Junior lightweight Ryan Garcia, the 2017 ESPN.com prospect of the year, knows there are improvements he needs to make if he is going to reach the top of boxing and win a world title.
That is why Garcia made a major change on Wednesday, finalizing plans to be trained by Eddy Reynoso, one of boxing’s hottest trainers and best known as the head cornerman for Canelo Alvarez, the unified middleweight world champion and boxing’s biggest star.
Garcia has been trained throughout his career by his father, Henry Garcia, but had Danny Luna, whom he has known since his amateur days, lead his corner for his last fight with his father as an assistant.
But even though Garcia defeated Carlos Morales by majority decision in their 10-round fight on Sept. 1, it was a shaky victory. Garcia had a lot of problems late in the fight and appeared to be in some trouble.
While his father will remain as an assistant in the corner, Reynoso is now in charge.
“I have followed him and I know he has a lot of talent and potential,” said Reynoso, speaking to ESPN through an interpreter from Alvarez’s training camp in San Diego. “We will start training together [on Thursday].”
Garcia will join Alvarez’s camp, where he is getting ready to challenge secondary super middleweight titlist Rocky Fielding on Dec. 15 at New York’s Madison Square Garden. Garcia’s first fight with Reynoso is likely to come on that undercard.
“When I see a fighter, I analyze him and his fights, and that’s where I see what I can work on with a fighter,” Reynoso said. “I’ve had a few meetings with Ryan, and he comes off as very disciplined, very happy and dedicated. But he’s a fighter who needs to work on how to go forward, how to go backward, his defense and counterpunching. He has some boxing bad habits we need to take away. We are going to work hard and do as best as we can.”
The 20-year-old Garcia (16-0, 13 KOs), of Victorville, California, said he talked with his father about making the change and decided on Reynoso.
“He is the best option to help me get to the next level,” Garcia told ESPN. “Reynoso has loads of experience. He has Canelo, and he knows how to handle big fights. He can bring everything we were missing. I said why not pick one of the best trainers in boxing?”
When told of all of the areas Reynoso said he needed to improve in, Garcia said he was ready to have his game torn down.
“I’m ready to get better,” Garcia said. “I want to be the best so I am ready to do anything. I’m up for it, and I definitely will be paying attention to everything and listening to everything he says.”
He said he thought about seeking Reynoso out after he and his father watched Alvarez’s close decision win over Gennady Golovkin to win the unified middleweight title in their Sept. 15 rematch.
“We watched the first Canelo-GGG fight and we saw what he improved on in the rematch,” Garcia said. “It made sense to go forward with Reynoso. I like his style. Canelo is a counterpuncher, a boxer, and that’s what I am. I felt like Reynoso is the perfect fit for me.”