coach Henry will still remain as second coach.
After shocking the boxing public with the announcement of the transition, Garcia spoke in more detail about the situation, stating that he spent two weeks in training camp before the upcoming fight against Emmanuel Tago, during which time he never saw Reynoso, and decided to change his trainer.
“Eddie didn’t have time to work 100% with me. He is a very busy coach, I understand that,” Garcia said in an interview with ESNews. “Sometimes you need to make changes to get better. I have nothing against him. He is a good coach. I won five knockout fights with him, so I am very grateful to him. I am moving to another level, and I need a full-fledged and one hundred percent coach. We never quarreled. It was a matter of attention and time.”
Garcia also talked about his first week of training with Goossen.
"It's amazing. Joe is a very dedicated coach 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. He watches all my mistakes, if I make them, he corrects them. He is always with us. He doesn't just see my talent, because a lot of people would say, "Damn, he's so fast, he's so fast." Joe notes everything I need to work on. I am always open and ready to listen. I am dedicated and always ready to go. I train almost from 6:00 am to 9:00 pm every day. That's more than nine to five. From six to nine."
The 23-year-old Garcia (21-0, 18 KOs) will remain in San Diego, where he trained with Reynoso, arguably the sport's strongest stable. Practicing alongside him were Canelo Alvarez, Andy Ruiz Jr., Oscar Valdes and Frank Sanchez, among others. Garcia is gearing up for his fight against Tago on April 9 after a break due to mental health issues and surgery on his right arm.
Reynoso's spring schedule is really packed with big fights. On April 30 in Las Vegas, Valdez is scheduled to face Shakur Stevenson in a featherweight unification bout, with Alvarez returning to the ring on May 7. Garcia's training camp and the week leading up to the Tago fight would eventually coincide with Valdes and Alvarez's training schedules and would certainly create conflicts in Reynoso's schedule.
Henry Garcia also stated in an interview with BoxingScene.com that in addition to the lack of time that Reynoso could devote, his son wanted to work independently, wanted independence, his own gym and more attention to his own brand.
“Ryan decided that it was time for him to get his own gym, where he is not tied to a certain schedule and a certain day. We have a fight ahead of us. He wants to develop his own brand and make it bigger,” said Garcia Sr.
“I think it's time. It's like when you have an apartment - you're tired of renting and you want your own. This is true. The main thing is that Ryan did not want to feel like he was in a foreign place, he felt that his brand needed development, like Floyd Mayweather when he decided to leave Top Rank and start his own business. It's almost the same. He just didn't want to feel limited to one area where you have to wait for someone to decide to work out with him, this or that. We don't want this. We want to have our place. What's bad about it?"
“Ryan is getting stronger and making his own decisions. This is the main thing, and we must respect it. He is no longer a child. He wants to make his own decisions, and it was the right decision. We are still in touch with everyone on Team Canelo."
“We love Canelo, Eddie and the team. They are wonderful and amazing people. I will never get tired of talking about it. We respect them, and there are no grudges between us. We thank them for all their help and are grateful for all they have done. But I think we need to make some changes, and the decision has already been made, ”added Henry Garcia.
