Alan Garcia’s journey is one of both sacrifice and struggle

At just 21, lightweight boxer Alan “Kid Kansas” Garcia has endured more hardship than many experience in a lifetime. 

Garcia returns Friday in Glendale, Arizona, on the undercard of Jaime Munguia-Erik Bazinyan. He faces Ricardo Fernandez (15-13, 1 KO), a 31-year-old Spaniard, in an eight-round bout at Desert Diamond Arena.

Raised in Ulysses, a small rural town on the southwest side of Kansas, Garcia (14-0, 11 KOs) began boxing at age seven. Despite his love for the sport, he knew his future couldn’t flourish in Kansas.

“I’ve been boxing since I was seven years old, but when I turned 17, I moved to Los Angeles to train with Coach G, and I’ve been with her ever since I went pro,” Garcia said. If I had stayed in Kansas, I wouldn’t be where I am today. There’s no opportunity there.”

Garcia’s move to L.A. wasn’t just about boxing; it was about chasing a future. His coach, Gloria Alvarado, known as “Coach G,” had promised to turn him into a star. She saw potential in him from the moment she watched him fight at Nationals when he was either 13 or 14 years old. “A lot of people get nervous at Nationals,” Alvarado said. “But this kid, he was always one punch away from winning, and he never gave up. He had a smile on his face, proud of his performance, even when the politics in the amateurs didn’t give him the decision.”

Their bond grew over time. Alvarado’s daughter, Roxy Verduzco, had introduced her to Garcia, and after watching him fight in the Olympic trials and lose a decision she felt he deserved, Alvarado knew she had to help. “I told him, ‘I’ll make you a superstar, but you’ve got to be patient,’” Alvarado recalled. Garcia took the leap, moving to L.A. at 17, where Alvarado took legal guardianship of him since he had yet to turn 18.

Garcia’s journey isn’t just one of sacrifice, but also of struggles. In his second year in Los Angeles, his younger brother, Christopher Garcia, was shot at a park in Kansas on April 28, 2021. He was only 14 at the time of his death. Garcia had just returned home to visit after a fight. Christopher survived for six days before passing away. “It threw life sideways for me,” Garcia said. “I was going through it like anyone would. But I found myself on the right path again, and I chose to keep going; to keep doing what I’m doing.”

The losses didn’t stop there. During fight week for his last fight in August, Garcia received a call from his sister informing him that his friend, Xavier Castaneda, had been stabbed to death at a house party in Kansas. The grief weighed heavily on Garcia, though he tried to stay focused on the fight. “I was focused, but subconsciously it was there. I think I was throwing every punch with emotion,” Garcia said.

Alvarado, who has been by his side through it all, knows Garcia fights with more than just skill—he fights with heart. “We’re very close, and he trusts me,” Alvarado said. “I know when he’s fighting out of emotion or anger, and I can see it in his eyes. But once he hears my voice in the corner after the first round, he pulls it together. He’s so disciplined, and he’s got that intensity and pace that can carry him from round one to round twelve if I let him.”

For Alvarado, Garcia’s potential is limitless. “He’s focused, disciplined, and he wants it more than anything,” she said. “He’s got the same dream every time he wakes up—to be a champion. And he’s on the right path.”

Now signed with Top Rank Inc., Garcia is steadily climbing the ranks of the lightweight division. Despite his rise, the memories of his loved ones, especially Christopher, fuel his every step. “I miss him every day,” Garcia said. “But I know I have to keep going. I have to make sure his memory lives on with every fight I win.”

Lucas Ketelle is a proud member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and author of “Inside The Ropes of Boxing” (available on Amazon). Contact him on X @LukieBoxing.