By: Sean Crose
“I’ve always predicted great things about him from an early age,” Joe Goosen says of Ryan Garcia, “and I stand by those predictions.” These must be encouraging words for Garcia to hear, for he is now trained by Goosen as he prepares for his comeback fight against Emmanuel Tagoe on April 9th at the Alamodome. Speaking to FightHub’s Marcos Villegas, veteran trainer Goosen speaks of knowing the 23 year old Garcia since the rising star was a teenager. “He trained at my gym for several months and we got along then,” Goosen says of the fighter known as “King Ry.”
After stepping away from the sport in order to deal with some mental health issues, Garcia recently got back in the game and worked for a bit with famed Canelo Alvarez trainer Eddie Reynoso. That pairing didn’t work out, so Garcia turned to Goosen, a man he knew well. “I got the call from his attorney Lupe Valencia,” Goosen says of the moment team Garcia reached out to him for his services in a professional capacity. “He broke the news that was the decision Ryan and the family had made and offered me the job…I jumped at it of course because I’ve always really, really liked Ryan.”
Goosen goes on to address the rumor that Garcia lacks dedication. “He really wants to work hard,” he says, “and he has been working hard. and he always worked hard as far as I was concerned.” So the rumor is false? “I’ve only heard about it just in the past couple of days,” Goosen says. “I just never saw that personally.” Goosen goes on to say there are often stories about fighter’s to be found. “That’s a lot to concern yourself with,” he says, “when I really don’t want to be concerned with that.” Goosen’s concern, as far as his fighters are concerned, is the present. “Looking behind and in the past doesn’t do you any good,” he adds.
As for Garcia’s training, Goosen is watching his fighter with a keen eye. “Nobodies perfect,” he tells Villegas. “It’s my job to look at what happens when you get at the very top of this game.” As for the specific battle plan for Garcia’s upcoming fight, Goosen is professionally tight lipped. “In essence,” he says, “this is a war and you don’t want to give any ammunition to your enemy.” Still, with seemingly all eyes on his fighter, Goosen remains convinced Garcia has the goods.
“He’s got the it factor,” Goosen says.