There is no bad blood between former fighter-trainer tandem Ryan Garcia and Hall of Fame coach Joe Goossen.
Garcia split from Goossen after three fights last year following his knockout loss to Gervonta Davis and has since linked up with Derrick James.
On April 20, the heavy underdog Garcia knocked down Devin Haney three times to win a majority decision. But the victory has been surrounded by controversy.
Garcia blew weight for the 140-pound fight by 3.2 pounds, and on May 1, tests revealed that Garcia tested positive for the banned performance-enhancing substance Ostarine on the day of and the day before the fight.
Haney has since requested that the New York State Athletic Commission disqualify Garcia.
Garcia has maintained his innocence as he awaits the results of his B-sample, and his former coach, Goossen, is backing him, too.
“I’ve known Ryan ever since he was a teenager, and I have nothing but great things to say about him because he has a great heart,” Goossen told BoxingScene. “He’s one of the best fighters I’ve ever trained. He’s got so much talent that it’s not even funny. He’s got everything.
“I trained Ryan for two years straight and never saw anything remotely close to the same galaxy of what is being talked about now. It wasn’t even talked about. Ryan would never knowingly do something like that. When he trained with me, he was dedicated. He always worked hard. Nothing about Ryan would lead me even to speculate anything in that direction. No way. Something isn’t right. I can not point the finger at Ryan. None of it makes sense to me. In my wildest dreams, I cannot conceive of Ryan Garcia purposely doing anything that would endanger his career in such a way.”
Goossen guided Garcia to wins against Emmanuel Tagoe and Javier Fortuna, but Garcia couldn’t overcome the southpaw Davis.
Goossen envisions a promising future for Garcia once he gets back into fight mode.
“Ryan will never lose to a right-hander,” said Goossen. “He’s going to be great at 147 pounds because he won’t have to kill himself to make weight. He’s tall and has a big frame. It’s amazing and almost frightening to see him hit bags and hit people. He’s one of the fastest, smartest, hardest hitters per square inch I have ever dealt with, and that’s saying something.”
Manouk Akopyan is a sports journalist, writer, and broadcast reporter. He’s also a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and the MMA Journalists Association. He can be reached on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube at @ManoukAkopyan, through email at manouk[dot]akopyan[at]gmail.com, or via www.ManoukAkopyan.com.
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