Ryan “King Ry” Garcia showed a lot of improvement in his first fight under the tutelage of Eddy and Chepo Reynoso the father and son duo who helped guide Canelo Alvarez to the top of boxing.
Garcia (17-0, 14 KOs) is a highly touted lightweight prospect under the Golden Boy promotions banner, and Oscar De La Hoya the head honcho at GBP said Ryan is his best promotional signing since Canelo.
It’s obvious De La Hoya who was the matinee idol of boxing in the 90s and 2000s sees something in the young California boxer, he has the looks and the boyish charm Oscar had when he came out of the Olympics with a gold medal and he has the lethal left hook that Oscar had as well.
Garcia had a minor setback when he struggled against a journeyman Carlos Morales (17-4-3, 6 KOs) at the Fantasy Springs, Casino in Indio, California last September. The fight was supposed to be another showcase for Garcia, but Morales proved to be more than they bargained for when he rocked Garcia and hit him many times in the fight.
A lot of ringside observers questioned if the 20-year-old Garcia was going to get stopped by Morales, it also made boxing fans wonder if he was being hyped up because of his large Instagram following and good looks.
Garcia eventually won on the cards in a hard fought fight.
After the Morales fight, Ryan and his father Henry decided they would need a new set of eyes in camp to help them work on their defensive flaws.
In steps Eddy and Chepo Reynoso, they helped the young Garcia in his fight against Braulio Rodriguez on the undercard of Canelo Alvarez vs. Rocky Fielding at Madison Square Garden in NYC.
I saw major improvements from Garcia in this fight. He timed his shots well, and was patient not rushing in wild, he was able to slip and keep distance avoiding many of the wild punches from Braulio. His defense was on point and he was nothing like the fighter who got hit over and over in the Morales fight.
This fighter Braulio Rodriguez was a very awkward and experienced veteran, but Garcia was able to drop him twice in the fight stopping him in the 5th round.
I liked what I saw from Garcia. If he keeps improving under the Reynosos, he could become one of the best lightweights in the game.
Garcia just needs to make sure his punches are tighter, he was throwing some wild telegraphed punches from time to time but they should be able to fix that as they train together more.
I think Ryan Garcia and his father made a great decision in seeking out other trainers. Many times father’s have too much ego and refuse to accept their sons might need someone else to guide them, but Garcia’s father made a unselfish decision that will help his son in the longer run and possibly become a world champion boxer.
