Ryan_Garcia

Ryan Garcia

Ryan Garcia

American boxer (born 1998)


Ryan Garcia (born August 8, 1998) is an American professional boxer. He held the World Boxing Council (WBC) interim lightweight title in 2021.

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Amateur career

Garcia started boxing at the age of seven and dreamed of one day representing the United States in the 2016 Olympics.[5] He became a 15-time national amateur champion and amassed an amateur record of 215–15.[6]

Professional career

Early career

Garcia turned professional at age 17 on June 9, 2016. In his first professional bout, he fought against Edgar Meza in Tijuana, winning the match by TKO. Garcia soon signed with Golden Boy Promotions in November 2016.[6] Oscar De La Hoya announced Garcia would make his debut on December 17, 2016, on the Smith-Hopkins light-heavyweight main event at The Forum. Garcia won the fight by knockout in the second round.[7]

In October 2018, he started training with Eddy Reynoso, who also trained Canelo Álvarez and Óscar Valdez at their gym in San Diego, California.[8]

In September 2019, Garcia extended his contract with a new five-year deal with Golden Boy Promotions. Specific details of the multi-year deal were not disclosed.[9] Garcia had a cancelled fight with Avery Sparrow.

Rise up the ranks

Garcia vs. Duno

Golden Boy announced Garcia's next bout would be the co-main event of Canelo Álvarez vs. Sergey Kovalev at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. On September 18, 2019 Romero Duno was announced as Garcia's next opponent.[10] Garcia defeated Duno with a first-round knockout, capturing the WBC Silver lightweight title.[11]

Garcia vs. Fonseca

On January 2, 2020, Golden Boy announced Garcia would be facing Francisco Fonseca on February 14 at the Honda Center in Anaheim.[12] Garcia landed seven punches in the fight before landing a lead left hook which knocked out Fonseca in the first round.[13]

WBC interim lightweight champion

Garcia vs. Campbell

On October 8, it was announced Garcia would be facing Olympic gold medalist Luke Campbell for the interim WBC lightweight title at Fantasy Springs Resort in Indio, California.[14] The fight was originally scheduled for December 5, 2020, but was pushed back to January 2, 2021, due to Campbell contracting Covid-19. The venue was also changed to the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas.[15][16] In round 2 of his fight with Campbell, Garcia was knocked down for the first time in his professional career. He had survived the knockdown, as he got up shortly after hitting the canvas. Later on in the fight, in round 7, Garcia hit Luke Campbell with a fight-ending body shot.[17] CompuBox statistics show Garcia outlanded Campbell 94 to 74 (32%) in total punches, and 77 to 51 (44%) in power punches, with Campbell outlanding Garcia in jabs 23 to 17 (15%).[18] The fight was ultimately Campbell's last bout before his retirement.[19]

Cancelled bouts vs. Fortuna and Diaz

On April 13, 2021, it was announced by DAZN that Garcia would defend his newly won WBC interim lightweight title against Dominican former WBA (Regular) super featherweight champion, Javier Fortuna. The bout was set for July 9 in a location to be determined, and the winner would become the mandatory challenger to WBC lightweight champion, Devin Haney.[20] However, on April 24, Garcia announced he had withdrawn from the bout, in order to "manage his health and well being".[21] Former IBF super featherweight champion Joseph Diaz agreed to move up to lightweight to fill in for Garcia, and fight Fortuna on July 9. Garcia was subsequently stripped of his newly crowned WBC interim lightweight title, with the title being on the line for Diaz and Fortuna instead.[22][23]

On October 8, 2021, it was announced that Garcia would be challenging Joseph Diaz in Los Angeles on November 27 for his WBC interim lightweight title following Díaz's victory over Fortuna, the same title Garcia had held after beating Luke Campbell and was subsequently stripped of earlier in 2021.[24] On October 15, 2021, Mike Coppinger of ESPN revealed that García suffered a hand injury and the fight with Diaz will be postponed.[25]

Non-title fights

Garcia vs. Tagoe

On February 4, 2022, it was announced that Garcia would be returning to the ring after a long spell of inactivity against former IBO lightweight champion Emmanuel Tagoe on April 9. He easily dominated Tagoe and scored a knockdown in Round 2, winning a unanimous decision with the scores of 119-108, 119-108 and 118-109.[26]

After the fight, Garcia left Reynoso and started training with Joe Goossen.[27]

Garcia vs. Fortuna

On July 16, 2022, Garcia faced Javier Fortuna in a super lightweight bout in Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California. Garcia dominated the fight scoring knockdowns in rounds four, five and six, with the referee stopping the fight after the third knockdown. All the judges had scored the fight identically 50–43 prior to the stoppage, giving Garcia every round.[28][29] Garcia received praise for his performance, which was described as being an improvement over his performance against Tagoe.[28]

Garcia vs. Davis

On February 24, 2023, it was announced that Garcia would face Gervonta Davis on April 22, in Las Vegas, Nevada, in a 136 lbs catchweight contest. [30] The long awaited bout was a joint PPV event between Showtime and DAZN.[31] Davis knocked down Garcia in the second round and then also in the seventh round from a body shot. Garcia was unable to rise on the referee's count of ten, leading to Gervonta Davis being declared winner via KO. Following the fight, Garcia was criticized by some boxing figures for not rising in the seventh round. In an appearance on Max on Boxing, Timothy Bradley said that Garcia "quit," stating: "Listen to me. If you can get up at 11, why can’t you get up at 9? If you can look up, you can get up, Max, and he chose not to."[32] Promoter Eddie Hearn stated, "you can’t say that he didn’t quit. But I don’t blame him for doing it, like most people in that position would’ve done that. But quitting is deciding not to continue and he decided not to continue."[33] This was Garcia's first loss as a professional.[34]

Garcia left his trainer, Goossen, a week after the Davis fight and hired Derrick James as his trainer in May 2023.[35]

Garcia vs. Duarte

Garcia faced Oscar Duarte at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. The fight took place on December 2, 2023.[36] Garcia won the fight by KO in the 8th round after landing a combination late in the round rendering Duarte unable to beat the count of the referee.

Garcia vs. Haney

On February 9, 2024 it was announced that Garcia vs Devin Haney was signed[37] for April 20, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada for the WBC super lightweight title.[38] Two days before the fight, Garcia agreed to a wager with Haney that Garcia would pay $500,000 for every pound over the limit should he miss weight. Garcia later weighed in at 143.2lbs, 3.2lbs over the championship limit, and would forfeit up to $600,000 of his purse to Haney. Garcia would not be eligible to win the title.[39]

Garcia won the bout via majority decision. Garcia knocked down Haney in rounds 7, 10 and 11 before coming away with the victory by Majority Decision (114–110, 115–109, 112–112).[40]

Other ventures

In 2019, Garcia starred as Sonny Mendoza in the Brat teen web series On the Ropes.[41]

During 2021, Garcia signed a deal with sports drink Gatorade to appear on television commercials advertising the brand, thus becoming the first American boxer ever to appear on a Gatorade campaign.[42]

Personal life

Garcia comes from a large family. His parents have been actively involved with his career since he was an amateur. They continue to assist him with his professional career as his father remains one of his trainers and his mother works as his Personal Administrative Assistant for commercial projects. Garcia attended Adelanto High School before leaving due to amateur boxing commitments.[43] In March 2019, Garcia's daughter was born.[44]

Although American by birth and nationality, Garcia often incorporates his Mexican heritage into his persona. He often carries both the U.S. and Mexican flags into the ring and frequently wears red, white, and blue colors.[45]

In December 2022, Garcia began training in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Rener Gracie.[46]

Professional boxing record

More information 26 fights, 25 wins ...
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Pay-per-view bouts

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References

  1. Muehlhausen, Steven (October 15, 2021). "Ryan Garcia Injured, Out Of JoJo Diaz Fight". DAZN. Archived from the original on February 12, 2022. Retrieved February 13, 2022.
  2. DAZN tale of the tape prior to the Devin Haney fight.
  3. Quintero, Jose. "Garcia has sights set on Olympics". Victorville Daily Press. Gannett. Archived from the original on March 11, 2023. Retrieved March 11, 2023.
  4. Pugmire, Lance (November 7, 2016). "Golden Boy signs major lightweight prospect Ryan Garcia". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on June 8, 2020. Retrieved May 31, 2020.
  5. "BoxRec: Ryan Garcia". BoxRec. Archived from the original on June 3, 2020. Retrieved May 31, 2020.
  6. Quintero, Jose (December 13, 2018). "Garcia pairs with Alvarez's trainer Reynoso as he readies for 17th pro fight". Daily Press (California). Archived from the original on December 16, 2018. Retrieved December 16, 2021.
  7. Rafael, Dan (September 18, 2019). "Golden Boy signs Garcia to multiyear extension". ESPN. Archived from the original on August 10, 2020. Retrieved May 31, 2020.
  8. "Ryan Garcia to fight Romero Duno as part of multiyear extension with Golden Boy". Los Angeles Times. September 19, 2019. Archived from the original on November 3, 2019. Retrieved May 31, 2020.
  9. Idec, Keith. "Ryan Garcia Destroys Romero Duno in One Round". BoxingScene. Archived from the original on April 22, 2023. Retrieved May 31, 2020.
  10. Akopyan, Manouk (January 2020). "Ryan Garcia gets his chance for a featured fight against Francisco Fonseca". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on March 15, 2020. Retrieved May 31, 2020.
  11. Lee, Alicia (February 15, 2020). "Watch boxer Ryan Garcia knock out Francisco Fonseca in just over a minute into their match". CNN. Archived from the original on February 16, 2020. Retrieved May 31, 2020.
  12. "California venue confirmed for Ryan Garcia vs Luke Campbell battle". Worldboxingnews.net. October 30, 2020. Archived from the original on November 29, 2020. Retrieved November 3, 2020.
  13. Happe, Liam. "Ryan Garcia vs. Luke Campbell rescheduled for January 2, 2021". DAZN News. Archived from the original on January 6, 2021. Retrieved January 3, 2021.
  14. "Venue change and undercard for Ryan Garcia vs. Luke Campbell revealed". Fight Sports. December 7, 2020. Archived from the original on January 8, 2021. Retrieved January 3, 2021.
  15. Muehlhausen, Steven. "Ryan Garcia's technical knock-out on Luke Campbell had won Garcia the interim WBC champ". DAZN News. Archived from the original on January 2, 2021. Retrieved January 3, 2021.
  16. "Ryan Garcia vs. Luke Campbell - CompuBox Punch Stats". CompuBox. Archived from the original on April 22, 2023. Retrieved January 3, 2021.
  17. "GB gold medalist Campbell retires from boxing". ESPN.com. July 30, 2021. Archived from the original on October 8, 2021. Retrieved October 8, 2021.
  18. "Ryan Garcia to defend interim WBC belt against Javier Fortuna on July 9". DAZN. April 13, 2021. Archived from the original on April 14, 2021. Retrieved April 14, 2021.
  19. Christ, Scott (April 24, 2021). "Ryan Garcia withdraws from fight with Javier Fortuna". Bad Left Hook. Archived from the original on April 24, 2021. Retrieved April 24, 2021.
  20. "Garcia stripped of his interim WBC title". ringside24. May 24, 2021. Archived from the original on October 29, 2021. Retrieved October 29, 2021.
  21. "WBC Lightweight division news". Archived from the original on October 29, 2021. Retrieved October 29, 2021.
  22. Esco, Wil (October 8, 2021). "Ryan Garcia reaches terms with Joseph Diaz Jr for November 27 fight". Bad Left Hook. Archived from the original on October 8, 2021. Retrieved October 8, 2021.
  23. Coppinger, Mike (October 15, 2021). "Lightweight star Ryan Garcia suffers hand injury; fight with Joseph Diaz Jr. to be postponed". ESPN. Archived from the original on October 15, 2021. Retrieved October 15, 2021.
  24. "Garcia to make comeback vs. Tagoe on April 9". ESPN.com. February 4, 2022. Archived from the original on February 4, 2022. Retrieved February 5, 2022.
  25. "Ryan Garcia leaves Eddy Reynoso, now trained by Joe Goosen". Boxing News 24. February 12, 2022. Archived from the original on February 12, 2022. Retrieved February 12, 2022.
  26. "Ryan Garcia dominiert Javier Fortuna im Halbwelter" (in German). Focus Online. Retrieved September 3, 2023.
  27. "Ryan Garcia vs. Javier Fortuna fight results: Live boxing updates, scorecard, start time, undercard". CBSSports.com. Archived from the original on July 17, 2022. Retrieved July 17, 2022.
  28. "Davis, Garcia make weight, then things get 'crazy'". ESPN.com. April 22, 2023. Retrieved April 24, 2023.
  29. Tabuena, Anton (February 25, 2023). "Ryan Garcia vs Gervonta Davis finally made official". Bloody Elbow. Archived from the original on February 25, 2023. Retrieved February 25, 2023.
  30. Akopyan, Manouk (May 2, 2023). "Timothy Bradley on Ryan Garcia Quit Claims: 'There Is No Doubt About It'". Boxing Scene. Retrieved May 4, 2023.
  31. Esco, Wil (May 4, 2023). "Eddie Hearn believes it's hard to say Ryan Garcia didn't quit against Gervonta Davis". SB Nation. Retrieved May 4, 2023.
  32. "Davis hands Garcia first defeat with knockout win". BBC Sport. Retrieved April 24, 2023.
  33. Salazar, Francisco (May 19, 2023). "Ryan Garcia picks Derrick James as new head trainer". The Ring. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
  34. Iskenderov, Parviz (February 10, 2024). "Devin Haney vs Ryan Garcia signed for April in Las Vegas". FIGHTMAG.
  35. "Sources: Garcia misses weight, has deal to fight". ESPN.com. April 19, 2024. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
  36. Iskenderov, Parviz (April 21, 2024). "Ryan Garcia bests Devin Haney by decision in 12-round fight". FIGHTMAG.
  37. Pugmire, Lance (March 4, 2019). "Ryan Garcia's new YouTube series maintains the boxer's high exposure". Los Angeles Times.
  38. "Ryan Garcia becomes first American boxer to land an endorsement deal with Gatorade". Archived from the original on April 27, 2022. Retrieved April 27, 2022.
  39. Pugmire, Lance (March 21, 2018). "Victorville's Ryan Garcia embraces boxing life, millennial-style". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 11, 2024.
  40. Quintero, Jose (March 29, 2019). "Ryan Garcia takes on fatherhood, lightweight division". Daily Press (California). Archived from the original on January 8, 2021. Retrieved September 22, 2019.
  41. "Boxer Ryan Garcia now on Oscar De La Hoya's team". ESPN One Nación. November 8, 2016. Archived from the original on April 6, 2019. Retrieved December 16, 2021.
  42. Jones, Phil (December 21, 2022). "Boxing Star Ryan Garcia Starts Training BJJ With Rener Gracie". Archived from the original on December 21, 2022. Retrieved December 21, 2022.


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