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Mike CoppingerESPN
Ryan Garcia explained why he parted ways with trainer Eddy Reynoso during a Friday appearance on ESPN’s “Max on Boxing” with Max Kellerman, saying Reynoso “didn’t really have time to train me.”
The star boxer announced last week that he’s training with Joe Goossen ahead of his April 9 comeback bout against Emmanuel Tagoe. The change comes after five training camps with Reynoso at Canelo Alvarez’s San Diego gym.
“The reason I switched was because Eddy didn’t really have time to train me and it just wasn’t working out anymore,” said Garcia, who has nearly 9 million Instagram followers. “It was already two weeks in [to training camp] and I hadn’t seen [him] so I was like, ‘You know what? I just need to make a switch.'”
Reynoso, who is from Mexico, was the Boxing Writers Association of America’s trainer of the year in 2019 for his work with the sport’s top pound-for-pound fighter, Canelo, but also with Garcia and two-division titleholder Oscar Valdez. Since then, Reynoso has also added heavyweight contender Frank Sanchez and former heavyweight champion Andy Ruiz Jr.
Currently, Reynoso is set to lead the corner of Julio Cesar Martinez, ESPN’s No. 1 112-pounder, who meets future Hall of Famer Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez on March 5. Reynoso didn’t respond to a text message from ESPN seeking comment.
Garcia, meanwhile, is preparing to enter the ring for the first time since a January 2021 bout with Luke Campbell. In his biggest win yet, Garcia survived a knockdown and rallied to score a seventh-round TKO of the Olympic gold medalist. The Southern Californian was set to fight Javier Fortuna in July 2021, but Garcia withdrew from the bout to address his mental health. A November matchup with former champion Joseph Diaz Jr. was scrapped after Garcia had to underdog surgery for a wrist injury.
When Garcia returns, a familiar face will be manning his corner. Goossen trained Garcia in his amateur days, which included 15 national titles. When Garcia turned pro in 2016, his father, Henry Garcia, was his trainer. He has remained in his son’s corner ever since and will assist Goossen during training camp at Garcia’s new San Diego gym, Fierce King.
“[Goossen has] always been somebody that I still call and whatnot so we already have a relationship,” said Garcia, 23. “Joe’s been great and he’s dedicated.”