By Jim Calfa: Trainer Joe Goosen believes Ryan Garcia is on a path to superstardom if he can keep winning the way he’s been doing.
Goosen recently took over as the coach for Ryan (21-0, 18 KOs) after the 23-year-old split with his previous high-profile trainer Eddy Reynoso.
Shortly before Ryan left the Reynoso gym, fellow gym-mate Canelo Alvarez slammed him in an interview, saying he lacked dedication.
Ryan had been dealing with an injury and a brief anxiety issue, which got in the way of his training.
After learning about Canelo criticizing him, Ryan says he felt a sense of betrayal from the Mexican star because that’s something that he would have never done if the shoe was on the other foot. He felt stabbed in the back by Canelo.
“Look, Ryan has a lot of talent. But in my eyes, he’s wasting a lot of time and wasting his talent. I look at him and don’t see him 100% dedicated and, to us, that’s a bad signal,” said Canelo Alvarez to Complex about Ryan’s lack of commitment.
It’s not surprising that Ryan chose to leave Reynoso’s gym after learning what Canelo had said, making the environment poisonous.
Goosen hasn’t seen a lack of dedication from Ryan in the short time he’s been working with him, and he feels he’s a hard worker and exceptionally gifted.
Ryan and Goosen will be working for the first time together next month when King Ry takes on Emmanuel Tagoe (32-1, 15 KOs) in a 12 round headliner fight on DAZN at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas.
This will be Ryan’s first fight since his bout against Luke Campbell in January 2021. It’s important that Ryan not only win against the 33-year-old Tagoe but look good in doing so.
A knockout would be the ideal way for Ryan to win the fight, as would show the boxing world that he’s back and ready to challenge the winner of the June 5th George Kambosos Jr. vs. Devin Haney fight.
“The kid can fight like crazy. To me, if you built a fighter, he’s really got the goods,” said Joe Goosen to Fight Hub TV on Ryan Garcia. “It’s like that ‘It factor.’ It’s hard to describe, but you know it when you see it.
“He’s got the ‘It factor’ inside and outside of the ring. That’s a great combination. He’s tremendous in front of the camera.
“He looks great, he sounds great, he’s articulate. Things that will serve you well win it comes to monetary things outside of the ring,” said Goosen.
You can imagine Goosen’s happiness right now because if he can make some minor improvements in Ryan’s game, he can turn him into a massive star, and he’ll enjoy the ride.
The money that Ryan can make is enormous if he can beat the Kambosos vs. Haney winner and then defeat Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis. Ryan can’t back out of the fights if he’s able to set up matches against these fighters because he can’t afford to get a reputation as being unreliable.
If Ryan wins those fights, he could be a superstar by the first half of 2023, and you can only imagine the wealth that he can accumulate in a short period.
“Inside the ring, he’s got a great style and has a lot of fans on the Internet,” continued Goosen about Ryan. “All that adds up to if he keeps on winning, superstardom. I think he’s got it. I’m really happy to be here, to tell you the truth.
“No trainer would want to turn down a job like this. What makes it better for me is I know Ryan, and we’re getting along better now that he’s a little bit older. He’s got a high IQ inside and outside the ring.
