Ryan Garcia has the potential to be one of the best boxers, so how can he redeem himself following his latest loss?
Garcia suffered a unanimous decision defeat to Rolando Romero this month. It was his first fight since his no-contest against Devin Haney after seeing that win overturned once he failed VADA tests for Ostarine. Ryan was dropped in the second round by Romero’s left hook, as he never wanted to trade after that moment. Ryan must tighten up his defense as he has been dropped several times in the second round.
Weaknesses
Garcia suffered like this against Luke Campbell, Gervonta Davis and Romero. While he got up to stop Campbell, against the elite level names, Ryan went missing. Tank dropped Ryan with a counter left hook in the second round before stopping him with a body shot in the seventh. Romero made Garcia second-guess himself when he countered Ryan’s left hook with his own before coasting to a win. Ryan tends to drop his right hand and lean backwards, which leaves him open.
Garcia must also vary up his shots. Ryan has spoken about the power in his right hand previously. He demonstrated this in the Oscar Duarte fight. He rocked Duarte with his right hand before using his left to finish the job in arguably the best win of his career. Garcia has developed a reputation for being a one-trick pony by simply having that left hook, making him more predictable.
His Team
Ryan must also resolve his coaching situation. After the Davis loss, he decided to leave Joe Goossen. He joined Derrick James for the Duarte and Haney fights. Ryan then switched back to Eddy Reynoso for the Romero fight, only for that to fall through. Reynoso was training Canelo Alvarez for the William Scull fight, so Garcia could not get enough time to work on his game. He returned to James, but it was not enough to get the win. Garcia must find a coach, who can dedicate his time to sharpen his fundamentals if he wants to become a world champion.
Equally, Ryan must fix his personal life. He has been very vocal about his struggles with mental health, while there are also suggestions that he lacks dedication. Garcia has a massive following on social media, which has led to the criticism that he is simply a TikToker. Garcia was seen partying after the Rolly loss, once against fueling the narrative that he is not doing enough in the gym. So can Garcia fulfil his potential?
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